We offer a range of functional medicine health tests to help investigate any factors that may be influencing your health or to check progress.
SIBO Breath test
As SIBO specialists we often use the SIBO breath test for clarity and precision.
If you are considering a SIBO Breath test but not sure if it’s worth it, then we would definitely recommend it is something you complete as an efficient supplement or antibiotic plan designed to address SIBO will be dependant on whether you are hydrogen or methane dominant or whether the test indicates you have hydrogen sulfide SIBO. Testing is the only way to find this out.
Our SIBO lab test
We use a reputable licensed lab to ensure you get the best experience when testing. Our SIBO lab runs regular quality controls, equipment checks and takes their quality program a step further by participating in blind proficiency tests external to themselves. These quality checks provide additional assurances about the accuracy of the test and guards against potential variations in shipping and environmental influences.
Stool testing
As well as a SIBO Breath test we often recommend a stool test. We have run thousands of stool tests and are well versed in interpreting and addressing any imbalances that are found.
The stool test we tend to favour includes many markers that the NHS are acquainted with which helps your GP to take us seriously. We look at calprotectin which assesses inflammation in the gut, fecal fat to asses whether fat is being absorbed and pancrelipase to check pancreatic digestive function and occult (hidden) blood which can indicate more serious digestive issues.
Our stool test also looks at immune function in the gut via SigA, protein digestion, permeability, SCFA’s – short chain fatty acids, Helicobacter pylori, and we delve into the Microbiome via PCR – simply meaning looking at the DNA of bacteria, yeasts and parasites.
Good and bad bacteria
We hear a lot about good bacteria these days such as the well-known lactobacillus acidophilus and bifidobacterium but the world of bad bacteria and imbalanced bacteria, called bacterial diversity and abundance, is currently exploding as research speeds up and informs us about the role these different bacteria play in our health and wellness or disease. We know for example that some bacteria are associated with the production of hydrogen sulfide, hydrogen or methane and knowing which bacteria are present in the large intestines helps to build an overall digestive picture.
It really is worth checking this – I recently received results showing a positive result for Clostridium difficile that the NHS had missed for years resulting in acute episodes of diarrhea and low energy. Once we had found the root cause of this patients digestive issues we could then make the right decisions along with our resident private doctor about their options for treatment.
Parasites
Most of our stool tests also check for parasites – You may not be aware but many people are walking around hosting parasites and although new research shows some parasites are actually beneficial for health – such as hook worm for treating MS – many are detrimental to health, such as Giardia – you’d most likely know if you had this one because of its cyclical nature, associated sulphurous flatulence and resulting bad energy.
Other parasites such as dientamoeba fragilis and blastocytis hominis can also be associated with digestive issues and are commonly missed out by NHS parasite tests. Again – our up to date DNA test is worth doing, earlier this year we found a tapeworm in a patient, they were slightly unnerved but grateful to find one of the causes of their digestive issues. Their NHS test missed this and left them with a diagnosis of IBS and an outlook of a lifetime of ill health and digestive issues. Thankfully the tapeworm was removed and digestive health restored.
Yeasts
Candida albicans is the most widely recognised yeasts but its only one of 20 strains of candida and along with candida other yeasts such as geotricham Microsporidium and Rodotorula should be checked. Our DNA test checks for yeast and as it is now known that SIFO – small intestine fungal overgrowth can have the same symptoms as SIBO it’s definitely worth ruling this in or out. This allows us to make the best choices for you regarding your diet and supplement plan – of if you prefer we refer you to our doctor for antibiotics and if needed they can add in some antifungals as well.
Please note the cost of all health tests is in addition to the cost of consultations.