Gut Health Testing
Gut health plays an important role in digestion, inflammation, immune function, hormone balance, energy, mood, and overall wellness. When symptoms are persistent or complex, functional gut testing may help provide a deeper look at what is happening in the gut environment.
When appropriate, I may use the GI-MAP at-home stool test to help identify factors that may be contributing to chronic digestive issues, food sensitivities, inflammation, hormonal imbalances, fatigue, brain fog, and other ongoing symptoms.
Because functional medicine is a systems biology-based approach, testing is not ordered as a standalone service. I need to understand your full story before determining whether gut testing is the right next step.
All new patients begin with a Discovery Session. This first appointment allows me to better understand your health history, symptoms, lifestyle, labs, and goals before recommending a care path or any functional testing.
What the GI-MAP Checks For
GI-MAP stool testing may provide information about:
Pathogens, including bacteria, yeast, viruses, and parasites
H. pylori infection
Beneficial bacteria
Bacteria that may contribute to inflammation, diarrhea, constipation, abdominal pain, or bloating
Bacteria and viruses linked to autoimmune conditions
Yeast overgrowth markers
Parasite markers
Digestive enzyme levels
Fat digestion markers
Immune system and allergy markers
Inflammation markers
Detox markers
Gut microbiome patterns that may influence hormone levels, including estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone
Who Gut Testing May Be For
Gut testing may be considered for people who:
Experience regular constipation or diarrhea
Have excessive gas, bloating, abdominal pain, or nausea
Have frequent heartburn
Have IBS or IBD, or a family history of it
Have taken multiple courses of antibiotics
Experience fatigue, low energy, or brain fog
Have symptoms that may be connected to gut health, inflammation, hormones, or immune function
Not every patient needs advanced gut testing. If testing is recommended, it will be based on your unique symptoms, history, and goals.
How Testing Works if Recommended
If gut testing is appropriate for you, a GI-MAP stool test kit may be shipped to your home.
You’ll complete the test at home and use the included prepaid shipping label to send your sample back to the lab. You may also be asked to complete a brief intake form so I can better understand your symptoms and interpret your results in context.
Once results are available, we will review what the test is showing as it relates to your symptoms, health history, and overall care plan.
Things to Consider
If you have recently taken antibiotics, you may need to wait before completing the test. Timing will be discussed if this testing is recommended for you.
The goal is not to order every possible test. The goal is to order the right testing at the right time based on your full health picture.
Start With a Discovery Session
Functional medicine looks at the whole person, not one symptom or one lab result in isolation. Your Discovery Session is the first step in determining whether gut testing, functional lab testing, lifestyle strategies, or another care path is the best next step for you.