Gut testing

[infomaniac]

Has anyone ever had and gut/microbiome testing or anything like that?

[Finola]

Hi,

My son had gut and microbiome testing done by Genova last year and it was very helpful in that it showed why he has been having so many gut issues. He had stool and urine tests which cross referenced each other to show mineral and vitamin deficiencies along with the imbalance in gut flora.

I am not suggesting that Genova are the best for this test, there probably other labs which provide more comprehensive options. Also Genova pay the doctors who refer a kick-back, which we didn’t know at the time - it looks like this is quite common in the world of supplements and tests. That’s another sad tale though…

I would also add that to get the most out of the tests, and the cost of them, you need someone who understands the bio chemistry and flora and fauna to interpret - which rules out most gps and endos - in my sad experience.

Best wishes to you

[Yeswithasmile]

I didn’t do one of these in the end as there are a few companies to choose from and they certainly can be pricey. I will be very interested to see what replies you get!

Finola may I ask…. did the company not interpret your sons results or did you feel they were comprehensive enough in their report? Also did your son manage to feel better once he had some info?

With regard to the kick back, personally I feel that this is probably the case with medications too.

[Finola in reply to Yeswithasmile]

Hi,Sorry for delay.

Another tale of poor doctoring - which I won’t go into here. Tests were prescribed by a doctor who gave my son a very cursory analysis. My son then moved to another dr who analysed the results thoroughly and this knowledgable analysis was very informative. If you are having gut issues it’s a useful test, probably not vital, and genova give some info with the results but you can only order it via a drs recomendation and the results go to the dr first.

My son went into a diet excluding lactose, gluten, sugars - essentially eating meat and vegetables, ( IFM elimination diet) and this improved his gut health enormously. It turns out that he is lactose intolerant and benefits also from excluding gluten. I think we all know that the western diet - highly processed wheat based - isn’t very good for us.

He found it helpful in that he could see that things weren’t in balance and making changes has helped his gut health but his endocrine system needs more support - which we are working on now.

[Yeswithasmile in reply to Finola]

Thanks Finola. That’s interesting and helpful. Appreciated. I do hope your son is improving although sorry to read he has another path to follow too. Seems it all goes hand in hand and they are doing some amazing research into ‘you are what you eat’ for want of a better expression!!

Thanks again.

[userotc]

Like Finola, I used Genova Diagnostics though I'm also not necessarily recommending. After 2 GI Effects with them, I switched to Invivo for a 3rd microbiome test cos they included zonulin for leaky gut. If you require more info, please specify and reply or pm.

I have no problem with an intermediary getting a commission if they interpret data. As Yeswithasmile rightly states, GPs are paid for prescribing drugs but the difference is generally they don't add value!

[Yeswithasmile in reply to userotc]

May I ask if you did their comprehensive test which seems really thorough. I liked their site. Informative and well thought out. I note they do small tests too which is interesting and I am assuming you could just ‘add to basket’ rather than go through a gp?

Thanks.

[userotc in reply to Yeswithasmile]

Yes I did GI Effects which is thorough. I've also had urinary iodine test with them. In both cases, a practitioner is needed but, for iodine, Thyroid UK (this HU forum) qualifies. It's not easy to deal direct with them.

[Yeswithasmile in reply to userotc]

Thanks for the added info. I will beat it in mind.