Stool testing

[artisticmum]

Has anyone on here ever done stool testing through a company to find out various things like good bugs, bad bugs, inflammatory markers, leaky gut etc, and did it prove anything and was it worth it. I have been talking to a nutritionist who suggested stool testing, but I have heard its a waste of time and money. Any help would be appreciated.

[xjrs]

I had a terrible time with nutritional therapists - they are not medically trained. They persuade you to get loads of expensive tests done, which they are not qualified to interpret. They diagnosed me with something I didn't have and made my condition far worse with their treatments.

Some of the courses nurtritional therapists go on, only have basic english and maths as prerequistes. I wouldn't want to see a doctor who is so unqualified.

There really isn't any point in getting stool tests done. Everyone has bad and good bugs in their gut. It is whether the good bugs are keeping the bad bugs under control.

The therapists made me believe that I had to get rid of the bad bug that was found to be dominating from the stool tests, with antibiotics, anti-microbial supplements, but this is not the right thing to do, since you destroy good bugs at the same time.

Many people with IBS have a gut bacterial imbalance, with one or more bad bugs dominating. The best thing to do in the first instance is to take a probiotic that has been studied for IBS (such as Alforex) on a 3 month trial and see if this helps to bring the bugs back in balance.

Once symptoms improve, it is then best to eat as wide a diet as you can tolerate (Alflorex helped improve food tolerance for me - it also digests complex carbs). This increases bacterial diversity in the gut, which helps the good bugs to thrive and keep the bad bugs under control.

The best diet for the microbiome in the long run is the Medittereanen diet. I follow this as closely as possible, but with some food intolerances remaining I can't always follow it to the letter.

I wish I had known all of this when I was at your stage. I would have saved myself £1000s from fees from these 'therapists' and all the expensive tests and supplements they pushed on me. Trying something like Alflorex for 3 months is a lot cheaper and much more healthy for your microbiome.

[artisticmum in reply to xjrs]

Many thanks xjs. I thought it sounded a waste of time. I went to see a nutritionist once before and she tried the Vega machine on me which didn't work and sent me away with a plan of what to eat most of which I can't, so I never went back. I am like you with visceral hypersensitivity and IBS-C so, as you know, eating is a real problem and my diet is really poor. I suppose paying for a dietician is a waste of time too as they now have all these expensive packages which they want to sell you. All I want is a bit of help with where to start with eating, take probiotics first and then widen the diet etc. I have Symprove to try, but I find it a bit tart which causes heartburn, so if that doesn't work, I will try Aflorex. BTW, the medication you take for your constipation, does it cause you any problems. I was prescribed Comocol but I end up having accidents. Not good!

[xjrs in reply to artisticmum]

The Linaclotide, which I have been taking for a while now, doesn't cause me any problems. When I first started taking it, it did seem to help with the C, but in the end, for me, it doesn't help with the C, it just helps with the pain - reducing it by 50%-60%. Alflorex was the game changer in reducing the pain to zero (when not eating foods I am still intolerant to). This is why I'd recommend trying Alflorex first, since even today I am unsure whether the main pain relief is now coming from the Alflorex rather than the Linaclotide. Everyone is different and lots of things when you start taking them have a bedding in period until things settle. I currently deal with the C with diet, but I can eat much more fibre now with the Alflorex.

[artisticmum in reply to xjrs]

Thank you

[buggins55]

I've done it with the Zoe programme surprisingly it showed my gut bacteria to be at a good level and well balanced having tried everything over the years I've just had to settle with the idea that IBS is with me and is what it is, possibly my gut and brain don't work well together but I do what I can, eat well, meditate, keep moving (when I am up to it) and try not to get too anxious (which a lot of IBS sufferers are prone to)

[artisticmum in reply to buggins55]

Thank you.

[BabblingBrooks in reply to buggins55]

I’m thinking of paying for that . At least you have that peace of mind with your results.

I think IBS triggers are a minefield and worrying about what they are is another stress on top of other stressors.

Personally I think stress is one of the biggest ones to consider.

[buggins55]

yes absolutely although i have found that IBS can cause stress in itself as well as triggering the condition, it's revolving doors. I found the Zoe thing very educational as regards food and diet and the other tests showed that I spike with sugar and carbs and i don't clear fats from my blood very quickly all very interesting

[artisticmum]

Thank you both. I am still not really convinced and I have been quoted £375 for the test on top of the nutritionists fees. A lot of money! Considering an IBS dietician, but they all want to sell you packages same as the nutritionist and do things really quickly over 10 -12 weeks which I can't do. I can only eat a morsel of a new food and build it up from there which seems a hard slog. I might do as XJS suggested and take a course of probiotics first as I am having so many courses of antibiotics at the moment. Then see if they improve my gut enough to try introducing more foods.

[BabblingBrooks in reply to artisticmum]

You should definitely start with probiotics especially if you’re on antibiotics.

Like you I was having so many, Alflorex is a good one to start with.