Ideally when we start our FDN investigation with running 3-5 functional lab tests to help us collect clues to identify your missing pieces of the HEALTH puzzle and resolve your individual unique case of METABOLIC CHAOS.
Perhaps you do not have any known unexplained symptoms but you are curious how healthy you are “under the hood”- especially since 70-80% of our immune system resides in our gut!
How do you know if you are healthy… and not assume you are healthy because you are fit and look good on the outside!??
One of the 3-5 labs that I suggested my Health (RE) Building coaching clients run includ the GI Map. Over the next few blog posts, I will be reviewing some of the markers included on these key functional labs and the clues they may present to us on your health.
The Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory GI Microbial Assay Plus (“GI-MAP”)
- Includes markers for gluten sensitivity (anti-gliadin IgA)
- Inflammation in the gut (calprotectin)
- Immunity in the gut (SIgA)
- Pancreatic enzyme sufficiency (elastase)
- Occult blood
- Presence of pathogens – including H. Pylori and other bacteria, parasites, worms, and viruses – in the gastrointestinal tract.
MARKERS INCLUDED ON THIS TEST:
- Bacterial Pathogens (Campylobacter, C difficile Toxin A & B, EHEC, E coli 0157, EIEC/Shigella, ETEC LT/ST, Salmonella, Shiga-like Toxins, Shigella, etc.)
- Parasitic Pathogens (Cryptosporidium, Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia)
- Viral Pathogens (Adenovirus, Norovirus, Rotavirus)
- H pylori (H Pylori, with 7 virulence factors)
- Normal Bacterial Flora (Bacteroides Fragilis, Bifidobacteria, Enterococcus, E. coli, Lactobacillus, Clostridium Spp., Enterobacter Spp.)
- Phyla Microbiota (Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes/Firmicutes ratio)
- Opportunistic Bacteria (Bacillus, Enterococcus, Morganella, Pseudomonas, Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, etc)
- Autoimmune Triggers (Citrobacter, Klebsiella, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Prevotella Copri, Proteus Spp etc)
- Parasites (Blastocystis hominis, Dientamoeba fragilis, Endolimax nana, Entamoeba coli, Chilomastix mesnelli, Cyclospora, Pentatrichomonas)
- Fungi/Yeast (Candida albicans, Candida spp., Geotricum spp., Microsporidia spp., Rodotorula spp.)
- Viruses (Cytomegalovirus, Epstein Barr Virus)
- Worms (Ancylostoma duodenale, Ascaris lumbricoides, Necator americanus, Trichuris trichiura, Taenia spp)
- Additional Tests (Elastase, Steatocrit, SIgA, Anti-Gliadin, Calprotectin, b-Glucuronidase, Occult Blood)
- Antibiotic Resistance Genes
To detect pathogens, the lab uses Real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), or quantitative PCR (qPCR), which combines amplification and detection into one step. qPCR “is one of the most powerful and sensitive gene analysis techniques available to detect the DNA of microorganisms.
GI MAP TEST DETAILS:
- Test Type: Stool (1-day single specimen collection)
- Shipping:
- Within the U.S. or Canada, use the FedEx shipping bag enclosed in the test kit and drop the package off at a FedEx office or call FedEx for a free pick-up.
- Cost: plus Medical Director Fee
- $359 for U.S. clients
- $423 for GI-MAP w/Zonulin add on for U.S. clients
- $109 for Pylori only – MDP fee is $40 USD
- Instruction Sheet (included in the test kit)
- Additional info:
- Clients must complete all highlighted sections of the Test Requisition Form.
- Do not add diagnostic codes to the form.
- The lab recommends refrigerating the specimen if it will not be shipped the same or next day.
- The lab must receive the sample within 6 days of collection (for the SIgA result to be valid).
- The DNA for the pathogens part of the panel, however, is stable for up to 2 weeks.
- The client does NOT need to be off antimicrobials (antibiotics or herbal supplements) prior to collecting the stool sample
- Orally taken steroids can interfere with the inflammatory markers and if possible, the patient should wait 3-4 weeks after the completed regiment to do the GI-MAP.
- Also, after a colonoscopy, the patient should wait about a week to do the test.
Do you want to get your body and vibrant self back again? Transform the WHOLE you with “The WHOLESTIC Method” health coaching & the LOW CARB ATHLETE Podcast.
Debbie helps driven and ambitious people, who are trying to do all the “right” things, investigate what is actually going on “under the hood” to get their body and vibrant self back.
Perhaps you have seen multiple doctors and experts but they tell you everything is “normal” and there is nothing wrong with you. That was my experience. I refused to believe that “nothing is wrong with me” and this is part of “getting older”. This was not going to be the new me and stop me from investigating what was really going on from the inside out – under the hood.
You have a choice to take care of the WHOLE you and even transform the WHOLE you from the inside out. Please don’t give up and settle, as the struggle is real and you are not alone. If you feel exhausted trying to do all the “right” things and still can’t feel, move or look better then we need to take a different approach.
Remember- the definition of Insanity is …
“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
If you are stuck in the “cycle of trial and error” then it is time to take a different approach and look at the WHOLE person with “The WHOLESTIC Method” investigation coaching program if you want to REPAIR-REBUILD-RESTORE the WHOLE you to be a fat burner, health optimizer and reach peak athletic performance gains.
Contact me to schedule a call to discovery more. Click here.
Debbie Potts
Health Coach, Author, Speaker & Podcaster
Host of ‘The Low Carb Athlete’ Health Building Podcast
Creator of ‘The WHOLESTIC Method’ Coaching Program
FNTP, FDN-P, NASM CPT, CHEK HLC, Kion Coach
BURN FAT. OPTIMIZE HEALTH. IMPROVE PERFORMANCE.