Have you been told “everything looks normal” on your labs, scopes, or bloodwork but you still feel bloated, constipated, or exhausted? You’re not alone.
In this episode of the Love Your Gut Podcast, I’m breaking down why the GI-Map stool test can be a game-changer when all your other results come back “normal.” You’ll learn what the test measures, why it’s different from standard stool testing, and how it connects the dots between gut function, hormones, immune health, and energy.
We’ll cover:
- What the GI-Map actually measures (and why it’s more than just “yes/no” for parasites or infections)
- The most common hesitations about stool testing and why they’re valid but often keep people stuck
- Why I often prefer the GI-Map over SIBO testing as a first step
- Real client examples of how GI-Map results explained years of frustrating symptoms
- Who benefits most from this test (hint: if you’ve been told everything is fine but you don’t feel fine, this is for you)
If you’ve been living in the “everything is normal” camp but know in your gut something’s off, this episode will help you understand whether a GI-Map is the right next step.
Links & Resources
- 👉 Follow me on Instagram
- 👉 Book a Gut Health Audit: get my eyes on your case and I'll provide you with where the gaps are and exactly what your next steps should be!
- 👉 Apply for gutTogether VIP: Ready for the most comprehensive support? gutTogether® is our signature 6 month program (which includes GI Map testing)
- 👉 Compare our gut health programs
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Dr. Heather Finley (00:03):
Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Heather Finley, registereddietitian and gut health
specialist.
I understand the frustration ofdealing with GI issues because
I've been there and I spent overtwo decades searching for
answers for my own gut issues ofconstipation, bloating, and
stomach pain.
I've dedicated my life tounderstanding and solving my own
(00:24):
gut issues.
And now I'm here to guide you.
On this podcast, I'll help youidentify the true root causes of
your discomfort.
So you can finally ditch yoursymptoms for good.
My goal is to empower you withthe knowledge and tools you need
so that you can love your gutand it will love you right back.
So if you're ready to learn alot, gain a deeper understanding
(00:46):
of your gut and find lastingrelief.
You are in the right place.
Welcome to the love your gutpodcast.
Hello and welcome back to thenext episode of the Love Your
Gut podcast.
Happy first week of fall tothose who celebrate, even though
it was literally 97 degrees herein Texas yesterday.
(01:08):
So we are bringing on fall asmuch as we can, but I'm so
excited for today's episode.
This is a question that I getasked often, so I thought, why
not?
Record a podcast episode becauseif I'm getting these questions,
I imagine there's other peoplethat aren't even asking that
have the same questions.
So I wanna start today with thestory because I know so many of
(01:32):
you see yourself in the storiesthat I share.
Whenever I'm on discovery calls,I always hear.
Some of the same phrases.
I listened to every episode ofyour podcast and it just makes
so much sense.
Or you told the story about thatone client and it sounded
exactly like me, or I listenedto your story and it sounded
exactly like me.
So I always like sharing storiesbecause I wish that when I was
(01:57):
on my own journey that I.
Heard stories of people thatfelt like me because at the time
I felt like I was the only one,and I felt like there was nobody
else who had the symptoms that Idid because it was kind of taboo
to talk about those things atthe time.
And I'm glad that we are in aday and age where it's just more
normalized to talk about GIsymptoms, hormone symptoms, et.
(02:22):
And then I get to share thesestories with you, so we'll talk
about this client who came to meafter years of bloating,
constipation, and fatigue.
Let's call her Rachel.
She had been to multipledoctors, had blood work, done
the whole shebang, thyroidpanels, iron panels, autoimmune
panels, all the things, and shehad even done multiple
(02:44):
colonoscopies.
She had also done, I think twoendoscopies as well, and every
single time she was toldeverything's normal, she would
end up going back to the GIdoctor and they would, try
random things.
Try MiraLax.
Try lo fodmap.
We don't know why you're havingthese symptoms because
(03:06):
everything is normal.
And honestly, like her GI doctorwas a great doctor.
It wasn't the GI doctor's fault.
He's not gonna make somethingup, right?
Like her colonoscopy truly wasnormal.
Her blood work truly was normal.
But why did she feel so bad?
Why was she.
So bloated by the end of the daythat she couldn't button her
(03:27):
pants.
Why was she so constipated thatshe was having to use
suppositories to go to thebathroom?
Why was she dragging herselfoutta bed in the morning?
And I hear this story, thesetypes of stories over and over
again.
My labs are fine, but I'm sobloated by the end of the day.
I look six months pregnant, ormy doctor said everything
checked out, but I still can'tgo to the bathroom.
(03:48):
I tried Linzess, I tried Moeity.
I tried.
You name it.
And so that was the case forRachel.
She came to us.
She had really checked all theboxes, and I would say about 50%
of our clients are in that sameboat where they've checked all
the boxes.
The other 50% are a.
Haven't necessarily had acolonoscopy or endoscopy, and
(04:11):
I'm not here to tell you whichway to go because I think that
that is so unique and individualand there are definite reasons
to get a colonoscopy.
But I also think that there's alot of reasons why you may not
need to get one, especially ifyou don't have family history or
some of the major signs that acolonoscopy is gonna rule out
for things like.
(04:31):
IBD or colon cancer there's alot less invasive testing we can
do first.
So that is where the GI Map testoften becomes a game changer.
So for Rachel, it showed whatall the other tests had missed.
She had imbalances in her gutbacteria, she had low stomach
acid, a parasite.
Once we had that data, we couldactually build a plan that
(04:53):
addressed why she was feelingthe way she was feeling instead
of just chasing symptoms.
And that's what.
A lot of our clients come to uswith is this symptom chasing
mentality.
Uh, what do I do to fix myconstipation?
What do I do to fix thebloating?
And sometimes you have to getout of symptom chasing mode a
little bit and take a zoom out.
(05:16):
And look at what's actuallydriving all of this.
So today I'm gonna answer yourbig question.
Do you need a GI map?
Because I don't think thateverybody needs a GI map, just
like I don't think everybodyneeds a colonoscopy.
So here's what we're gonnacover.
Number one, what the GI mapactually is and how it's
different from standards stooltesting, the biggest objections
and hesitations that peoplehave, why they're valid, but
(05:38):
they also keep you stuck.
How the GI map can also revealroot causes that other tests are
gonna miss, and why I oftenprefer a GI map over SIBO
testing.
Which I know is controversial.
And then why this test literallynever comes back normal.
And how this actually is goodnews because it explains why you
(05:58):
feel the way that you do evenwhen your labs say otherwise.
So by the end of this episode,you will know whether or not a
GI map is a good next step foryou.
If you've been told everythinglooks fine, or if you're a
practitioner and you work withclients and you're thinking
about.
Should I use GI Map testing?
This will be a good one for youas well.
(06:19):
So first, let's start with.
Answering the big question, whatexactly is the GI Map?
The GI Map short forgastrointestinal microbial Assay
plus is a stool test that usesDNA technology called PCR
testing or QPCR testing to lookat microbes in your gut, how
your digestive system isactually functioning, and a lot
(06:40):
of different things that.
You're not gonna get on standardtesting.
This is completely differentfrom what you might get at your
doctor's office.
Standard stool tests usuallyscreen for major infections.
A colonoscopy is gonna look forstructural problems, polyps,
tumors, et cetera.
And those tests are important,especially if you're 45 plus you
have red flag symptoms likebleeding or unexplained weight
(07:03):
loss, but they primarily ruleout disease.
And most of the clients we workwith, they don't have a disease.
They don't have IBD although wedo work with people with IBD,
but the majority of our clientsdon't.
So this GI map looks atfunction.
It doesn't just ask, is theresomething dangerous?
(07:24):
It asks, how is your systemactually working?
So it measures things likepathogens.
So h pylori, parasites, harmfulbacteria that might be hiding
under the radar.
It looks at your beneficial orkeystone strain bacteria.
So these are species in your gutthat keep your gut barrier
strong.
They help you absorb nutrients.
They regulate your, yourmetabolism.
(07:46):
They help you digest fiber.
So this can.
Answer the question of why am Iscared of the produce aisle?
Why does fiber hate me is acommon thing that we hear.
It measures your opportunisticbacteria, so the ones that
normally hang out quietly, butcan cause problems when your
system is stressed.
If you've listened to thispodcast before, you've heard me
(08:06):
compare your gut to.
A target parking lot, so yourtarget parking lot has a lot of
parking spaces, and the bestpart about the GI Map or one of
the best parts is that we get tosee who's parked in those
parking spaces or who's notparked in those parking spaces
and who's not Parked is equallyas important as who is.
(08:26):
It also includes digestionmarkers like elastase, which
tells us about.
How you're digesting protein,carbs, and fats scr, which looks
at fat digestion which is reallyimportant as whether you do or
don't have a gallbladder, butfrom a fat digestion perspective
as well as fat soluble vitamins.
So like vitamin D things thatyou can often see low on blood
(08:46):
work.
It looks at immune function withmarkers like secretary IGA.
This is one that we reallycommonly see low and depleted,
and then it looks atinflammation and detox markers,
so calprotectin, which you mayor may not have already had
done.
On a standard stool test at yourdoctor's office, that is
something that they run betaglucuronidase, which often
(09:09):
explains hormone symptoms, acne,fatigue, skin issues.
So this is why I always say a GImap rarely comes back, quote
unquote, normal.
It's not a pass fail test, whichis what your doctor is running.
It's yes, you have this, no youdon't.
It's a map of patterns.
Hence the name GI Map.
(09:30):
It shows us where your system isstruggling.
Even if nothing is screaminglyhigh or low, it matters so much
about the whole picture.
And when I train practitionersand gut practitioner, this is
something that I emphasize somuch.
You cannot just treat the testbecause treating a test.
Is not gonna get you anywhere.
(09:51):
And if you've had a practitionerin the past and you've run a GI
map and they said, oh, you haveh Pylori, here's the h pylori
protocol, but they didn't lookat the whole picture.
That's probably why you're notbetter when you use a test.
You have to look at it in thecontext of somebody's lifestyle,
history, symptoms, patterns,other lab work, blood work,
(10:15):
HTMA, et cetera.
So.
We're looking at these subtleimbalances.
They help explain why you feelthe way that you do and what the
next step will be.
Because the reality is too, youand I could run a stool test and
we could have the same.
Results, which would be highlyunlikely, but let's just say we
(10:37):
had the exact same results.
The way that I'm showingsymptoms in my body is gonna be
very different than the way thatyou're showing symptoms in your
body because your lifestyle isdifferent than mine.
Your genetics are different thanmine, and we all.
Have ways that our body gives usred flags, right?
It might show up for me asconstipation and bloating,
(11:00):
whereas for somebody else itmight show up like acid reflux.
So for example, let's say aclient came in after multiple
normal scopes and blood tests.
But maybe you're still havingreflux, skin breakouts,
exhaustion.
On a GI map, you may see stufflike h pylori.
You may see elevations in badquote unquote bad bacteria.
(11:23):
You may see a detox marker likebeta glucuronidase being
elevated that explains thesesymptoms.
And these can often be themissing links.
So when people ask me, do Ireally need a GI map, my answer
is, if you've been toldeverything's fine, but you know
it's not.
This test can show you what thestandard labs can't.
It's not about ruling out canceror Crohn's, that is the point of
(11:45):
a colonoscopy.
It's about giving you a roadmapto fix the function of your gut
so that your body can actuallyheal.
So let's expand a little bit onwhat you actually learn from a
GI map, because this is where itgets really eyeopening and
really exciting.
I love looking at these testsand love understanding why
(12:09):
somebody feels the way that theydo.
This is not just a yes or notest.
You're not gonna get the testback and it's gonna say h
pylori.
Check, elastase X, it's actuallygonna show you a range, and that
can be really helpful.
Again, because this is a map,this is looking at all the
moving parts, it's why theresults never come back
(12:29):
completely normal.
There's.
Always something to learn, evenif it's just subtle shifts in
your digestion or immunefunction.
And we've had people come to usand do GI MAP testing that don't
have GI symptoms, and they stillhave stuff going on and their
symptoms get better because weknow that the gut is connected
to.
Every, almost every system inthe body.
(12:52):
For example, I had a friend whowas having crazy, like skin
rashes and they wouldn't goaway.
We did a GI map and identified acouple things and her skin is
fine now.
Same thing with sleep.
We see, I've worked with severalpeople that have insomnia and
other sleep issues, and althoughthey don't have GI symptoms, we
(13:13):
address what's going on in theirgut.
All of a sudden their sleep getsbetter.
So let's walk through the maincategories of the GI mat.
The first page is gonna bepathogens and parasites.
So these are the bigger, moreobvious things like h pylori, e
coli, parasites such as Giardia.
If you've been struggling withsymptoms like reflux, bloating,
(13:34):
nausea, diarrhea, even skin andhormone stuff, it can sometimes
be because these pathogens arestill lingering.
And what's important here isthat they're not always picked
up on standard stool tests, anddefinitely not on.
Scopes, a colonoscopy cannot seeh pylori or parasites living in
your gut.
So when people are toldeverything looks normal, but
(13:54):
they still feel terrible, maybethey did go to Mexico and get a
parasite, or maybe they did gete coli or salmonella from food
poisoning, or maybe they have hpylori that they're getting
chronically passed back andforth between their spouse.
The second part is commensal orbeneficial bacteria.
(14:15):
You can think of this as yourfoundation.
So back to the target parkinglot analogy.
This is who is parked in yourparking spots.
These microbes help to regulateyour immune system, keep your
gut barrier strong.
They even produce vitamins,which is really cool.
And when these keystone specieslike Akkermansia Pernit.
Bifidobacteria.
(14:35):
When these are low, you can seeissues like poor metabolism,
weight struggles, intestinalpermeability causing food
sensitivities.
So diversity in who's parked inyour parking lot really matters.
And the more variety in thesespecies, the more resilient your
gut tends to be.
The third section isopportunistic bacteria.
These are like your middleground bugs.
(14:56):
They're not always bad, but whenthey're under stress or when
they're in excess, they canstart causing trouble,
especially if you have poordigestion or after antibiotics
or, um, things like strep,staph, pseudomonas.
They're often the reason thatsymptoms flare when you're
stressed or run down.
(15:17):
And so it's really helpful tolook at that.
The next piece is digestionmarkers.
This is probably my favoritepart of the test because it
connects the dots on whyeverything else in the test is
off.
For example, if you are notdigesting fats very well.
Or if you are not digestingproteins, carbs, fats, and your
(15:40):
pancreatic elastase is low, thatshows us that you have an issue
upstream.
So no wonder you have all theseovergrowth, bacteria.
You need bile, and you needadequate bile flow.
It's like a dishwashingdetergent to clean out bacteria
in your gut.
Again, this is looking atpatterns, so we have to look at.
How everything on the test isworking together.
(16:02):
So elastase is gonna tell us howwell your pancreas is producing
digestive enzymes.
If it's low, your food literallyisn't breaking down, and you'll
feel that as bloating, gas, evennutrient deficiencies.
SCR tells us how well yourdigesting fats, if it's high,
you're not breaking down fatproperly, which can indicate
sluggish bile flow, greasystools, low absorption of fat
(16:26):
soluble vitamins like Imentioned.
So a, D, E, and K.
There's also a section here forimmune markers.
Secretary iga A is one of myfavorites.
It tells us how your gut immunesystem is functioning, and so if
it's low, it means your body'sreally tired and you're more
vulnerable to infections andfood reactions.
So when your food sensitivitypanel came back with all the
(16:48):
food that you normally eat.
This is part of the reason whyif it's really high, it shows
that your body is activelyfighting something.
So we need to look at is itactively fighting h pylori?
Is it actively fighting c diff?
Is it actively fighting aparasite that matters?
And then calprotectin is anothermarker.
So this one looks at gutinflammation.
(17:09):
If it's elevated, it may meanthat your gut lining is
irritated.
Which can tie a lot into pain orurgency or just red flag
conditions that should beevaluated further.
We also see, um, anti glidden onhere.
So it looks at glutensensitivity.
It looks at how your immunesystem is responding to gluten.
This does not diagnose celiacdisease, but again, we're
(17:30):
looking at patterns.
If we see secretary IGA isreally high and calprotectin is
really high, and anti glidden isreally high.
I'm wondering, do you haveceliac disease?
Do you need to go get tested forthis?
So sometimes it can help us knowwhat the next step is or where a
colonoscopy or endoscopy mightbe indicated.
And then there's betaglucuronidase.
(17:51):
So I mentioned this earlier, butthis is a detox marker, and it's
one of the main ways that GI MAPconnects gut health to hormone
health.
So when beta glucuronidase ishigh.
Your body starts recyclingestrogen instead of clearing it.
And that means you may end upwith symptoms like acne or PMS
or heavy periods or evenendometriosis or fibroids.
(18:11):
So if you've been working onhormones, but nothing is
shifting, sometimes the gutreally is the missing link.
And the beauty of this test isthat it connects the dots, like
I said, so it takes you from.
I don't know why I feel this wayto, oh, okay, this makes sense
now.
And it's always, even after nowrunning probably 1500 of these
tests or more, it's always sohelpful because we know what's
(18:35):
causing the symptoms and then wecan develop a plan.
So who actually benefits themost from a GI map?
I'm gonna just give you a rapidfire list and see if any of
these sound familiar.
So, chronic bloating,constipation, diarrhea or
reflux.
Any hormone issues like PMS,heavy cycles, estrogen
dominance, skin issues likeacne, eczema, rosacea that don't
(18:57):
improve with creams or dietelimination, chronic fatigue, or
that feeling of like all mytests are normal, but.
I am so exhausted.
Hashimoto's or other autoimmuneconditions, multiple food
reactions or sensitivities.
Maybe you were diagnosed withceliac and you've been
gluten-free for a while and youstill don't feel good.
(19:18):
Frequent colds, infections arejust feeling like your immune
system is run down.
Symptoms that flared afterantibiotics or illness, or also
symptoms that flared after foodpoisoning or a trip.
And then honestly, anyone whohas tried protocol after
protocol or diet after diet andreally not gotten anywhere or
(19:38):
maybe just temporary relief.
So if you heard yourself inthese lists, this would maybe be
a good next step for you.
So conventional tests, likestool tests, et cetera, are
gonna ask, is there somethingdangerous here?
And a GI map is gonna ask, isthis system actually working?
And.
(19:58):
Anytime I bring up stool tests,people also have hesitations.
I get it.
Stool testing does not soundglamorous, right?
So I wanna talk through some ofthe biggest hesitations that I
hear.
The first one is I already didstool testing and it was normal.
This is by far the most commonthing that people say, and
here's the difference.
Most standard stool tests atyour doctor's office are
(20:21):
culture-based and they run verylimited QPCR testing.
That means they're essentiallylooking for the presence or
absence of a few commonpathogens, like do you have
salmonella?
Yes or no?
Do you have GRD, I guess or no?
But what those tests miss is thefunction of your digestive
system and the whole microbialbalance.
(20:41):
I don't care if you have onething.
I wanna know how that'saffecting the whole system.
The giac map is gonna quantifythis as a broad range of
microbes, give us digestivemarkers, inflammation, immune.
So it's not just do you havesomething scary?
It's, is the system working?
So different question.
(21:02):
Totally different answer.
The second hesitation that Ihear is it's gross or
embarrassing, and I just wannanormalize this.
Yes, you do have to give a stoolsample, but it really is one of
the least invasive tests thatyou'll ever do.
You're not fasting, you're notgetting your blood drawn.
There's no sedation.
(21:22):
And you literally get to do itat home.
You get the test shipped to yourhouse and you can do it from the
comfort of your own home.
They send you a glove, they sendyou all the things to make it as
least gross as possible, andfive to 10 minutes of your life
for the most comprehensive datathat you're gonna get is worth
(21:42):
it.
It's the least fun thing you'lldo that day, but hands down,
worth it for.
The relief that you're gonna getlater.
A third hesitation is cost.
It's expensive and this one isreal because unfortunately,
insurance usually doesn't coverfunctional tests.
So yes, it is an investment, butthe way that I like to reframe
(22:02):
it is how much have you alreadyspent on supplements,
elimination diets?
Colonoscopies.
Repeat SIBO protocols, randomlab work.
Random like one-off appointmentswith doctors that have just
gotten you nowhere.
For the most part most of ourclients when they come to us,
(22:23):
they've spent thousands ofdollars and they're still stuck.
So when we finally invest in theGI Map, we have a clear plan and
also to speak to, if you'vealready done a GI map and you
haven't gotten anywhere, thequestion I would ask you is,
were you.
Actually addressing yoursymptoms in the context of the
(22:45):
test, or was that practitionerjust treating the test with a
like blanket protocol?
There is a huge, hugedifference, and one of the
reasons that I have lovedrecently doing these gut health
audits, about half the peoplethat did the audits.
Uploaded testing, some of themGI maps and some other stool
(23:06):
test.
And the biggest missing piecethat I saw was they had not
addressed.
Digestion, minerals, motility,nervous system they had just
addressed.
You have this bacteria, you havethat bacteria, and not how the
whole system was workingtogether.
So we actually need tounderstand the whole picture so
(23:28):
we can target the root cause.
And really that saves so muchmoney in the long run.
And also emotional energy aswell because we're not just
throwing spaghetti at the wallto see what sticks.
We know why and we stopguessing.
The fourth hesitation is I don'twanna find something scary, and
I get that I have family historyof colon cancer.
(23:48):
I don't wanna find that either.
And this one can come from aplace of fear.
Maybe you've had a family memberdiagnosed with a serious
condition, or you're reallyworried about what you might
see.
And here's what I'll say is.
Knowledge shrinks fear.
I know I, even if I don't havesymptoms as a result of my
family history, I have to go getcolonoscopies about every five
(24:11):
years, and I always am worriedabout it and I know that.
Okay.
If there was something wrong,wouldn't I wanna do something
about it?
What we don't know, our mindtends to imagine the worst,
right?
The GI map is not gonna diagnosecancer.
It's not that kind of test.
It gives us functional data thatwe can translate into an action
(24:31):
plan.
Why live in uncertainty when youcan actually know what's going
on and what steps to take.
And that's, that can beempowering, not scary.
And then the last one that Ihear all the time is, can I just
do a SIBO test?
We've had several clientsrecently that are like, well, I
don't wanna start working withyou until I do my SIBO test.
And I'm like, okay, fair, valid.
(24:53):
And.
I wanna know what's causing yoursibo.
If you do have it, SIBO breathtests will tell you what kind of
gas is present.
The GI Map is gonna tell you whyit keeps coming back, and I'll
go deeper into that in a minute.
But the short answer is thisSIBO testing.
Is not telling you the rootcause.
So here's the bottom line.
(25:14):
If you only treat symptoms,you're gonna keep chasing them.
If you only treat overgrowth orbacterial overgrowth you're
gonna relapse.
And if you use the GI map,you're gonna finally see a full
picture of why your gut isn'tworking and what to do about it.
And data is always gonna helpyou get to the plan, and that's
where real healing begins.
(25:36):
So.
Let's go back to the SIBOtesting versus GI Map
conversation.
Why would you not just do a SIBOtest?
And SIBO breath testing issomething that maybe you've done
or you've heard about,especially if bloating is your
main symptom, and here's what itdoes.
You drink a sugar solution, thenyou breathe into tubes over a
couple hours.
(25:56):
The test measures how muchhydrogen methane, and if it's
the trio smart hydrogen sulfidegas is being produced in your
small intestine, there's a wholeprep diet that you have to
follow.
It can actually be very hard tomake sure you do the test
correctly, and if those gasesspike.
At certain points, it suggeststhat bacteria have migrated into
(26:17):
your small intestine where theydon't belong.
So yes, this test is helpful andcan tell you if you have sibo,
but the problem is it doesn'texplain why.
And I can't tell you how manyclients come to us having
treated SIBO 3, 4, 5 plus timesbecause they just keep taking
antibiotics, but they're notlooking at if their stomach acid
(26:41):
is too low, if their pancreaticenzymes are weak.
Bile flow is sluggish, immunesystem is depleted.
If there's another pathogen oryeast overgrowth driving the
imbalance, it also doesn'tmeasure inflammation or
detoxification markers thatcould explain hormone symptoms,
fatigue, et cetera.
So that's where.
Doing a GI map or another stooltest similar can help reveal the
(27:05):
whole picture of the terrain,whether possibly h pylori is
suppressing your stomach acid,or if your pancreas needs a
little help, or if your gutlining is inflamed and your
immune system is exhausted, orif you have parasites or yeast.
Just adding fuel to the fire, orif your body's having trouble
detoxing.
All of these things can bereally helpful.
(27:27):
So when we have thatinformation, we can actually
address SIBO and prevent it fromcoming back and fix the whole
terrain.
So if some, if stomach acid isstrong, if bile and enzymes are
flowing, the immune system issupported.
SIBO has a much harder timesticking around and we see a lot
of momentum within six to 12weeks.
(27:47):
If you're actually doing thiscorrectly.
So that's why I often prefer tojust do a GI map.
We're gonna see some clues onthe GI map about what is going
on with methane producingbacteria, hydrogen producing
bacteria.
And really our goal is toprevent a relapse.
We don't want you to spendmonths, years doing round after
(28:10):
round of antibiotics andherbals.
So it's like treating weeds inyour garden without fixing the
soil.
You can keep pulling the weeds,but if your soil is depleted,
compacted weeds are gonna comeback.
And that's what happens in yourgut.
So that does not mean that SIBOtesting is never helpful.
Sometimes we will layer it in,especially if you wanna confirm
(28:30):
hydrogen sulfide gas if that'splaying a role in your symptoms,
because the treatment for thatis way different.
But the GI map is gonna give usmore foundational.
Data on what to do.
So the takeaway here is SIBOtesting tells you what kind of
gas is present.
GI Map tells you why that gaskeeps building up, and that's
why in my practice we oftenprefer to use GI MAP testing.
(28:54):
We're gonna fix the top ofdigestion and terrain first.
The small intestine will follow.
So now that you know what the GIMap measures.
Let me show you how thisactually plays out in real life,
because that is where thebiggest light bulb moments go
off for our clients when theresults finally explain why
they've been stuck.
(29:14):
So case number one that I wannagive an example of is chronic
bloating and constipation.
That's at least half of theclients that we see.
So this client in particularcame to me after years of
alternating between constipationand occasional loose stools,
which.
Usually in that case is actuallyoverflow, diarrhea, or the most
(29:35):
severe form of constipation.
She also had daily bloating,migraines, brain fog, had tried
low fodmap, SIBO, herbs,multiple rounds of antibiotics,
but nothing ever gave herrelief.
And on her GI map, what we sawwas h pylori was present with a
virulence factor.
So this is not just a randombug.
It's one that increases risk forulcers and definitely messes
(29:59):
with stomach acid.
Low acid makes it much harder todigest protein and keeps the
door open for bacterialovergrowth.
So this was a big missedopportunity for her.
Also her keystone species ofbacteria, her akkermansia and
perse specifically were low.
And these are bacteria that keepyour gut barrier strong.
(30:20):
You've probably heard the termleaky gut or increased
intestinal permeability.
This is.
Really, really important forpreventing a relapse.
So because of all the restricteddiets, antibiotics, et cetera,
her gut was so depleted, herparking lot was empty.
Remember when I said earlier, itmatters as much as who's not
(30:42):
parked in your parking lot?
That was the case for thisclient.
So her gut lining was a little,leaky motility was slowed down,
inflammation was higher.
She also had a coupleopportunistic bacteria.
These aren't usually the problemin small numbers, but in her
case they were really high.
Definitely contributing tomigraines and some of the other
symptoms.
And then lastly, we found methylbacteria.
(31:05):
And these are methane producingmicrobes that are strongly
linked to constipation.
So in her case, the constipationwasn't just quote unquote IBS.
It was a combination of lowstomach acid, an empty parking
lot.
Methane producers slowingeverything down.
Once we supported her digestion,rebuilt her parking lot and
(31:26):
addressed the methane gas, herbloating and constipation
started to shift, and this wasnot an overnight fix.
I wanna be clear, this doesn'thappen overnight.
If you actually wanna fix theproblem, it will not happen
overnight.
10 weeks of addressing stomachacid, replenishing keytones
targeting methane.
Her bloating dropped from dailyto rare.
(31:47):
She was having daily bowelmovements.
Migraines decreased in bothfrequency and intensity.
So when keystone species are lowor the parking lot is empty,
everything is going to slow downand this matters too.
So that was a huge missing piecefor her.
The next and last example thatI'll give is daily reflux That
(32:08):
won't go away.
So another client that had beenstruggling for years with reflux
had tried every PPI ant acid,all the things she just kept.
Being told, just increase thedose.
Increase the dose.
And in her gut, not to becheesy, she knew she didn't
wanna do that.
She's like, I know the sideeffects of being on PPIs for so
(32:28):
long and there's got to besomething else that's gonna help
me.
So the interesting piece here,were all connect to the dots, is
she had a chronic history ofUTIs.
She had acne.
She had suspected endometriosis,brain fog, and then fatigue.
All her scopes were normal andshe just kept being told it was
(32:49):
acid reflux.
But her GI map told a verydifferent story.
Her h pylori was high.
This is the bacteria that lowerstomach acid production, which
is ironic because it often leadsto reflux, burping, and
bloating, and without enoughacid.
Food is just sitting in herstomach like a brick, which is a
common phrase that we hear.
(33:09):
So all these PPIs, no wonderthey weren't working.
She didn't need that.
She needed to get rid of the hpylori.
She also had some opportunisticbacteria that were elevated.
This explained why her immunesystem felt constantly
irritated.
Also possibly why her skin keptflaring, and then her elastase
looked fine, but her Sato cratewas elevated and this told us
(33:32):
that she wasn't digesting fatswell, pointing to sluggish bile
flow, and poor fat absorption.
Definitely explaining some ofthe skin issues she was having.
The recurrent, just bloating andsymptoms as well as like
chronically low vitamin D, andthen also vitamin E is really
important for skin health, soshe wasn't digesting fat soluble
(33:53):
vitamins very well.
Her beta glucuronidase wasreally high.
This explained the acne andhormone symptoms.
Her body was recycling estrogeninstead of clearing it.
We don't want that.
And then finally, her secretary,IGA, or her gut immune system
was really low.
And this explained a lot of thefrequent illness infections,
just kind of constant immuneburnout.
(34:14):
The biggest aha moment for herwas that she wasn't just dealing
with random, disconnectedissues, her reflux, her acne,
her fatigue, even her UTIs, theyall traced back to the same root
causes.
And one thing that I'll connecthere for you is that if you
have.
Frequent UTIs and you have lowstomach acid.
(34:36):
Those two things are connected,and we see that all the time,
especially if they are connectedwith candida.
So after a focus protocol wherewe were addressing the h pylori
rebuilding her parking lot.
Bile support, immune support.
She was tapering off the PPIs.
Her reflux resolved, her skincalmed down.
(34:57):
Uti, I stopped coming everycouple months.
So this isn't random.
This is a map of why thesesymptoms cluster and why, the
longer things go on, the moresymptoms start popping up.
So these stories, this is just.
Two stories of why I love the GIMap so much because it shows
people that they're not brokenit, that their symptoms aren't
(35:17):
random.
There is a reason, and once yousee the patterns, you can
actually do something about it.
So people often ask me, should Iget a colonoscopy?
And that's a great question.
So colonoscopies rule outdisease.
The GI map is gonna explaindysfunction, which you
understand by now.
So if your scopes or labs areclear, but you still feel
(35:40):
miserable, the GI map is a muchbetter next step for you If
you're having red flag symptomslike bleeding.
Dark stools.
Um, all the things that woulddefinitely, you would wanna rule
out IBD or polyps or cancer.
Go get a colonoscopy, especiallyif you have family history.
(36:01):
Colonoscopies, I believe savelives, and they have actually
changed the age to 45.
So if you have hit the age of 45and you haven't had one, go get
one.
They're preventative.
But the limitation is that.
A colonoscopy is gonna tell youwhat your gut looks like, not
how it's working.
So that's why so many peopleleave their doctor's office
(36:21):
completely frustrated.
And like I said at thebeginning, it's not your
doctor's fault.
They, that's what they're gonnasee on a colonoscopy.
And this is where a GI map mightbe able to help bridge the gap
for you.
When your conventional tests areruling out danger, we're gonna
be able to look at thedysfunction.
So we're not necessarily lookingfor like.
Your labs are normal orabnormal.
(36:44):
Again, it's patterns and it'sfunctions, so.
If you're listening right nowthinking that is me.
I've done it all and I stilldon't feel normal, this is
exactly where we start with ourclients and get together or
sometimes get tested our testingpackage.
If someone's not ready for ourfull program or doesn't need our
full program, they want thetools that can finally connect
(37:06):
the dots.
So let me run through a couplequick FAQs that I know are
probably on your mind and thenwe'll wrap it up.
So is it covered by insurance?
Usually not because it's afunctional test, but most people
find the value comes from theclarity it provides.
And finally, having a plan.
How do you take it?
I answered this, but it's asimple at-home kit, no sedation,
(37:27):
no hospital gown, no nothing.
You can do it from the privacyof your own bathroom.
How long do results take?
Usually about 10 to 14 businessdays after the lab receives your
sample.
So by the time we order thetest, ship it to you and you
complete it, you can expect liketwo to three weeks start to
finish.
Can I do this if I already had acolonoscopy?
(37:48):
Absolutely.
They're complimentary and reallygreat to help explore further.
And then how often should youtest?
I recommend a baseline test andthen a retest later on if you
wanna see where things are at.
Or.
Another time to retest would be,let's say you do get food
poisoning or you go on a tripand get sick.
(38:09):
It can be helpful at addressingthings before they get out of
control.
So when you just put it alltogether, a GI map isn't just
another test.
You're gonna get a lot of datapoints, you're gonna get
clarity, and it's gonna help youknow what your next steps are.
So.
If you've been told everything'sfine, but you don't feel fine,
this might be the data thatyou're missing to help you
(38:31):
connect the dots so that yourplan is more targeted and not
guesswork.
So the main takeaway that I wantyou to have today is a GI Map is
not about labeling or diagnosingdisease.
It's showing us patterns, theimbalances, the root causes that
have been missed.
And when we know what's reallygoing on, we can build a plan
(38:51):
that actually works for yourbody.
So if you're feelings.
Stuck and you're ready for nextsteps, we have options.
You can start with a gut healthaudit.
This does not include a GI map,but it's a great way to get a
professional opinion.
Allah me on whether testing likethe GI map is right for you.
And the best part is if you dothe audit, you can apply the
(39:11):
audit cost to any of ourprograms.
Once I complete your audit, Iwill recommend next steps for
you, whether that's gut testedor gut together, HTMA bundle.
I'm not here to just telleverybody they need to do gut
together because that's not thecase.
Or if you know you're ready forfull support, you can apply for
Gut together.
This is our six month one-on-oneprogram where of course, GI met.
(39:34):
Map testing is a part of it.
That's where we will uncoveryour entire case, identify
what's missing, createpersonalized plans for you.
We have monitoring to make sureyou're moving in the right
direction so you can finallymove forward.
Or you can do our testingbundle, which is gut tested.
So I'll put all the links tothat and the show notes.
I'm always happy to answer anyquestions that you might have
(39:57):
about this, but no matter whereyou start, you know this, you
don't have to keep guessing.
And you don't have to do thisalum, you can have a plan that
helps you to feel better.
Your body is speaking to youwith your symptoms, and if you
have the right tools, you canfinally understand what it's
saying.
So I hope this answers all yourGI Map questions.
(40:17):
If you have further questions,feel free to jump into my dms on
Instagram and ask any questions.
I'm happy to to chat further,but we'll see you next week on
the next episode of the LoveYour Gut podcast.
Welcome to the Love Your Gut Podcast.
I'm your host, Dr.
Heather Finley, registereddietitian and gut health
specialist.
I understand the frustration ofdealing with GI issues because
I've been there and I spent overtwo decades searching for
answers for my own gut issues ofconstipation, bloating, and
stomach pain.
I've dedicated my life tounderstanding and solving my own
(00:24):
gut issues.
And now I'm here to guide you.
On this podcast, I'll help youidentify the true root causes of
your discomfort.
So you can finally ditch yoursymptoms for good.
My goal is to empower you withthe knowledge and tools you need
so that you can love your gutand it will love you right back.
So if you're ready to learn alot, gain a deeper understanding
(00:46):
of your gut and find lastingrelief.
You are in the right place.
Welcome to the love your gutpodcast.
Hello and welcome back to thenext episode of the Love Your
Gut podcast.
Happy first week of fall tothose who celebrate, even though
it was literally 97 degrees herein Texas yesterday.
(01:08):
So we are bringing on fall asmuch as we can, but I'm so
excited for today's episode.
This is a question that I getasked often, so I thought, why
not?
Record a podcast episode becauseif I'm getting these questions,
I imagine there's other peoplethat aren't even asking that
have the same questions.
So I wanna start today with thestory because I know so many of
(01:32):
you see yourself in the storiesthat I share.
Whenever I'm on discovery calls,I always hear.
Some of the same phrases.
I listened to every episode ofyour podcast and it just makes
so much sense.
Or you told the story about thatone client and it sounded
exactly like me, or I listenedto your story and it sounded
exactly like me.
So I always like sharing storiesbecause I wish that when I was
(01:57):
on my own journey that I.
Heard stories of people thatfelt like me because at the time
I felt like I was the only one,and I felt like there was nobody
else who had the symptoms that Idid because it was kind of taboo
to talk about those things atthe time.
And I'm glad that we are in aday and age where it's just more
normalized to talk about GIsymptoms, hormone symptoms, et.
(02:22):
And then I get to share thesestories with you, so we'll talk
about this client who came to meafter years of bloating,
constipation, and fatigue.
Let's call her Rachel.
She had been to multipledoctors, had blood work, done
the whole shebang, thyroidpanels, iron panels, autoimmune
panels, all the things, and shehad even done multiple
(02:44):
colonoscopies.
She had also done, I think twoendoscopies as well, and every
single time she was toldeverything's normal, she would
end up going back to the GIdoctor and they would, try
random things.
Try MiraLax.
Try lo fodmap.
We don't know why you're havingthese symptoms because
(03:06):
everything is normal.
And honestly, like her GI doctorwas a great doctor.
It wasn't the GI doctor's fault.
He's not gonna make somethingup, right?
Like her colonoscopy truly wasnormal.
Her blood work truly was normal.
But why did she feel so bad?
Why was she.
So bloated by the end of the daythat she couldn't button her
(03:27):
pants.
Why was she so constipated thatshe was having to use
suppositories to go to thebathroom?
Why was she dragging herselfoutta bed in the morning?
And I hear this story, thesetypes of stories over and over
again.
My labs are fine, but I'm sobloated by the end of the day.
I look six months pregnant, ormy doctor said everything
checked out, but I still can'tgo to the bathroom.
(03:48):
I tried Linzess, I tried Moeity.
I tried.
You name it.
And so that was the case forRachel.
She came to us.
She had really checked all theboxes, and I would say about 50%
of our clients are in that sameboat where they've checked all
the boxes.
The other 50% are a.
Haven't necessarily had acolonoscopy or endoscopy, and
(04:11):
I'm not here to tell you whichway to go because I think that
that is so unique and individualand there are definite reasons
to get a colonoscopy.
But I also think that there's alot of reasons why you may not
need to get one, especially ifyou don't have family history or
some of the major signs that acolonoscopy is gonna rule out
for things like.
(04:31):
IBD or colon cancer there's alot less invasive testing we can
do first.
So that is where the GI Map testoften becomes a game changer.
So for Rachel, it showed whatall the other tests had missed.
She had imbalances in her gutbacteria, she had low stomach
acid, a parasite.
Once we had that data, we couldactually build a plan that
(04:53):
addressed why she was feelingthe way she was feeling instead
of just chasing symptoms.
And that's what.
A lot of our clients come to uswith is this symptom chasing
mentality.
Uh, what do I do to fix myconstipation?
What do I do to fix thebloating?
And sometimes you have to getout of symptom chasing mode a
little bit and take a zoom out.
(05:16):
And look at what's actuallydriving all of this.
So today I'm gonna answer yourbig question.
Do you need a GI map?
Because I don't think thateverybody needs a GI map, just
like I don't think everybodyneeds a colonoscopy.
So here's what we're gonnacover.
Number one, what the GI mapactually is and how it's
different from standards stooltesting, the biggest objections
and hesitations that peoplehave, why they're valid, but
(05:38):
they also keep you stuck.
How the GI map can also revealroot causes that other tests are
gonna miss, and why I oftenprefer a GI map over SIBO
testing.
Which I know is controversial.
And then why this test literallynever comes back normal.
And how this actually is goodnews because it explains why you
(05:58):
feel the way that you do evenwhen your labs say otherwise.
So by the end of this episode,you will know whether or not a
GI map is a good next step foryou.
If you've been told everythinglooks fine, or if you're a
practitioner and you work withclients and you're thinking
about.
Should I use GI Map testing?
This will be a good one for youas well.
(06:19):
So first, let's start with.
Answering the big question, whatexactly is the GI Map?
The GI Map short forgastrointestinal microbial Assay
plus is a stool test that usesDNA technology called PCR
testing or QPCR testing to lookat microbes in your gut, how
your digestive system isactually functioning, and a lot
(06:40):
of different things that.
You're not gonna get on standardtesting.
This is completely differentfrom what you might get at your
doctor's office.
Standard stool tests usuallyscreen for major infections.
A colonoscopy is gonna look forstructural problems, polyps,
tumors, et cetera.
And those tests are important,especially if you're 45 plus you
have red flag symptoms likebleeding or unexplained weight
(07:03):
loss, but they primarily ruleout disease.
And most of the clients we workwith, they don't have a disease.
They don't have IBD although wedo work with people with IBD,
but the majority of our clientsdon't.
So this GI map looks atfunction.
It doesn't just ask, is theresomething dangerous?
(07:24):
It asks, how is your systemactually working?
So it measures things likepathogens.
So h pylori, parasites, harmfulbacteria that might be hiding
under the radar.
It looks at your beneficial orkeystone strain bacteria.
So these are species in your gutthat keep your gut barrier
strong.
They help you absorb nutrients.
They regulate your, yourmetabolism.
(07:46):
They help you digest fiber.
So this can.
Answer the question of why am Iscared of the produce aisle?
Why does fiber hate me is acommon thing that we hear.
It measures your opportunisticbacteria, so the ones that
normally hang out quietly, butcan cause problems when your
system is stressed.
If you've listened to thispodcast before, you've heard me
(08:06):
compare your gut to.
A target parking lot, so yourtarget parking lot has a lot of
parking spaces, and the bestpart about the GI Map or one of
the best parts is that we get tosee who's parked in those
parking spaces or who's notparked in those parking spaces
and who's not Parked is equallyas important as who is.
(08:26):
It also includes digestionmarkers like elastase, which
tells us about.
How you're digesting protein,carbs, and fats scr, which looks
at fat digestion which is reallyimportant as whether you do or
don't have a gallbladder, butfrom a fat digestion perspective
as well as fat soluble vitamins.
So like vitamin D things thatyou can often see low on blood
(08:46):
work.
It looks at immune function withmarkers like secretary IGA.
This is one that we reallycommonly see low and depleted,
and then it looks atinflammation and detox markers,
so calprotectin, which you mayor may not have already had
done.
On a standard stool test at yourdoctor's office, that is
something that they run betaglucuronidase, which often
(09:09):
explains hormone symptoms, acne,fatigue, skin issues.
So this is why I always say a GImap rarely comes back, quote
unquote, normal.
It's not a pass fail test, whichis what your doctor is running.
It's yes, you have this, no youdon't.
It's a map of patterns.
Hence the name GI Map.
(09:30):
It shows us where your system isstruggling.
Even if nothing is screaminglyhigh or low, it matters so much
about the whole picture.
And when I train practitionersand gut practitioner, this is
something that I emphasize somuch.
You cannot just treat the testbecause treating a test.
Is not gonna get you anywhere.
(09:51):
And if you've had a practitionerin the past and you've run a GI
map and they said, oh, you haveh Pylori, here's the h pylori
protocol, but they didn't lookat the whole picture.
That's probably why you're notbetter when you use a test.
You have to look at it in thecontext of somebody's lifestyle,
history, symptoms, patterns,other lab work, blood work,
(10:15):
HTMA, et cetera.
So.
We're looking at these subtleimbalances.
They help explain why you feelthe way that you do and what the
next step will be.
Because the reality is too, youand I could run a stool test and
we could have the same.
Results, which would be highlyunlikely, but let's just say we
(10:37):
had the exact same results.
The way that I'm showingsymptoms in my body is gonna be
very different than the way thatyou're showing symptoms in your
body because your lifestyle isdifferent than mine.
Your genetics are different thanmine, and we all.
Have ways that our body gives usred flags, right?
It might show up for me asconstipation and bloating,
(11:00):
whereas for somebody else itmight show up like acid reflux.
So for example, let's say aclient came in after multiple
normal scopes and blood tests.
But maybe you're still havingreflux, skin breakouts,
exhaustion.
On a GI map, you may see stufflike h pylori.
You may see elevations in badquote unquote bad bacteria.
(11:23):
You may see a detox marker likebeta glucuronidase being
elevated that explains thesesymptoms.
And these can often be themissing links.
So when people ask me, do Ireally need a GI map, my answer
is, if you've been toldeverything's fine, but you know
it's not.
This test can show you what thestandard labs can't.
It's not about ruling out canceror Crohn's, that is the point of
(11:45):
a colonoscopy.
It's about giving you a roadmapto fix the function of your gut
so that your body can actuallyheal.
So let's expand a little bit onwhat you actually learn from a
GI map, because this is where itgets really eyeopening and
really exciting.
I love looking at these testsand love understanding why
(12:09):
somebody feels the way that theydo.
This is not just a yes or notest.
You're not gonna get the testback and it's gonna say h
pylori.
Check, elastase X, it's actuallygonna show you a range, and that
can be really helpful.
Again, because this is a map,this is looking at all the
moving parts, it's why theresults never come back
(12:29):
completely normal.
There's.
Always something to learn, evenif it's just subtle shifts in
your digestion or immunefunction.
And we've had people come to usand do GI MAP testing that don't
have GI symptoms, and they stillhave stuff going on and their
symptoms get better because weknow that the gut is connected
to.
Every, almost every system inthe body.
(12:52):
For example, I had a friend whowas having crazy, like skin
rashes and they wouldn't goaway.
We did a GI map and identified acouple things and her skin is
fine now.
Same thing with sleep.
We see, I've worked with severalpeople that have insomnia and
other sleep issues, and althoughthey don't have GI symptoms, we
(13:13):
address what's going on in theirgut.
All of a sudden their sleep getsbetter.
So let's walk through the maincategories of the GI mat.
The first page is gonna bepathogens and parasites.
So these are the bigger, moreobvious things like h pylori, e
coli, parasites such as Giardia.
If you've been struggling withsymptoms like reflux, bloating,
(13:34):
nausea, diarrhea, even skin andhormone stuff, it can sometimes
be because these pathogens arestill lingering.
And what's important here isthat they're not always picked
up on standard stool tests, anddefinitely not on.
Scopes, a colonoscopy cannot seeh pylori or parasites living in
your gut.
So when people are toldeverything looks normal, but
(13:54):
they still feel terrible, maybethey did go to Mexico and get a
parasite, or maybe they did gete coli or salmonella from food
poisoning, or maybe they have hpylori that they're getting
chronically passed back andforth between their spouse.
The second part is commensal orbeneficial bacteria.
(14:15):
You can think of this as yourfoundation.
So back to the target parkinglot analogy.
This is who is parked in yourparking spots.
These microbes help to regulateyour immune system, keep your
gut barrier strong.
They even produce vitamins,which is really cool.
And when these keystone specieslike Akkermansia Pernit.
Bifidobacteria.
(14:35):
When these are low, you can seeissues like poor metabolism,
weight struggles, intestinalpermeability causing food
sensitivities.
So diversity in who's parked inyour parking lot really matters.
And the more variety in thesespecies, the more resilient your
gut tends to be.
The third section isopportunistic bacteria.
These are like your middleground bugs.
(14:56):
They're not always bad, but whenthey're under stress or when
they're in excess, they canstart causing trouble,
especially if you have poordigestion or after antibiotics
or, um, things like strep,staph, pseudomonas.
They're often the reason thatsymptoms flare when you're
stressed or run down.
(15:17):
And so it's really helpful tolook at that.
The next piece is digestionmarkers.
This is probably my favoritepart of the test because it
connects the dots on whyeverything else in the test is
off.
For example, if you are notdigesting fats very well.
Or if you are not digestingproteins, carbs, fats, and your
(15:40):
pancreatic elastase is low, thatshows us that you have an issue
upstream.
So no wonder you have all theseovergrowth, bacteria.
You need bile, and you needadequate bile flow.
It's like a dishwashingdetergent to clean out bacteria
in your gut.
Again, this is looking atpatterns, so we have to look at.
How everything on the test isworking together.
(16:02):
So elastase is gonna tell us howwell your pancreas is producing
digestive enzymes.
If it's low, your food literallyisn't breaking down, and you'll
feel that as bloating, gas, evennutrient deficiencies.
SCR tells us how well yourdigesting fats, if it's high,
you're not breaking down fatproperly, which can indicate
sluggish bile flow, greasystools, low absorption of fat
(16:26):
soluble vitamins like Imentioned.
So a, D, E, and K.
There's also a section here forimmune markers.
Secretary iga A is one of myfavorites.
It tells us how your gut immunesystem is functioning, and so if
it's low, it means your body'sreally tired and you're more
vulnerable to infections andfood reactions.
So when your food sensitivitypanel came back with all the
(16:48):
food that you normally eat.
This is part of the reason whyif it's really high, it shows
that your body is activelyfighting something.
So we need to look at is itactively fighting h pylori?
Is it actively fighting c diff?
Is it actively fighting aparasite that matters?
And then calprotectin is anothermarker.
So this one looks at gutinflammation.
(17:09):
If it's elevated, it may meanthat your gut lining is
irritated.
Which can tie a lot into pain orurgency or just red flag
conditions that should beevaluated further.
We also see, um, anti glidden onhere.
So it looks at glutensensitivity.
It looks at how your immunesystem is responding to gluten.
This does not diagnose celiacdisease, but again, we're
(17:30):
looking at patterns.
If we see secretary IGA isreally high and calprotectin is
really high, and anti glidden isreally high.
I'm wondering, do you haveceliac disease?
Do you need to go get tested forthis?
So sometimes it can help us knowwhat the next step is or where a
colonoscopy or endoscopy mightbe indicated.
And then there's betaglucuronidase.
(17:51):
So I mentioned this earlier, butthis is a detox marker, and it's
one of the main ways that GI MAPconnects gut health to hormone
health.
So when beta glucuronidase ishigh.
Your body starts recyclingestrogen instead of clearing it.
And that means you may end upwith symptoms like acne or PMS
or heavy periods or evenendometriosis or fibroids.
(18:11):
So if you've been working onhormones, but nothing is
shifting, sometimes the gutreally is the missing link.
And the beauty of this test isthat it connects the dots, like
I said, so it takes you from.
I don't know why I feel this wayto, oh, okay, this makes sense
now.
And it's always, even after nowrunning probably 1500 of these
tests or more, it's always sohelpful because we know what's
(18:35):
causing the symptoms and then wecan develop a plan.
So who actually benefits themost from a GI map?
I'm gonna just give you a rapidfire list and see if any of
these sound familiar.
So, chronic bloating,constipation, diarrhea or
reflux.
Any hormone issues like PMS,heavy cycles, estrogen
dominance, skin issues likeacne, eczema, rosacea that don't
(18:57):
improve with creams or dietelimination, chronic fatigue, or
that feeling of like all mytests are normal, but.
I am so exhausted.
Hashimoto's or other autoimmuneconditions, multiple food
reactions or sensitivities.
Maybe you were diagnosed withceliac and you've been
gluten-free for a while and youstill don't feel good.
(19:18):
Frequent colds, infections arejust feeling like your immune
system is run down.
Symptoms that flared afterantibiotics or illness, or also
symptoms that flared after foodpoisoning or a trip.
And then honestly, anyone whohas tried protocol after
protocol or diet after diet andreally not gotten anywhere or
(19:38):
maybe just temporary relief.
So if you heard yourself inthese lists, this would maybe be
a good next step for you.
So conventional tests, likestool tests, et cetera, are
gonna ask, is there somethingdangerous here?
And a GI map is gonna ask, isthis system actually working?
And.
(19:58):
Anytime I bring up stool tests,people also have hesitations.
I get it.
Stool testing does not soundglamorous, right?
So I wanna talk through some ofthe biggest hesitations that I
hear.
The first one is I already didstool testing and it was normal.
This is by far the most commonthing that people say, and
here's the difference.
Most standard stool tests atyour doctor's office are
(20:21):
culture-based and they run verylimited QPCR testing.
That means they're essentiallylooking for the presence or
absence of a few commonpathogens, like do you have
salmonella?
Yes or no?
Do you have GRD, I guess or no?
But what those tests miss is thefunction of your digestive
system and the whole microbialbalance.
(20:41):
I don't care if you have onething.
I wanna know how that'saffecting the whole system.
The giac map is gonna quantifythis as a broad range of
microbes, give us digestivemarkers, inflammation, immune.
So it's not just do you havesomething scary?
It's, is the system working?
So different question.
(21:02):
Totally different answer.
The second hesitation that Ihear is it's gross or
embarrassing, and I just wannanormalize this.
Yes, you do have to give a stoolsample, but it really is one of
the least invasive tests thatyou'll ever do.
You're not fasting, you're notgetting your blood drawn.
There's no sedation.
(21:22):
And you literally get to do itat home.
You get the test shipped to yourhouse and you can do it from the
comfort of your own home.
They send you a glove, they sendyou all the things to make it as
least gross as possible, andfive to 10 minutes of your life
for the most comprehensive datathat you're gonna get is worth
(21:42):
it.
It's the least fun thing you'lldo that day, but hands down,
worth it for.
The relief that you're gonna getlater.
A third hesitation is cost.
It's expensive and this one isreal because unfortunately,
insurance usually doesn't coverfunctional tests.
So yes, it is an investment, butthe way that I like to reframe
(22:02):
it is how much have you alreadyspent on supplements,
elimination diets?
Colonoscopies.
Repeat SIBO protocols, randomlab work.
Random like one-off appointmentswith doctors that have just
gotten you nowhere.
For the most part most of ourclients when they come to us,
(22:23):
they've spent thousands ofdollars and they're still stuck.
So when we finally invest in theGI Map, we have a clear plan and
also to speak to, if you'vealready done a GI map and you
haven't gotten anywhere, thequestion I would ask you is,
were you.
Actually addressing yoursymptoms in the context of the
(22:45):
test, or was that practitionerjust treating the test with a
like blanket protocol?
There is a huge, hugedifference, and one of the
reasons that I have lovedrecently doing these gut health
audits, about half the peoplethat did the audits.
Uploaded testing, some of themGI maps and some other stool
(23:06):
test.
And the biggest missing piecethat I saw was they had not
addressed.
Digestion, minerals, motility,nervous system they had just
addressed.
You have this bacteria, you havethat bacteria, and not how the
whole system was workingtogether.
So we actually need tounderstand the whole picture so
(23:28):
we can target the root cause.
And really that saves so muchmoney in the long run.
And also emotional energy aswell because we're not just
throwing spaghetti at the wallto see what sticks.
We know why and we stopguessing.
The fourth hesitation is I don'twanna find something scary, and
I get that I have family historyof colon cancer.
(23:48):
I don't wanna find that either.
And this one can come from aplace of fear.
Maybe you've had a family memberdiagnosed with a serious
condition, or you're reallyworried about what you might
see.
And here's what I'll say is.
Knowledge shrinks fear.
I know I, even if I don't havesymptoms as a result of my
family history, I have to go getcolonoscopies about every five
(24:11):
years, and I always am worriedabout it and I know that.
Okay.
If there was something wrong,wouldn't I wanna do something
about it?
What we don't know, our mindtends to imagine the worst,
right?
The GI map is not gonna diagnosecancer.
It's not that kind of test.
It gives us functional data thatwe can translate into an action
(24:31):
plan.
Why live in uncertainty when youcan actually know what's going
on and what steps to take.
And that's, that can beempowering, not scary.
And then the last one that Ihear all the time is, can I just
do a SIBO test?
We've had several clientsrecently that are like, well, I
don't wanna start working withyou until I do my SIBO test.
And I'm like, okay, fair, valid.
(24:53):
And.
I wanna know what's causing yoursibo.
If you do have it, SIBO breathtests will tell you what kind of
gas is present.
The GI Map is gonna tell you whyit keeps coming back, and I'll
go deeper into that in a minute.
But the short answer is thisSIBO testing.
Is not telling you the rootcause.
So here's the bottom line.
(25:14):
If you only treat symptoms,you're gonna keep chasing them.
If you only treat overgrowth orbacterial overgrowth you're
gonna relapse.
And if you use the GI map,you're gonna finally see a full
picture of why your gut isn'tworking and what to do about it.
And data is always gonna helpyou get to the plan, and that's
where real healing begins.
(25:36):
So.
Let's go back to the SIBOtesting versus GI Map
conversation.
Why would you not just do a SIBOtest?
And SIBO breath testing issomething that maybe you've done
or you've heard about,especially if bloating is your
main symptom, and here's what itdoes.
You drink a sugar solution, thenyou breathe into tubes over a
couple hours.
(25:56):
The test measures how muchhydrogen methane, and if it's
the trio smart hydrogen sulfidegas is being produced in your
small intestine, there's a wholeprep diet that you have to
follow.
It can actually be very hard tomake sure you do the test
correctly, and if those gasesspike.
At certain points, it suggeststhat bacteria have migrated into
(26:17):
your small intestine where theydon't belong.
So yes, this test is helpful andcan tell you if you have sibo,
but the problem is it doesn'texplain why.
And I can't tell you how manyclients come to us having
treated SIBO 3, 4, 5 plus timesbecause they just keep taking
antibiotics, but they're notlooking at if their stomach acid
(26:41):
is too low, if their pancreaticenzymes are weak.
Bile flow is sluggish, immunesystem is depleted.
If there's another pathogen oryeast overgrowth driving the
imbalance, it also doesn'tmeasure inflammation or
detoxification markers thatcould explain hormone symptoms,
fatigue, et cetera.
So that's where.
Doing a GI map or another stooltest similar can help reveal the
(27:05):
whole picture of the terrain,whether possibly h pylori is
suppressing your stomach acid,or if your pancreas needs a
little help, or if your gutlining is inflamed and your
immune system is exhausted, orif you have parasites or yeast.
Just adding fuel to the fire, orif your body's having trouble
detoxing.
All of these things can bereally helpful.
(27:27):
So when we have thatinformation, we can actually
address SIBO and prevent it fromcoming back and fix the whole
terrain.
So if some, if stomach acid isstrong, if bile and enzymes are
flowing, the immune system issupported.
SIBO has a much harder timesticking around and we see a lot
of momentum within six to 12weeks.
(27:47):
If you're actually doing thiscorrectly.
So that's why I often prefer tojust do a GI map.
We're gonna see some clues onthe GI map about what is going
on with methane producingbacteria, hydrogen producing
bacteria.
And really our goal is toprevent a relapse.
We don't want you to spendmonths, years doing round after
(28:10):
round of antibiotics andherbals.
So it's like treating weeds inyour garden without fixing the
soil.
You can keep pulling the weeds,but if your soil is depleted,
compacted weeds are gonna comeback.
And that's what happens in yourgut.
So that does not mean that SIBOtesting is never helpful.
Sometimes we will layer it in,especially if you wanna confirm
(28:30):
hydrogen sulfide gas if that'splaying a role in your symptoms,
because the treatment for thatis way different.
But the GI map is gonna give usmore foundational.
Data on what to do.
So the takeaway here is SIBOtesting tells you what kind of
gas is present.
GI Map tells you why that gaskeeps building up, and that's
why in my practice we oftenprefer to use GI MAP testing.
(28:54):
We're gonna fix the top ofdigestion and terrain first.
The small intestine will follow.
So now that you know what the GIMap measures.
Let me show you how thisactually plays out in real life,
because that is where thebiggest light bulb moments go
off for our clients when theresults finally explain why
they've been stuck.
(29:14):
So case number one that I wannagive an example of is chronic
bloating and constipation.
That's at least half of theclients that we see.
So this client in particularcame to me after years of
alternating between constipationand occasional loose stools,
which.
Usually in that case is actuallyoverflow, diarrhea, or the most
(29:35):
severe form of constipation.
She also had daily bloating,migraines, brain fog, had tried
low fodmap, SIBO, herbs,multiple rounds of antibiotics,
but nothing ever gave herrelief.
And on her GI map, what we sawwas h pylori was present with a
virulence factor.
So this is not just a randombug.
It's one that increases risk forulcers and definitely messes
(29:59):
with stomach acid.
Low acid makes it much harder todigest protein and keeps the
door open for bacterialovergrowth.
So this was a big missedopportunity for her.
Also her keystone species ofbacteria, her akkermansia and
perse specifically were low.
And these are bacteria that keepyour gut barrier strong.
(30:20):
You've probably heard the termleaky gut or increased
intestinal permeability.
This is.
Really, really important forpreventing a relapse.
So because of all the restricteddiets, antibiotics, et cetera,
her gut was so depleted, herparking lot was empty.
Remember when I said earlier, itmatters as much as who's not
(30:42):
parked in your parking lot?
That was the case for thisclient.
So her gut lining was a little,leaky motility was slowed down,
inflammation was higher.
She also had a coupleopportunistic bacteria.
These aren't usually the problemin small numbers, but in her
case they were really high.
Definitely contributing tomigraines and some of the other
symptoms.
And then lastly, we found methylbacteria.
(31:05):
And these are methane producingmicrobes that are strongly
linked to constipation.
So in her case, the constipationwasn't just quote unquote IBS.
It was a combination of lowstomach acid, an empty parking
lot.
Methane producers slowingeverything down.
Once we supported her digestion,rebuilt her parking lot and
(31:26):
addressed the methane gas, herbloating and constipation
started to shift, and this wasnot an overnight fix.
I wanna be clear, this doesn'thappen overnight.
If you actually wanna fix theproblem, it will not happen
overnight.
10 weeks of addressing stomachacid, replenishing keytones
targeting methane.
Her bloating dropped from dailyto rare.
(31:47):
She was having daily bowelmovements.
Migraines decreased in bothfrequency and intensity.
So when keystone species are lowor the parking lot is empty,
everything is going to slow downand this matters too.
So that was a huge missing piecefor her.
The next and last example thatI'll give is daily reflux That
(32:08):
won't go away.
So another client that had beenstruggling for years with reflux
had tried every PPI ant acid,all the things she just kept.
Being told, just increase thedose.
Increase the dose.
And in her gut, not to becheesy, she knew she didn't
wanna do that.
She's like, I know the sideeffects of being on PPIs for so
(32:28):
long and there's got to besomething else that's gonna help
me.
So the interesting piece here,were all connect to the dots, is
she had a chronic history ofUTIs.
She had acne.
She had suspected endometriosis,brain fog, and then fatigue.
All her scopes were normal andshe just kept being told it was
(32:49):
acid reflux.
But her GI map told a verydifferent story.
Her h pylori was high.
This is the bacteria that lowerstomach acid production, which
is ironic because it often leadsto reflux, burping, and
bloating, and without enoughacid.
Food is just sitting in herstomach like a brick, which is a
common phrase that we hear.
(33:09):
So all these PPIs, no wonderthey weren't working.
She didn't need that.
She needed to get rid of the hpylori.
She also had some opportunisticbacteria that were elevated.
This explained why her immunesystem felt constantly
irritated.
Also possibly why her skin keptflaring, and then her elastase
looked fine, but her Sato cratewas elevated and this told us
(33:32):
that she wasn't digesting fatswell, pointing to sluggish bile
flow, and poor fat absorption.
Definitely explaining some ofthe skin issues she was having.
The recurrent, just bloating andsymptoms as well as like
chronically low vitamin D, andthen also vitamin E is really
important for skin health, soshe wasn't digesting fat soluble
(33:53):
vitamins very well.
Her beta glucuronidase wasreally high.
This explained the acne andhormone symptoms.
Her body was recycling estrogeninstead of clearing it.
We don't want that.
And then finally, her secretary,IGA, or her gut immune system
was really low.
And this explained a lot of thefrequent illness infections,
just kind of constant immuneburnout.
(34:14):
The biggest aha moment for herwas that she wasn't just dealing
with random, disconnectedissues, her reflux, her acne,
her fatigue, even her UTIs, theyall traced back to the same root
causes.
And one thing that I'll connecthere for you is that if you
have.
Frequent UTIs and you have lowstomach acid.
(34:36):
Those two things are connected,and we see that all the time,
especially if they are connectedwith candida.
So after a focus protocol wherewe were addressing the h pylori
rebuilding her parking lot.
Bile support, immune support.
She was tapering off the PPIs.
Her reflux resolved, her skincalmed down.
(34:57):
Uti, I stopped coming everycouple months.
So this isn't random.
This is a map of why thesesymptoms cluster and why, the
longer things go on, the moresymptoms start popping up.
So these stories, this is just.
Two stories of why I love the GIMap so much because it shows
people that they're not brokenit, that their symptoms aren't
(35:17):
random.
There is a reason, and once yousee the patterns, you can
actually do something about it.
So people often ask me, should Iget a colonoscopy?
And that's a great question.
So colonoscopies rule outdisease.
The GI map is gonna explaindysfunction, which you
understand by now.
So if your scopes or labs areclear, but you still feel
(35:40):
miserable, the GI map is a muchbetter next step for you If
you're having red flag symptomslike bleeding.
Dark stools.
Um, all the things that woulddefinitely, you would wanna rule
out IBD or polyps or cancer.
Go get a colonoscopy, especiallyif you have family history.
(36:01):
Colonoscopies, I believe savelives, and they have actually
changed the age to 45.
So if you have hit the age of 45and you haven't had one, go get
one.
They're preventative.
But the limitation is that.
A colonoscopy is gonna tell youwhat your gut looks like, not
how it's working.
So that's why so many peopleleave their doctor's office
(36:21):
completely frustrated.
And like I said at thebeginning, it's not your
doctor's fault.
They, that's what they're gonnasee on a colonoscopy.
And this is where a GI map mightbe able to help bridge the gap
for you.
When your conventional tests areruling out danger, we're gonna
be able to look at thedysfunction.
So we're not necessarily lookingfor like.
Your labs are normal orabnormal.
(36:44):
Again, it's patterns and it'sfunctions, so.
If you're listening right nowthinking that is me.
I've done it all and I stilldon't feel normal, this is
exactly where we start with ourclients and get together or
sometimes get tested our testingpackage.
If someone's not ready for ourfull program or doesn't need our
full program, they want thetools that can finally connect
(37:06):
the dots.
So let me run through a couplequick FAQs that I know are
probably on your mind and thenwe'll wrap it up.
So is it covered by insurance?
Usually not because it's afunctional test, but most people
find the value comes from theclarity it provides.
And finally, having a plan.
How do you take it?
I answered this, but it's asimple at-home kit, no sedation,
(37:27):
no hospital gown, no nothing.
You can do it from the privacyof your own bathroom.
How long do results take?
Usually about 10 to 14 businessdays after the lab receives your
sample.
So by the time we order thetest, ship it to you and you
complete it, you can expect liketwo to three weeks start to
finish.
Can I do this if I already had acolonoscopy?
(37:48):
Absolutely.
They're complimentary and reallygreat to help explore further.
And then how often should youtest?
I recommend a baseline test andthen a retest later on if you
wanna see where things are at.
Or.
Another time to retest would be,let's say you do get food
poisoning or you go on a tripand get sick.
(38:09):
It can be helpful at addressingthings before they get out of
control.
So when you just put it alltogether, a GI map isn't just
another test.
You're gonna get a lot of datapoints, you're gonna get
clarity, and it's gonna help youknow what your next steps are.
So.
If you've been told everything'sfine, but you don't feel fine,
this might be the data thatyou're missing to help you
(38:31):
connect the dots so that yourplan is more targeted and not
guesswork.
So the main takeaway that I wantyou to have today is a GI Map is
not about labeling or diagnosingdisease.
It's showing us patterns, theimbalances, the root causes that
have been missed.
And when we know what's reallygoing on, we can build a plan
(38:51):
that actually works for yourbody.
So if you're feelings.
Stuck and you're ready for nextsteps, we have options.
You can start with a gut healthaudit.
This does not include a GI map,but it's a great way to get a
professional opinion.
Allah me on whether testing likethe GI map is right for you.
And the best part is if you dothe audit, you can apply the
(39:11):
audit cost to any of ourprograms.
Once I complete your audit, Iwill recommend next steps for
you, whether that's gut testedor gut together, HTMA bundle.
I'm not here to just telleverybody they need to do gut
together because that's not thecase.
Or if you know you're ready forfull support, you can apply for
Gut together.
This is our six month one-on-oneprogram where of course, GI met.
(39:34):
Map testing is a part of it.
That's where we will uncoveryour entire case, identify
what's missing, createpersonalized plans for you.
We have monitoring to make sureyou're moving in the right
direction so you can finallymove forward.
Or you can do our testingbundle, which is gut tested.
So I'll put all the links tothat and the show notes.
I'm always happy to answer anyquestions that you might have
(39:57):
about this, but no matter whereyou start, you know this, you
don't have to keep guessing.
And you don't have to do thisalum, you can have a plan that
helps you to feel better.
Your body is speaking to youwith your symptoms, and if you
have the right tools, you canfinally understand what it's
saying.
So I hope this answers all yourGI Map questions.
(40:17):
If you have further questions,feel free to jump into my dms on
Instagram and ask any questions.
I'm happy to to chat further,but we'll see you next week on
the next episode of the LoveYour Gut podcast.
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