Gut Health: SIBO, Pathogens, IBS and “Leaky Gut”

As Hippocrates said “All disease begins in the gut’, we frequently run labs that assess your overall gut health.  We use Genova, Cyrex and Bio-Health to test for intestinal permeability and overall gut health.  We can see how tight the junctions are and if you are properly absorbing your nutrients. Checking overall gut health is imperative as a compromised intestinal lining leads to bad bacteria, potential parasites and even worse.  Here is a sample lab we can run for pathogens.

 

When Should I Run These Tests?

Every patient you have needs to run the GI Pathogen Screen, especially those with chronic illness and digestive problems. If you already have a positive ID on Helicobacter pylori, do the BH #401. If not, do the BH #401H. All other GI panels (see left margin) are for isolated follow-up.

• GI Pathogen Screen – BH #401H – Ova & parasites x 4 (Trichrome stain) plus antigens to Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium parvum, andHelicobacter pylori. Plus culture x 1: Bacteria, fungi, yeasts, occult blood, Clostridium difficile: Colitis toxins A & B.
• GI Pathogen Screen – BH #401 – Ova & parasites x 4 (Trichrome stain) plus antigens to Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium parvum. Plus culture x 1: Bacteria, fungi, yeasts, occult blood, Clostridium difficile: Colitis toxins A & B.

BH #401H – GI Pathogen Screen w/ H. pylori Antigen

This stool analysis determines the presence of ova and parasites such as protozoa, flatworms, and roundworms; Cryptosporidium parvum, Entamoeba histolytica, and Giardia lamblia antigens; bacteria, fungi (including yeasts), and occult blood; and Clostridium difficile colitis toxins A and B. Sensitivity to pathogenic organisms will be reported as necessary. Causes for concern are both an overgrowth of microorganisms that are normally present in the intestines and the presence of microorganisms that are not normally present in the intestines. Either condition signals that major physiological pathways in the intestinal environment are outside homeostatic limits.

Parasite infections in particular can be silent but destructive, perpetuating chronic stress on the infected individual 24/7 by raising cortisol levels and causing inflammation. Treatment protocols using natural methods and/or prescription drugs are often necessary to resolve infections.

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium which can be found in the stomach mucosa of infected individuals. The infection may produce little or no noticeable symptoms, but can cause gastritis, gastric ulcers, stomach cancer, and other serious pathologies. By neutralizing stomach acid through the destruction of parietal cells in the stomach, H. pylori causes digestive problems, constant acute stress on the hormonal stress response, and can lead to progressively threatening disease conditions unless treated.

BH #401 – GI Pathogen Screen

This stool analysis determines the presence of ova and parasites such as protozoa, flatworms, and roundworms; Cryptosporidium parvum, Entamoeba histolytica, and Giardia lamblia antigens; bacteria, fungi (including yeasts), and occult blood; and Clostridium difficile colitis toxins A and B. Sensitivity to pathogenic organisms will be reported as necessary. Causes for concern are both an overgrowth of microorganisms that are normally present in the intestines and the presence of microorganisms that are not normally present in the intestines. Either condition signals that major physiological pathways in the intestinal environment are outside homeostatic limits.

Parasite infections in particular can be silent but destructive, perpetuating chronic stress on the infected individual 24/7 by raising cortisol levels and causing inflammation. Treatment protocols using natural methods and/or prescription drugs are often necessary to resolve infections.

Infections of the GI Tract

Gastrointestinal (GI) tract infections are common and can be either clinical (symptomatic) or sub-clinical (without symptoms). In fact, BioHealth’s top practitioners report that eight out of ten patients who seek care have one or more GI infections. Some have active GI symptoms, others present with general complaints: fatigue, body pain, headaches, cognitive problems, light headedness, brain fog and/or general malaise. Currently the two most prevalent infections are Helicobacter pylori, a bacterium that primarily inhabits the stomach, esophagus and upper duodenum, and Cryptosporidium parvum, a parasite that primarily inhabits the small intestine and regularly cycles from intracellular to extracellular.

Helicobacter pylori infections are very prevalent and are often the cause of stomach ulcers, acid reflux, burping and belching and general upper GI distress as well as stomach cancer. While acute infections are often highly symptomatic, the body has amazing capability to adapt to infections that become long term, chronic in nature, and patients often have either very mild symptoms or no symptoms at all. Infections with Helicobacter pylori, especially deep seated ones, are often difficult to eradicate as it can develop resistance to commonly used antibiotics. It has also been reported that Helicobacter pylori can produce a toxin with the ability to disable the body’s immune response against it.

Cryptosporidium parvum is a very prevalent and aggressive parasite (protozoa) that damages the topography of the small intestine by invading the intestinal epithelial cells. While in some acute cases it can cause high fever, severe diarrhea and even death, Cryptosporidium parvum infections have been found in many patients exhibiting either very mild or no GI symptoms. Cryptosporidium parvum damages the microvilli of the small intestine, inhibiting absorption and assimilation of nutrients and compromising intestinal mucosal barrier defenses, further weakening the body’s defense against other opportunistic infectious agents.

Other commonly encountered parasite infections include Entamoeba histolytica, Giardia lamblia, Blastocystis hominis and Ascaris (roundworm).

Even more ominous than having a primary GI infection is the tendency of invading microorganisms to metamorphosize into various stages of their life cycle, and to migrate to tissues and organs sometimes distant from the GI tract. For example Cryptosporidium parvum can sometimes be found in the lungs and conjunctiva of the eyes and Helicobacter pylori has been located in the oral cavity and even the prostate gland. Such stages, including cysts, can remain dormant within tissues, and can be extremely difficult to detect. That is why it is extremely important to test for GI infections using both microbiology and immunological assays.