what your poo can do for you 💩
Have you ever wondered what your poop can tell us about your health???
LBH, probs not, unless you're a super-geek like me 🤓
Poop testing gets me JAZZED because we can learn SO much from a single turd.
Not only does a stool test provide broad insight into your digestive health, but it also sheds light on root drivers of skin rashes/acne, mood symptoms, & hormone symptoms.
It's a test that I order on every single client regardless of digestive symptoms, because “gut health” extends far beyond just the gut.
In the words of Dr. Alessio Fassano:
“The gut is not like Vegas. What happens in the gut does not stay in the gut."
If you were my client, here are 3 non-gut related reasons I'd wanna test your 💩:
Skin issues (acne, psoriasis, eczema) – What's going on in your gut is reflected on your skin. Psoriasis and eczema are strongly linked to the gut as well as acne that shows up on the cheeks, forehead, back, and chest.
Recurring vaginal infections – Your gut microbiome heavily influences your vaginal microbiome. If you have yeast overgrowth or H Pylori infection in your gut, you're more vulnerable to vaginal yeast infections and bacterial vaginosis.
Hormone symptoms (including PMDD, PCOS, endometriosis) – There's a strong link between PMDD and high histamine; certain bacteria in the gut are histamine producers, so if they become overgrown, histamine can build up & contribute to the mood symptoms we see with PMDD. Inflammation in the gut has been identified as one of the drivers of PCOS. We know that estrogen dominance is a big contributor to growth of endometrial lesions. The gut is where we excrete estrogen, & certain imbalances in the gut can cause estrogen to be re-absorbed through the intestines & back into circulation, contributing to tissue growth (as well as heavy & painful periods even in the absence of an endo diagnosis).
I shared in my last blog that I've been dealing with some PMDD symptoms over the last few cycles, which prompted me to run some deeper lab testing.
I discovered that my histamine levels were off the charts high, which then prompted further investigation via stool testing & mycotoxin (mold) testing to pinpoint what's filling my histamine bucket & contributing to my hormonal symptoms.
I’m awaiting my mycotoxin test results (stay tuned! 👀), but I have my stool test results & I'm ready to share! 🤓
Just to note, the reason I ordered a stool test was purely to investigate root causes to my hormone/histamine symptoms. I don't have any notable digestive symptoms other than occasional sluggish motility.
You'd actually be surprised how often I see stool tests that show complete & utter chaos in the gut, yet the owners of such digestive tracts don't complain of any gut-specific symptoms, but rather manifestations in their skin and/or hormone health.
Collecting a stool sample is an utterly repulsive process 🤢, but the information it provides? So worth it. Here's what I found out from mine:
H. Pylori infection – An infection in the stomach lining that can lead to excess histamine production (it's estimated that 50% of the population has this & most don't have symptoms). This isn't surprising as we've been playing a game of H. Pylori ping-pong since 2021 when my husband and I both tested positive. We both did a protocol to kill the H. Pylori, however, I ended mine prematurely due to persistent die-off symptoms & never fully addressed (bad patient 😬). My 4 yo son tested positive earlier this year & I treated him, which resulted in astonishing improvement in his bowel regularity & ease of passing stool (thank goodness!). The problem is, H. Pylori is passed oral to oral – and everyone knows MOM'S WATER TASTES BETTER 🙄 – getting my rugrats to drink from their own cups is an impossible feat. So, we're gonna have to COMMIT to Operation: Abolish H. Pylori by all going through a killing protocol at the exact same time (even my kiddos) so we can stop passing it around like a hot potato.
A few overgrowths of “bad” bacteria – I describe these as weeds in the lawn. These are likely caused by H. Pylori as it lowers stomach acid & makes the GI tract more vulnerable to pathogenic overgrowth.
Low pancreatic enzyme output, again, likely due to low stomach acid caused by H. Pylori. We need stomach acid to trigger release of pancreatic enzymes for complete food breakdown.
Low gut immune function, likely from long-standing H. Pylori. Low immune function in the gut can lead to increased reactivity to foods, which triggers histamine production.
When we see test results like this, it's tempting to immediately pull the trigger on treatment. But killing protocols are powerful, and if immune function is subpar and the body is lacking in nutrients needed to support detox, a killing protocol will only add fuel to the fire.
Before diving into a killing protocol, here's what I'm addressing first:
Building up my gut immune function – Without addressing this, I'd likely end up where I did in 2021, having to stop treatment early due to by body not being able to handle the toxic burden that happens when we start killing pathogens. Since I reacted poorly with significant die off symptoms last time, I'm spending more time building my body up before diving in this time around.
Mycotoxin investigation (test pending, TBD! 👀) – If positive, addressing any current mold exposures & detoxing mycotoxins stored in my body will take priority over H. Pylori treatment. Mold is immunosuppressive, so placing the burden of an H Pylori protocol on a suppressed immune system would cause more harm than good.
When I work with clients one-on-one, treatment plans are often introduced in a series of 2-3 phases and are fully customized to meet each individual client where they're at.
This is where conventional medicine falls short. In conventional healthcare, treatments are standardized, not personalized.
In functional medicine, treatments are tailored to each individual patient & their specific root drivers of symptoms & carefully adjusted based on response to treatment.
I promise you, it's different than anything you've ever tried, and it's how I've helped hundreds of women resolve their stubborn gut, skin, & hormone symptoms. 💖
If you're ready to give this root-cause healing thing a whirl, you can apply to work with me here. If it seems like a good fit (both ways), I'll send you a link to my calendar to book a complimentary call with me, so we chat all the deets! 💫
xo Jenny