It’s starting to sink in. You have read “12 Signs Your Flora is F*cked” and “5 Tell Tale Signs You Need to Get Your Shit Together” and noticed your head nodding back and fourth. It’s ok, I’ve been there. The amazing thing to think about is that there are many of us who have recovered. I might have done it the most ass-backward way possible, but somehow I’m getting there. I’m here to tell you don’t make the same mistakes that I did. These are the best tips I can pass along to dial in to see what exactly is going on.
Don’t Shotgun Supplements
Being a stubborn bastard, I thought I knew what the problem was. I read WebMd, which granted me to be a certifiable Dr. of the Interwebz.
Scouring blogs, forums, and research articles, I was surrounded with tons of pieces but no picture to guide me how the pieces come together. I once thought I had kidney stones, malfunctioning gallbladder, and biofilm covering my whole digestive tract. Thus the introduction and elimination of a carousel of supplements. Hopping onto the reviews of these supplements, it reassured me that I was honing in on the root cause.
Hey if these people shared these same symptoms, and it worked for them, why not me?
This made UPS and Amazon pleased with my constant patronage, but in the end, it was futile.
Months of shotgunning supplements, no noticeable changes happened. I was just as lost as I started. The worst part about it, outside of the internet, there was nowhere I could turn to to find help. Modern medicine would have done inconclusive testing while pushing a prescription packed a multitude of side effects. Where was my gut savior?!
I did find that savior, in turning to Dr. Grace’s blog and following the 7-steps.
The most important of precursor to the 7-steps is to GET TESTED.
While you got all the indicator lights flashing on your dashboard, its IMPERATIVE to get the diagnostics. This must be the biggest factor I have to preach. You might miraculously find your miracle supplement, but most of the time you will be wasting your TIME and MONEY.
What type of Testing?
With American Gut and UBiome leading the charge with the “Send us your Poo” movement, these guys are key to getting the mainstream public aware of the microbiome.
Money not being a factor, the optimal way to get a clearer picture of your microbiome is to get a stool and urine test.
The stool test might be off-putting for some, but for those looking for the window into the gut, there isn’t a better way (YET). Get that plastic wrap and do your due diligence. Certain microbes live in different locations along the colon. For the most accurate picture, make sure to do your best Bob Marley impersonation and “Stir It Up.”
Nasty, yes. Necessary, YES.
Urine test is ideal to see if you have an excess amount of by-products being produced by overgrowths of certain types of microbes. The stool test doesn’t allow you to see what is going on in the small intestines, which makes the urine test the perfect compliment with the stool test. From these by-products we now know which microbes secrete certain types of organic acids.
Urine and stool tests aren’t the end all be all, but they are certainly better than just doing guess work. Having the proper tools to better diagnose our ailments is essential in a fast and painless recovery.
Still having lingering issues, I’m going to be doing these tests in the near future. We will be talking about my results in coming episodes on the Gut Guardians Podcast.
If I could do it all over again, I would have actively sought out a Dr. who could have ordered a stool analysis test and a urine organics test.
Recommended Testing:
GDX: GI Effects Stool Profiles
GDX: Organix® Dysbiosis Profile – Urine
