# Is it worth paying for a comprehensive stool analysis test?



## danb84 (Apr 29, 2013)

Hello everyone,

Hope you are well and greetings from the UK (Bristol in South West England to be specific!). Sorry for the essay post but I wanted to give this as much background as possible to work out whether or not (considering all the things I have tried) whether it is worth my money and time paying for a Comprehensive Stool Analysis test to get to the bottom of my problem? (Pun intended and lazy..sorry!)

*WHEN IT ALL STARTED/POSSIBLE CAUSES*

-I took between 8-10 courses of antibiotics to treat recurrent sinus infections during 2009/2010

-I also took a lot of ibuprofen to help clear my sinuses (as recommended by a doctor)

-I used to binge drink a lot in my early to mid 20's during University and parties. A lot of beer mainly.

-I used to constantly eat hot curry (homemade with a lot of cayenne pepper and other spices) with a lot of Encona Hot Sauce (http://www.enconasauces.co.uk/product/5/Encona-West-Indian-Original-Hot-Pepper-Sauce.htm) to clear my chest and sinuses

-During the past I have suffered from mild OCD and have had ongoing personal issues with anxiety for which I have had counselling on numerous occasions

*EARLY 2012- Diagnosis*

-During early 2012 I was diagnosed with IBS due to stomach cramp, stomach growling and gurgling and alternating constipation and diarrhoea.

-Since then I have tried various medications (loperamide, buscopan, fibre supplements, Amitriptyline to name a few) which have not helped and in some instances have worsened my condition.

- During this time I was working full time as a Media Relations Officer. This involved dealing with queries from journalists for a local Council. I found the job very stressful and I often felt this contributed to the symptoms of IBS.

-I saw a private dietician/nutritionist who ran a Gut Fermentation Profile test (http://www.biolab.co.uk/docs/gfp.pdf). Her verdict from the test results was that I may have gut dysbiosis, something caused by an imbalance of friendly bacteria and an overgrowth of yeast.

She recommended Glutagenics (http://www.amazon.com/Glutagenics-powder-9-27oz-259-8g-servings/dp/B0049YYYMS) a probiotic and an anti fungal supplement (http://www.nutrigold.co.uk/colon-support/colex.html). She also told me to avoid wheat, added sugar and yeast. I didn't feel as bad; but I didn't feel as if I was getting any better as I was still having the problems.

*2013- No job, No carbs, No&#8230;*

-At the start of 2013 I was out of work as my contract came to an end. Ironically I was a lot more relaxed and happy. I had a home and living and whilst I could not afford as much before I was ultimately more chilled and happy. This, however, did not lead to a great improvement in my IBS condition itself.

- During the spring/summer period I went on a similar regime to the one your site recommends. I did a bone broth cleanse, fasted for 48 hours and then went onto only eating organic chicken, eggs for breakfast and broth for a week or so.

After this, I went onto a low carb diet; frittata for breakfast; bone broth mackerel and left over veg for lunch and then meat and veg casseroles for dinner. I used to snack on nuts and cheese and also had extra virgin coconut oil and raw sauerkraut as well. Whilst I felt better on this diet initially I found it very hard to maintain long term due to a lack of energy and variation. I couldn't afford organic meat and eggs and over time I had more digestive problems cropping up on the diet. A dietician I saw also told me that the diet would rob me of a lot of important minerals and vitamins.

*2014- Where I'm at now *

I am in full time work on a short term contract which will end in 6 weeks time. I have had a lot of time off work due to my stomach and IBS problems. To compound things even more I have also had shoulder and neck pain which has impacted upon my performance at work. I have had chiropractic treatment for this.

I'm now at a point where I am going round in circles with trying to treat this condition. I am still on the glutagenics and also taking a BioCare Probiotic supplement alongside Peppermint Oil capsules, and alverine citrate (https://www.google.co.uk/#q=alverine+citrate).

In terms of my diet I try to stick away from sugar, yeast and alcohol. I like to have brown rice with salmon, rice noddle stir frys (meat with low FODMAP veg), sweet potato with meat, porridge oats with no added sugar jam, gluten/wheat free pasta with tuna. Snackwise I eat Snack Jacks (rice and corn snack­ http://www.snackajacks.co.uk/) and Nakd fruit and nuts bars (http://www.naturalbalancefoods.co.uk/nakd/) .

My main symptoms at the moment are:

Feeling bloated after evening meals

Having a lot of gas (mainly after lunch and evening meals)

General stomach discomfort and occasional growling

An urgency to have a bowel movement first thing in the morning (this is often a lot..formed but a lot of it and often smells bad)

In the evening it changes to feeling constipated. If I do pass a stool it requires effort and I feel the need to strain. The stools are often thin and several of them.

I wake every night to urinate; usually at least once and often twice

Sorry this has been such an essay. Any help or pointers in the right direction would be welcome? Would the CDSA test help?

Thanks,

Dan


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## BQ (May 22, 2000)

> In terms of my diet I try to stick away from sugar, yeast and alcohol. I like to have brown rice with salmon, rice noddle stir frys (meat with low FODMAP veg), sweet potato with meat, porridge oats with no added sugar jam, gluten/wheat free pasta with tuna. Snackwise I eat Snack Jacks (rice and corn snack­ http://www.snackajacks.co.uk/) and Nakd fruit and nuts bars (http://www.naturalba...ods.co.uk/nakd/) .


Actually you are eating quite a bit of sugar there. Perhaps cut down on your starchy carbs (rice, potatoes,pasta,corn) and see if that helps. I would do that before any stool analysis. (Surprised your Dr wouldn't do a stool analysis for you???)


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

Well there are evidence-based stool analysis for known parasites that most doctors will do when there is a medical indication it may be needed.

There are also a wide variety of we tell you everything in there (for some part of everything as we can't really test for everything...I don't think we've even identified what every species in there is) and will use some sort of data set to say if you are above or below average for all the various bacteria that live is some or most of healthy humans. The quality varies and the what it means/what treatment you do is really not certain for a lot of the "we test everything".


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## tummyrumbles (Aug 14, 2005)

I wonder how many of us were heavy drinkers and what effect this had on IBS. I drank heavily too and it could be that this affected the liver which in turn affected the enzymes & bacteria - which I suspect more than parasites as I don't get diarhhea too often. A lot of us have problems digesting rice so I'd try eliminating that, otherwise your diet sounds good. Grains have prolamines and often resistant starch in them that resist digestion and for me anyone rice and bread are the worst offenders.

I haven't found any instance of anyone curing their IBS from parasite treatment and I've googled this a fair bit. Antiparasitic drugs can be very toxic. The below study showed that 2 methods of treatment, medication and live faecal flora had no effect after 12 months, so the cure if any was only temporary. Another test showed that dietary fibre in gerbils reduced giardia if that helps. Another study suggested gangliosides as being beneficial against giardia but milk seems to be the main food group. Maybe yoghurt would be a better alternative. The bottom line from the testing as below was that food malabsorption was considered to be the main problem even for those who tested positive for IBS-giardia.

The question is, if you do pay for the testing and it's positive, will the remedy be worse than the cure, considering that there doesn't seem to be any long term cure from medication and the toxicity of some of the drugs.

In the diet section there's a post I did yesterday on non-gluten food and why it can be harmful, mainly because of the starches.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2754014/

Parasitic infections, caused by intestinal helminths and protozoan parasites, are among the most prevalent infections in humans. In developed countries, protozoan parasites more commonly cause gastrointestinal infections compared to helminths.

The most common intestinal protozoan parasites are: Giardia intestinalis, Entamoeba histolytica, Cyclospora cayetanenensis, and Cryptosporidium spp. The diseases caused by these intestinal protozoan parasites are known as giardiasis, amoebiasis, cyclosporiasis, and cryptosporidiosis respectively, and they are associated with diarrhea. intestinalis is the most prevalent parasitic cause of diarrhoea in the developed world.

(Intestinalis:

Pneumatosis intestinalis refers to gas cysts in the bowel wall. This is in contrast to gas in the intestinal lumen. Disorders of gastrointestinal motility, such as those affecting smooth muscle contractions, can lead to the overgrowth of intestinal bacteria, and eventually, pneumatosis intestinalis.)

Diagnosis of giardiasis is best accomplished by detection of Giardia antigen in stool, since the classic microscopic examination is less sensitive and specific. A recent comparison of nine different antigen-detection tests demonstrated that all had high sensitivity and specificity, except one (24). Giardia-specific antigen-detection tests are now also commercially available from several diagnostic companies, and their performance is quite good, except a few. In addition to antigen-detection tests, PCR-based test for the detection of G. intestinalis has also been reported. The population genetics of Giardia are complex.

Diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis is also best accomplished by detection of Cryptosporidium spp. antigen in stool samples, since classic microscopic examination is less sensitive, and modified acid-fast staining is required.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19821794

Intestinal infection with Giardia lamblia may lead to therapy-resistant, long-lasting post-giardiasis irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). We report two open pilot studies aiming to treat this condition, using either antibiotics or bacterio-therapy.

MATERIAL AND METHODS. Twenty-eight patients with persistent abdominal symptoms, following clearance of G. lamblia infection, were investigated. Eighteen received treatment with rifaximin plus metronidazole (8-10 days) whereas 10 received a suspension of live faecal flora, installed into the duodenum during gastro-duodenoscopy. Customary abdominal symptoms and symptoms following a lactulose breath test were quantified by questionnaires. Hydrogen and methane production after lactulose were analysed in expired air and excretion of fat and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) was examined in faeces.

RESULTS. As compared with pre-treatment values, total customary symptom scores were barely significantly reduced (p = 0.07) after antibiotics, but were highly significantly reduced (p = 0.0009) after bacterio-therapy. However, symptom improvement following bacterio-therapy did not persist 1 year later. Hydrogen breath excretion was slightly reduced after antibiotics, but not after bacterio-therapy. Compared with healthy persons, faecal excretion of fat was significantly increased in Giardia-cured patients. SCFAs were increased in the bacterio-therapy group, and were not influenced by therapy.

CONCLUSIONS. Both antibiotics and bacterio-therapy were ineffective with respect to cure of post-giardiasis IBS. High faecal excretion of fat and SCFAs suggests that intestinal malabsorption of fat and carbohydrates may play a role in the IBS-like complaints of these patients.


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## Lib1 (Sep 1, 2015)

Hi Dan

Just wondered whether you went ahead with the stool test and whether you have found any benefit? I have similar issues and would be interested to find out what others found had helped. 
I've read biofeedback and autogenic training helps IBS. Has anyone else found this?

Liz


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## dlind70 (Aug 7, 2015)

shoulder and neck pain can be mental issue. Do you feel like you're shouldering too much responsibility? Is someone breathing down your neck? Maybe consider a liver/coffee cleanse? I have a natural parasite cleanse drink if anyone is interested. Stomach growling means you are not feeding the stomach in the morning. I would say you should eat nuts with fruit for breakfast. Becuase your brain needs sweets to run, you would eat the fructose for the brain with foods that are good for brains (walnuts look likethe brain and almonds look like amygdala). Look into the chronobiotic diet. This eating plan doesn't restrict foods. It puts them in time with the sun and you will have better BMs.


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## Freud (Mar 22, 2012)

I've done one and it was worth it to me. The results further confirmed that I have something wrong with my bile production. My doctor took some blood tests showing I have a disruption of my bile acid synthesis and the Comprehensive Stool Analysis showed that I have steatorrhea (fat malabsorption). You need bile to digest fat. The question is why my bile production is low? The CSA couldn't give me any insight to that.

Looking at the bacterial composition in my gut I learned that I have no growth of beneficial bacteria and high levels of Bacteroides, Odoribacter, and Akkermansia which unfortunately could be biomarkers of future colon cancer. It also shows I've been living of a diet consisting mainly from animal protein, which is true since I have a sensitivity to carbs because of my IBS. A few other things were off too, but I don't know what it means yet.

I'm pleased that I did a comprehensive stool analysis, no regrets there. So if you got the money for it I'd say do it, it should be able to give you some insight.


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## Jen37 (Nov 10, 2011)

I just had one done ( a DNA PCR stool analysis). It showed I have overgrowth of Candida( Albicans Tropicalis). I also have very high SIgA levels as well as higher fat level found in my stool.

Western med doctors will not order these comprehensive tests, you will likely have to find a functional practitioner to be able to order it, or you can order it yourself. I ordered my own from DRG labs. They can be a bit expensive though, but they do give a lot of info.


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## Freud (Mar 22, 2012)

Jen37 said:


> I just had one done ( a DNA PCR stool analysis). It showed I have overgrowth of Candida( Albicans Tropicalis). I also have very high SIgA levels as well as higher fat level found in my stool.
> 
> Western med doctors will not order these comprehensive tests, you will likely have to find a functional practitioner to be able to order it, or you can order it yourself. I ordered my own from DRG labs. They can be a bit expensive though, but they do give a lot of info.


Could you draw any conclusions form your test results? Besides the obvious (you having an overgrowth of Candida). What exactly does high SIgA levels mean? Thanks for sharing, it's interesting hearing about other peoples experiences and I'm sure the OP will find it useful too.


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## Jen37 (Nov 10, 2011)

Well, I definitely have inflammation. My calprotectin level was a bit elevated as well. SIgA levels I believe indicate some sort of underlying infection of some sort, and or inflammation. It means the body is trying to fight something.


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## onyx (Jan 13, 2006)

I had one done a couple years ago, ordered by a naturopath I was trying. Cost like 500 bucks as I remember. Showed I had a huge overgrowth of yeast. Took something to kill off all the yeast. Had a follow-up to prove the yeast was gone. This was another 250 bucks or something. Absolutely no effect on my IBS-D. So, total waste.

Also interestingly, the first test said I might have a parasite of unknown origin. Naturopath gave me an anti-parasite to try. It was very expensive. It was so toxic that it made me quite ill and I could only do a few days on it. Follow-up test showed no parasites. When I asked him about it he said the original test was probably a false positive. So, another total waste.

One somewhat interesting finding though was I had a low pH result, showing too acidic. This makes sense since it feels like I'm passing burning sulphuric acid all the time. However nobody could explain why I have this, or offer any remedy. So yep, a third total waste.

In summary, I probably dropped over a thousand bucks on the whole fiasco and nothing came of it.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

Onyx, could you provide more details about the lab you used? Was it always the same?

I want to understand if the lab was legit.

I have more questions for you when you answer these ones.


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## onyx (Jan 13, 2006)

Sorry jaumeb ... this was several years ago, and don't recall the lab's name, but according to my naturopath they had the most thorough test available, including some kind of DNA analysis to look for bugs (as opposed to just a visual inspection by microscope). If I were you, even though it may be a dead end, I'd try it. You never know, you might get lucky, unlike me. Any chance is worth it if it might help you get better from this awful condition. I wish you the best of luck.


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## jaumeb (Sep 1, 2014)

Onyx, assuming that the lab was legit and you actually got rid of the yeast ... What did you use to treat the yeast?

I tested positive for yeast overgrowth and I am trying to understand if it plays a role in my disease.

Thanks for your help.


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## jb999 (Aug 3, 2017)

Has anyone had any experience of the smart nutrition Comprehensive Microbiome test? Looking at parasites, bacteria and yeast.


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## glenn (Dec 14, 2020)

I've been compiling a list of microbiome testing companies, check them out here: I have not tried any of them myself




Sun Genomics (gut microbiome testing and personalized probiotics for adults, children, and infants)



Biohm (gut health, including bacteria and fungi)



Onegevity (gut health and personalized recommendations)



Psomagen (gut health and gene test)



Rootine (personalized supplement and vitamins based on DNA test)



Thryve (personalized probiotics)



Viome (gut health and microbiome testing) - https://www.viome.com/?refcode=Futurism20



uBiome (purchased by Psomagen?)



Smart Nutrition (food intolerance, micronutrient, microbiome test)


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## MareCare (Jan 5, 2021)

yes it is, stool tests are also helpful in detecting blood in the digestive tract, which might account for low iron levels or be a warning sign of colon cancer. Newer stool DNA tests are also available to help your doctor screen for colon cancer.


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