The best ways to tell if your gut requires further medical attention, and how to effectively pursue solutions.
By Madison Ordway, FDN-P
Though it may often be underestimated in terms of its value to your body as a whole, your gut is extremely important to the internal ecosystem that is you. In fact, in healthcare circles, the gut is commonly referred to as a ‘second brain,’ and upon digging into the science and research behind it, it isn’t hard to see why. The gut microbiome influences everything from digestion to immune function, hormone metabolism, mood, skin health, energy, and more.
As a result, when things go wrong in the gut, the symptoms can manifest in any number of ways. Because its influence across the body as a whole has proven so vast and varied, many people don’t immediately associate these potential systems with the guy. For instance, if you gradually begin to experience worsening mood swings, you’re not likely to associate such an issue with your gut health. This has led to such issues being frequently misattributed, misdiagnosed, or simply left unexplained.
As a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner who has been using the GI-MAP stool test for years, I can attest to its effectiveness. Time and again, clients with years of unresolved symptoms have come in trying to figure out what is going on with their internal systems, only to find out that the gut was the root of the problem all along. Here are the 10 most common signs that may indicate someone’s gut health needs a serious, clinical-grade investigation.
1. Chronic Bloating, Gas, or Abdominal Discomfort
It’s incredibly easy to mistake excessive or chronic bloating for the kind of normalized, occasional bloating that many people experience. After all, once you’ve consumed a heavy meal, it is completely par for the course to experience a bit of bloating. However, this kind of bloating should be the exception, not the rule. If you find yourself feeling bloated after every meal, it could be a sign of a larger problem.
Chronic gas and abdominal discomfort can point to dysbiosis (microbial imbalance), bacterial overgrowth, or even a pathogen or parasite. Fortunately, the GI-MAP can identify exactly which organisms are elevated and whether bacteria are contributing to the problem.
2. Alternating Constipation and Diarrhea
As with bloating, many people experience occasional constipation or diarrhea. This is nothing to be too worried about, so long as it truly is occasional. However, if you are continually experiencing unpredictable bowel habits, it could be a sign of gut dysfunction.
Often, these kinds of difficulties warrant little more than a medical explanation of simply being mislabeled as IBS. However, that has proven to be a band-aid solution that fails to address the core problems. The GI-MAP assesses the entire gut ecosystem, including motility-affecting pathogens and imbalances in commensal bacteria that often drive this pattern.
3. Persistent Fatigue That Doesn’t Improve With Rest
Chronic fatigue is one of the most common symptoms that people dealing with gut health issues struggle with. This is because the pathogenic organisms that can cause such problems for your gut health also compete with your body for nutrients. The result is equivalent to an undiagnosed infection, putting your adrenals and immune system to work constantly in a way that exhausts them. This often results in extensive fatigue.
4. Brain Fog or Difficulty Concentrating
Pathogenic bacteria and yeast can produce metabolic byproducts that cross into the bloodstream. These elements can then affect neurotransmitter production and brain function. As such, one of the first symptoms to emerge for many gut health patients is a kind of brain fog.
5. Skin Conditions Like Acne, Eczema, or Rosacea
Elevated Zonulin, a marker of intestinal permeability, allows inflammatory particles and lipopolysaccharides (LPS) to leak from the gut into the bloodstream. This often results in body-wide inflammation that frequently shows up on the skin.
6. Food Sensitivities That Keep Expanding
If you’ve noticed that you’re reacting to more and more foods over time, it’s a strong signal that your gut lining is compromised. When the tight junctions of the gut wall are loosened — what’s known as intestinal permeability — food particles that should be fully digested before absorption cross into the bloodstream partially undigested, triggering an immune response. Over time, this expands into what feels like sensitivity to nearly everything. The GI-MAP measures both Zonulin and Anti-gliadin IgA to assess this directly.
7. Hormonal Imbalances, Worsening PMS, or Cycle Irregularities
To the surprise of many people, your gut actually plays an important role in estrogen metabolism. Within your gut, a collection of bacteria known as the estrobolome consistently produces an enzyme called beta-glucuronidase. When this enzyme’s levels are elevated, it can reactivate estrogen that should be cleared from the body. As a result, it can lead to hormonal imbalances that wreak havoc in all kinds of unexpected ways.
8. Anxiety, Low Mood, or Depression
Approximately 90% of your body’s serotonin is produced in the gut, not the brain. As a result, if something is wrong with your gut, then your entire body’s serotonin regulation can be substantially thrown off. If you’ve been struggling with mental health issues such as these and found no relief in other measures, finding a fix to your gut health may be a more permanent solution.
9. Autoimmune Conditions or Immune Dysfunction
A significant portion of your immune system is housed in the gut-associated lymphoid tissue (GALT). The GI-MAP’s immune markers can give insight into whether your gut immune defense is suppressed, overtaxed, or somewhere in between.
10. A History of Antibiotic Use, Frequent Illness, or International Travel
Antibiotics work by disrupting the gut microbiome. To this end, their frequent use can cause lasting gut health imbalances that don’t self-correct without targeted support. Likewise, recurrent infections, food poisoning, or even exposure to pathogens during international travel can introduce organisms that take up long-term residence in the gut and drive chronic symptoms for years afterward.
What Comes Next?
If you see shades of yourself and your own health struggles in the symptoms listed above, you may be struggling with gut health issues. Identification is the first step toward a healthier tomorrow, but to get there, you need to take action. The GI-MAP stool test gives you a detailed, clinical-grade picture of what’s actually happening in your gut so that any health protocol you pursue is based on real data, not guesswork. The test is available for order across the United States and Canada.
About the Author
Madison Ordway, FDN-P, is a Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner who has spent years helping clients across North America uncover the root causes of their health struggles. She specializes in gut health, hormone balance, and mineral optimization, and orders GI-MAP tests for clients who are ready to stop guessing and start getting real answers about what is driving their symptoms. Madison is passionate about making functional testing accessible to everyone.
Medical Disclaimer
The information provided in this article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Nothing in this article should be interpreted as a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult with a qualified healthcare provider or physician before making any changes to your diet, supplement regimen, or health protocol. The GI-MAP test is a clinical tool, and results should be interpreted in the context of your full health history by a qualified practitioner. Individual results may vary. Madison Ordway is not affiliated with Diagnostic Solutions Laboratory.
