What is the GI Map Test?
The world of integrative and functional medicine places a heavy emphasis on gut health, and with good reason, but you may be wondering, “what is the big deal?”
The human digestive system is responsible for processing the fuel we call food, sourcing nutrients from the food, dispersing it into our bodies, and ridding our bodies of waste. It is is a highly intricate process that relies on both nervous and endocrine input to function properly. The gut even has its own nervous system, separate from the central and peripheral nervous system. This is a relatively new discovery and much research is underway to learn more, but needless to say, our digestive system plays quite an important role in our overall health. This is why monitoring the function of our digestive system through specialized testing is so important. In this blog post, we are going to dive into what the GI Map test by Diagnostic Solutions tells us about our GI function.
What is the GI Map test?
If you’re a PIM patient, you’ve probably had a GI Map test. If you’re not a PIM patient, you will definitely want one by the time you finish reading this. The GI Map test was created by Diagnostic Solutions. It is a stool study (yes, we said it — it tests your poop) that gives an overall snapshot of your gut health. It tests your gut-microbiota and digestive health.
Gut-microbiota Testing on the GI Map:
The GI Map tests several areas of your gut flora. The balance of gut flora in your digestive system is important because imbalances or un-wanted guests can manifest as other health conditions such as weight gain, abdominal discomfort, bloating, abnormal bowel movements and many other symptoms. The GI map tests for the presence (and hopefully absence) of both bacterial, viral, and parasitic pathogens, H. Pylori presence, and normal gut flora (because there is such thing as too much, or too little, of a good thing). It can also detect bacterial species that may be autoimmune triggers as well as the presence of yeast or fungi. Just this one test can help give you a better picture of where you stand in terms of your gut flora and that in itself gives your provider a lot of information to work with to optimize your gut health.
Digestive Health Testing on the GI Map:
As if the information about your gut flora was not enough, the GI Map test also tests the function of your digestive system. This includes markers that represent your digestive and nutrient absorptive ability, gut inflammation levels, gut immune response, and presence of leaky gut. Information about your gut’s digestive ability is important because decreased digestion means less nutrients are being taken from the food you eat for your body to use as fuel. Leaky gut can cause your body to become sensitive to foods that it normally would not be sensitive to because of increased permeability in the gut lining. Testing for this helps your providers direct their care personalized to what you and your gut need.
Addressing gut dysfunction can support alleviating hormone imbalances, chronic stress, and autoimmune issues. it is no wonder the GI Map is one of our provider’s favorite tests. If after reading this, you’re thinking, “I need a GI Map test”, we recommend setting up a free 20 minute consult with one of our providers to see how it may be able to help you.
PIM wants to hear from you! Have you had a GI Map test and benefitted from it? Do you find this article helpful? Share your thoughts in the comments below or on our Facebook and Instagram!
Sources:
https://www.diagnosticsolutionslab.com/tests/gi-map