Bloating & gut issues: test it, don’t guess it.
Bloated after every meal, unpredictable digestion, reacting to foods you used to tolerate? Before another round of elimination diets, find out what’s actually happening inside your gut.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Nicolay F Hernandez, DO & Byron S Leguisamo, MSN, AGACNP-BC, APRN
Your gut affects far more than digestion.
Your digestive tract breaks down food, absorbs nutrients, houses a large share of your immune system, and is home to trillions of microbes that influence everything from inflammation to mood. When something is off, the symptoms aren’t always obviously “gut”: fatigue, skin flares, brain fog, and food reactions can all have digestive roots.
Many people with chronic bloating, gas, constipation, loose stools, or reflux are told it’s “just IBS” and handed a list of foods to avoid. Sometimes that’s the answer. But often there’s a more specific driver — poor digestion, low-grade inflammation, an imbalanced microbiome, or an infection — that a targeted test can help reveal.
Functional stool testing looks at how well you’re digesting and absorbing food, markers of gut inflammation and immune activity, the balance of your microbiome, and signs of pathogens or parasites. It doesn’t replace conventional GI care when that’s needed — but it can turn a vague problem into a specific plan.
Common drivers we look for
Microbiome imbalance
Too little of the beneficial bacteria, too much of the problematic kind — a pattern often called dysbiosis.
Incomplete digestion
Low digestive enzymes or poor fat absorption can leave food undigested, fueling gas and bloating.
Gut inflammation
Inflammatory markers can point to irritation of the gut lining — and flag when further medical workup is needed.
Infections & parasites
Bacterial, yeast, or parasitic overgrowth can persist quietly and cause ongoing symptoms.
Food reactivity
Immune reactions to certain foods can contribute to symptoms in and beyond the gut.
Stress & the gut–brain axis
The gut and brain are in constant communication, which is why stress can trigger real digestive symptoms.
From symptoms to a specific plan.
Testing is chosen around your symptoms and history. Your provider reviews results with you and builds a protocol around what they show.
Functional Medicine Consultation
A root-cause consultation covering your symptoms, diet, history, medications, and stress — and a recommendation on which testing, if any, is worth doing. The $250 is credited toward your labs if you order testing.
GI Effects Fundamentals
An at-home stool test that maps digestion and absorption, inflammation and immune markers, key microbiome metabolites, yeast, and occult blood.
GI Effects Comprehensive + Microbiomix
Everything in Fundamentals plus a detailed DNA-based microbiome map, dysbiosis scoring, and a full parasitology panel — for complex or long-standing symptoms.
Your visit, start to finish
Consultation
We review your symptoms, triggers, diet, history, and any red flags that need conventional medical evaluation first.
At-home collection
If testing makes sense, your kit is collected at home and returned directly to the lab.
Results review
Your provider walks you through what the results show — and just as importantly, what they don’t.
Targeted protocol
Nutrition changes, targeted supplements, and prescription treatment when appropriate, matched to your findings.
Reassess
We track how you respond and adjust the plan. Retesting may be recommended for persistent findings.
Honest expectations
Some people feel better within a few weeks of a targeted plan; long-standing issues can take a few months to fully settle.
Stool testing is a screening and planning tool. It supports, but doesn’t replace, a medical diagnosis.
If symptoms suggest something that needs a GI specialist, imaging, or a colonoscopy, we’ll tell you and help coordinate a referral.
Good to know.
Keep exploring.
Advanced Lab Testing
See every marker in our gut, micronutrient, and genetic testing — plus the 75+ biomarker Wellness Panel.
Read moreFunctional Medicine
Our root-cause approach to chronic symptoms, from the first consultation onward.
Read moreBrain Fog
The gut–brain connection is real. Explore the most common causes of foggy thinking.
Read moreGet answers, not another diet.
Book a functional medicine consultation in Aventura or by telehealth — we’ll find out what your gut is telling you.
Educational content only — not a diagnosis. Every treatment plan begins with a clinical evaluation by a licensed provider, and individual results vary.