ibs and the complete digestive stool analysis cdsa

ibs and the complete digestive stool analysis cdsa

Optimal health is every individual’s desired state, in which well-being is achieved by a balance between nutrition and lifestyle. Lifestyle essentially includes physical condition, psychologic disposition, and the physical environment.

The many nutrients, which are absorbed by the GI tract, act to maintain the body’s homeostasis in optimal balance.

The synergy of balanced nutrition and lifestyle are fundamental to the control of predisposing factors involved in the onset and progress of disease.

Normal human bacterial microflora in the small and large intestine maintain a delicate balance. Their metabolic and enzymatic activity is critical in the metabolism, biotransformation, and absorption of nutrients. These nutrients include all compounds taken orally and all substances entering the intestine via the biliary tract or by direct secretion into the lumen.

When the microflora balance is disturbed (dysbiosis), these metabolic and enzymatic
activities can be severely compromised. Dysbiosis is a state in which imbalances in intestinal flora cause changes to normal GI processes, manifesting in clinical and preclinical conditions, which can lead to varying degrees of unwellness. The symptoms of dysbiosis can vary significantly between individuals; however, the causes can be placed into four major categories, namely, putrefaction, fermentation, deficiency, and sensitization.

Infection by viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites and chemical attack (intoxication) by xenobiotics and therapeutic agents (drugs, etc.) can also be implicated. Dysbiosis can lead to the breakdown of mucosal integrity (leaky gut), contributing to increased absorption and compromised liver function.

The complete digestive stool analysis (CDSA) offers a practical and economical noninvasive assessment of the functional health of the entire GI tract.

The CDSA may provide an important opportunity in the assessment of chronic disorders and imbalances in the GI tract by investigating biochemical and microbiologic parameters resulting from altered digestion, absorption, motility, microflora imbalance, metabolic activity, immune function, and disease processes such as infection and inflammation.

The GI tract is arguably the body’s most strategic organ for metabolism, biotransformation, and absorption of nutrients. Microbiologic and biochemical enterohepatic functions are important factors in human health and may be etiologic agents in the onset of disease. Therefore assessment of chronic health issues should include a thorough evaluation of GI tract and enterohepatic status.

The CDSA provides baseline diagnostic information on which current and future GI well-being can be gauged. The CDSA is not indicated as a procedure for the diagnosis of underlying disease.