Advanced Digestive Diagnostics

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KNOW THE WHOLE STORY.

“After dealing with chronic digestive issues for over 10 years and trying numerous conventional medicine doctors, I decided enough was enough and made an appointment with Progressive Medical Center. You can’t have more thorough testing performed or [a] more genuinely concerned group of providers. I really appreciated that they took their time with me and truly listened. The testing I received has allowed me to start a targeted supplement treatment plan which has worked wonders!” – Annie M

At Progressive Medical Center, digestive wellness is key to your care plan! Our goal is to discover the root cause of chronic illness and the long list of symptoms patients are experiencing. Many times, the answer lies with digestive health. Diagnostic test results are processed here at the Center and are available immediately for the physicians to review and craft a customized care plan for you.

Heal the gut. Heal the body.

There are obvious digestive disorders we can diagnose at Progressive: IBS, Crohns, Colitis, Stomach pain, Gas, Bloating, Constipation, Loose stools, Acid Reflux, etc. These are clear digestive disorders.

But digestive health problems don’t always manifest as just digestive disorders. The symptoms can be more along the lines of: feeling sluggish, always tired, irritable, joint pain, brain fog, having trouble remembering things, and feeling moody.

We can get to the bottom of these symptoms too, and identify the root cause. The root cause of these is often in the digestive system, so we can test for that.

We offer advanced digestive diagnostics that you will not find at a regular doctor’s office and that are difficult to find many other places, yet these tests are critical to understanding digestive health!

Here are Progressive’s TOP 6 Digestive Diagnostic Tests:

1) FOOD SENSITIVITY TESTING

“Of our incoming patients, there has not been a single person who doesn’t have some level of food sensitivities to something… broccoli, peanuts, milk… Without knowing this sensitivity, he or she is causing inflammation in their system, and that inflammation can have damaging consequences down the line.” – Dr. Johnson

To identify causes of inflammation early, Progressive has developed the most advanced food sensitivity test that exists, in conjunction with the PHD/MD experts at Dunwoody Labs. Unlike conventional allergy tests or food sensitivity tests, this will test for 4 levels of inflammatory markers (vs. others that only test for 1 or 2).

Food that people eat can “stay” in the digestive system for 72 hours/3 days. That means it is hard to tell without the test which foods are causing inflammation. If someone had a milkshake for lunch on Wednesday and feels bad on Friday evening, it’s hard to say what caused it- likely blaming it on a hard week!

The test, however, can point to a dairy sensitivity (which is probable, since most adults have sensitivities to dairy).

2) LEAKY GUT TEST

“Leaky Gut” is when small particles of food slip through the lining of the digestive system, due to a lack of tight junctures in the gut lining. This can cause inflammation throughout the body and has negative health effects.

The test identifies markers that measure leaky gut and allergic inflammation. When these markers are abnormal, risk for diabetes, celiac disease, neurologic conditions, cancers, and anything driven by inflammation increases.

3) GUT BACTERIA

Gut Bacteria Test or GI Microbiota Test measures the healthy (and unhealthy) bacteria levels in the digestive system. Ever wonder why probiotics are such a big deal? This is why.

If the “bad bacteria” overgrow in the gut, it doesn’t allow the “good bacteria” (probiotics) to do their job- namely helping to break down food, helping the body absorb nutrients, and keeping the gut in balance. This Gut Bacteria test determines if the digestive system is optimally absorbing nutrients.

4) H.PYLORI BREATH TEST

Ulcers. Ugh.

Helicobacter pylori is a specific strain of bacteria that has been known to cause ulcers. If these bacteria are allowed to run rampant due to low stomach acid, they can wreak havoc on the immune and digestive systems and, in many studies, have shown to negatively impact cardiovascular health as well!

This simple breath test can be done in less than 20 minutes and indicates whether a H.pylori bacterial infection is present and contributing to your symptoms.

5) SIBO – SMALL INTESTINE BACTERIAL OVERGROWTH

As humans, we absorb over 90 percent of the food we eat. This absorption takes place in the small intestine. Without adequate stomach acid protecting the digestive system from harmful bacteria, fungi, or parasites coming in through food, bacteria can embed in the small intestine and cause a multitude of nutritional deficiencies and other serious health issues.

Progressive Medical Center uses the hydrogen breath test—to measure levels of hydrogen or methane—to determine whether there is a bacterial infection in the small intestine. This test can be done at home and processed at the Center.

Your physician can then create a targeted, SIBO-specific treatment plan for you!

6) GASTROGRAM

Did you know heartburn can be caused by TOO LITTLE stomach acid, not just too much? That means that the Nexium and Prilosec you’ve been taking to lower your stomach acid may be making the problem WORSE.

To properly determine stomach acid levels, Progressive is proud to be one of the only facilities in America to offer the Gastrogram Test.

Progressive practitioners test the actual pH of the stomach and small intestine. The patient simply swallows a Heidelberg capsule that is no bigger than a multivitamin pill.

This measures the resting pH of the stomach and the transient time to the small intestine, to discover how effectively your stomach acid and enzymes are breaking down your food and how quickly the stomach returns to an acidic condition after an alkaline challenge.

The physician has these results immediately and can determine whether your stomach has adequate HCL and enzyme production or not.

Getting Gut Health Under Control

The GI tract is the part of the body that houses 85% of our immune system and 95% of our neurotransmitters. Good gut health is critical to maintaining wellness and preventing diseases such as auto-immune conditions, cancers, fatigue, and much more.

By examining this wealth of information we have the ability to reduce one of the major areas of inflammation. In the gut, the body decides whether it is tolerant to something or inflamed by something. The human GI tract of 30,000 different beneficial flora should be able to operate optimally, in conjunction with our own system.

If you are experiencing stomach or digestive issues, or suspect you may have food sensitivity, call Progressive today to speak with one of our customer care specialist experts. They will be happy to tell you more about our testing, the program, and our overall care.

Be on your way to healing soon: 770.676.6000