Dr. Shilpa Sayana explains three ways to test for SIBO: a breath test done in-office where you drink sugar solution and exhale into tubes every 15-20 minutes, a Genova stool test you mail back, and a Nutrival blood panel that checks for yeast and bacterial markers.
So the sibo, which you just mentioned, is actually a breath test. And you know, the patient drinks a small amount actually first they breathe into a bag that collects kind of like a baseline. They drink a small amount of fluid and it's a special like sugar fluid. And then they'll wait about like 20 minutes or so, breathe into another bag at about like 15, 20 minute interval. And the lab company will analyze that, the breath that's in the back, and determine whether it's a hydrogen based or a methane based type of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Now the other test that we mentioned, the stool test, the Genova stool test, which we've been using for what, close to 10 years now. And you know, so that's a stool test and it is one that, it's a take home test, thank God, because otherwise our bathroom would be full. And patients can produce their sample in the comfort of their own home. And there's instructions in there on how to fill each container. And then you fill it, label it, package it, and then send it off to FedEx. And they'll take care of that. And the results return to us in a couple weeks and then we'll review them with them and create a personalized plan for them. Now I think, do we have other.
Tests we can do a nutrival, which gives us some blood markers of yeast and bacteria. But the ones that Sweena mentioned, the SIBO breath test, which for, for those of you out there, that seems overwhelming, we do do it in the office. You can come, bring your phone, listen to your music or work and every 20 minutes we'll get some breath from you. But yes, the stool test is done at home, but there is a nutrival test looking for toxic burden and also just measures your gut microbiome in terms of yeast and bacteria.
