Gut Health
Persistent digestive symptoms have a findable mechanism, and food, microbiome and barrier work are built around what your assessment shows.
Your gut houses much of your immune system, produces most of your serotonin, and takes part in clearing hormones from the body. So when it stops working, the effects rarely stay in your abdomen — fatigue, mood change, skin problems and inflammatory disease all trace back through it. That is why we treat digestive symptoms as a whole-body finding rather than a comfort problem.
Bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine (SIBO), fungal overgrowth, or too few of the protective bacteria you should have. A loosened intestinal barrier, which shows up as raised zonulin, a marker of barrier leakage. Inflammatory bowel disease, histamine intolerance or genuine food reactions. Poor absorption from low stomach acid or pancreatic insufficiency. And the gut–brain axis, where stress alone can sustain the whole picture.
Food first — anti-inflammatory, low-FODMAP or elemental, chosen by what your testing shows rather than by preference. Antimicrobials, probiotics and postbiotics only where a specific finding calls for them. Barrier repair using glutamine, colostrum, short-chain fatty acids and polyphenols. Then your sleep and stress, which will undo the rest if they are left alone.
Stool analysis maps what is living in your gut and what it produces. Breath testing identifies SIBO rather than guessing at it. Zonulin and permeability markers show whether the barrier has loosened, and calprotectin separates IBS from inflammatory bowel disease. We do not order IgG food sensitivity panels — the evidence does not support building a diet from them. Dr. Wilson reviews every result with you.
Your gut workup and treatment run inside Functional Health — that is where the assessment, your written protocol and the ongoing adjustments live. Start with the free fifteen-minute consultation.
What this covers
Gut Health spans several presentations. Each one has its own workup.
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion, so subtyping it into SIBO, bile acid malabsorption or visceral hypersensitivity is what turns a label into something treatable.
Leaky gut syndrome
Increased intestinal permeability is a measurable mechanism rather than a diagnosis, so treating it without finding the cause gives only temporary results.
Food sensitivities
Reactions to food are real, but IgG panels are not a valid way to find them, so structured elimination and reintroduction remains the reliable method.
Common questions
The ones we are asked most about gut health.
SIBO, IBS, dysbiosis and a leaky barrier, most often. Also inflammatory bowel disease, reflux, constant bloating and real food reactions. Most people arrive after a workup that ended without an answer.
Symptom control has its place, and this is not that. We establish what is actually happening in your gut, then work on the microbiome and the barrier over months. The symptoms settle as a result rather than as the target.
Yes, anywhere in Kansas or Missouri. Assessment, results review, your written plan and the adjustments all work by video. Test kits ship to your door and lab draws happen near you.
Ready to start with a clear clinical picture?
Start with the fifteen-minute consultation. No cost, and a straight answer on whether this model fits your case.