ibs tests

This section looks at various tests which may help patients find a treatment plan for IBS, such as food intolerance tests and bacterial tests. It does not include tests which help to diagnose IBS (such as colonoscopy, barium enema etc) as these kind of tests are only helpful in ruling out other medical conditions - they don't help you find a treatment plan once you've been diagnosed with IBS.

As always, please be aware that some tests are not as good as the manufacturers make them out to be - always look for proper clinical trials to back up their claims, and some decent science to explain how the test works.

Bacterial tests

SIBO test
The Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth test, developed by Dr Mark Pimentel.

Food intolerance tests

There are a number of different food intolerance tests used, ranging from the ELISA test, which does have one (controversial) clinical trial to show that it might be effective, to very dubious tests with no scientific basis at all. Please be careful when choosing a food intolerance test.

ELISA test
A blood test offered by a number of different companies.

General digestive tests

Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis (CDSA)
The CDSA test looks at a range of different issues, including the presence of parasites and the levels of friendly bacteria in the gut.