ATTENTION New York State residents: NY Public Health Law Section 574 prohibits lab testing via mail for residents of New York at this time. We cannot process any testing services for clients in New York state. If you have any questions, please contact us.

This Gastrointestinal (GI) Health Panel from DiagnosTechs is a non-invasive screening test of the GI system and its function. Stool and saliva samples are submitted after convenient at-home collection. The GI Health Panel combines pathogen testing, inflammatory markers and other lab measures of possible disease or dysfunction for a comprehensive evaluation of GI health.

Gastrointestinal Health:

Maintaining a healthy GI system is essential to overall good health. GI infections and inflammation can lead to a wide range of symptoms and decrease the body’s ability to absorb nutrients. Although found more commonly in developing countries, parasites and pathogenic bacteria are a cause of GI symptoms in millions of people in the United States as well.

Rapid, Accurate and Thorough: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 9.4 million episodes of foodborne illness, caused by 31 major known pathogens occur in the United States each year. Determining the specific organism that is causing an infection is essential for appropriate treatment. The Diagnos-Techs GI Health Panels are far more comprehensive than most laboratory GI panels, testing for more pathogens to ensure proper diagnosis.

To ensure high sensitivity and specificity of detection, DiagnosTechs employs state-of-the-art equipment capable of identifying over 4,000 specific microorganisms - 100 times more than standard laboratories are able to identify. This equipment is found primarily in advanced reference laboratories and provides extremely rapid and accurate results.

The Gastrointestinal (GI) Health Panels may be helpful for individuals with: Heartburn or GERD, gas or bloating, constipation, diarrhea, abdominal cramping, chronic abdominal pain/discomfort, weight changes, fatigue, irritable bowel, food sensitivities.

You may benefit from a GI Health Panel if you:

• Frequently travel
• Frequently eat outside the home
• Are exposed to feces (e.g. cat litter box)
• Work in a hospital or other healthcare setting
• Go hiking or camping
• Work with young children or have a child in daycare
• Have frequent or broad-spectrum antibiotic use

The GI-1 Panel screens for:

• Bacteria - to look for infectious organisms and to help evaluate the balance of “good and bad” bacteria in the gut
• Yeast - to identify overgrowth of yeast (including Candida) that may be associated with GI symptoms
• Parasites - including microscopic evaluation, antigen testing, and immune markers of exposure
• Antibodies to gluten - to evaluate potential benefit of a gluten-free diet
• Digestive function markers - including digestive enzyme chymotrypsin and stool pH
• Markers of intestinal inflammation and mucosal immune function - including total intestinal sIgA
• Fecal occult blood - to screen for GI bleeding

Mode of Transmission and Risk Factors:

The predominant method of transmission of parasites is the fecal-oral route. This can occur through hand contact with infected patients or via contaminated water, soil or food. Many parasites are highly transmissible within a household environment. All family members should be tested if one member is positive for GI infection.

People with suppressed immunity are at risk for longer and more serious GI infections. Patients receiving chemotherapy for cancer are very susceptible to parasitic infections. Medications commonly used for autoimmune conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis, can also lead to a higher risk of infections. Frequent or excessive antibiotic use can render the GI tract more susceptible to chronic overgrowth of harmful microorganisms.

Convenient, Simple, and Thorough:

• Collection is noninvasive and painless.
• Samples can be conveniently collected from your home, office or other location
• Saliva is collected over a period of 24 hours, providing more complete information about your body’s stress response.
• Only the free and active level of each hormone is measured.

▶︎ View GI Health Panel Informational Pamphlet (PDF)

How the Testing Process Works

1. When you order a GI Health Panel, we will mail you a testing kit.
2. The accuracy of stool and saliva tests depends upon many factors. While our lab partner, DiagnosTechs Labs, is responsible for the technical aspects of the test, the results will only be as good as the raw material or sample that is received. For this reason, please carefully follow the instructions included in the kit when collecting your stool and saliva samples.
3. After you send the kit directly to the lab with your sample (per the instructions provided), it takes approximately 7-10 days for Optimal Health Network to receive the test results from the lab.
4. We will email a PDF of the test results to you once we receive them from the lab. These will be emailed to the email address associated with your Optimal Health Network account.
5. When you receive your test results from us, please fill out our secure client intake form. After you submit the form, you will receive a link to schedule your complimentary 15-minute consultation with Kristina via her booking calendar.

▶︎ View Full GI Health Panel Instructions (PDF)

• IMPORTANT! If you are ordering this test for someone else (e.g., a family member) to take, please include the test-taking individual's full name in the ORDER COMMENTS box upon checkout to ensure we can match the lab results to your order and therefore be able to mail the results to you.