Do you want to learn more about the gut and organic acids? Then, watch our video entitled “Organic Acid Testing” as Dr. Mary Rondeau talks about organic acids, gut dysbiosis and other topics as to why we should treat our gut first.
FULL TRANSCRIPT
So, the question to start off with this is like, why are we using organic acids? One of the big components of the Integrative Psychiatry Institute is to really bring together this disconnect – that the body cannot be separated from the mind. But we are treating mental health and the organic acids test is one tool that is really good at assessing kind of the neck down metabolic issues. And so, I just love this cartoon, because I think it really speaks to the current state of treating mental health and how we are looking to shift that.
Organic Acid Tests
- Malabsorption markers
- Dysbiosis markers
- Mitochondrial function
Organic acids basically give you a functional assessment of multiple different metabolic areas. One being antioxidant status in the body, relative need for B vitamins or B vitamin deficiencies. You get some information on mineral deficiencies and amino acids. It has a section that marks for malabsorption markers. So, we’re looking at gut dysbiosis. How well is somebody absorbing food that they’re eating, as well as is there a component of elevated yeast or bacterial markers that might be contributing to the gut-brain axis and interrupting that in the context of mental health?
It’s helpful if a person has a combination of gut symptoms and mood symptoms, that this could be a really important test to give you more clues on treatment options. Depression or mood disorders that have a high fatigue component, that can be relating a lot to nutritional deficiencies, mitochondrial dysfunction, and methylation dysfunction.
If there’s been a history of chronic fatigue, or chronic fatigue syndrome, chronic infections, again, really assessing those biochemical pathways can be really helpful. And fibromyalgia would be kind of top areas that you can look at if those are going on, in addition to mood symptoms, that this test would be a good choice.
Additional Considerations: Bacterial and Yeast Dysbiosis
One thing with bacterial dysbiosis versus yeast dysbiosis too, is that the gut symptoms do tend to present a little bit differently. Typically, with the yeast dysbiosis, we’re going to see more of a constipation, gas, bloating, like a slow digestive presentation, where a lot of times with lower GI bacterial dysbiosis it’s the opposite. We’re seeing undigested food in the stool, we’re seeing loose stools, kind of more sour smelling stools, and so it’s almost as if things are moving through a little bit too quickly. And so that can also change how you’re addressing things. Individuals with yeast dysbiosis, from an exercise standpoint, that’s really important because that’s going to really help the lymphatic flow, and help encourage bowel movements in the morning. You know, where maybe an exercise consideration for someone with bacterial dysbiosis is actually more calming and centering, stretching, things like that if they’re already having a tendency towards diarrhea.