Gut feeling

I worked this morning then rushed over to Chorley for an appointment at the Ki Clinic.

They'd been recommended to me by a friend at work, as they do various tests for intolerance and allergens. The GP hasn't been very helpful treatment wise; I don't want to have to take pills every day so that I can eat without pain.

The consultant at the clinic was called Mark, a lovely chap who wasn't at all pushy and didn't try to blind me with science.
Although they offer a full body 'mot' test, he advised me to just have the digestive health test, based on the questions he asked me when I arrived. He only asked for symptoms, diet summary and my type/frequency of poo's.

The way they do the test is to use a machine called Asyra; I looked into this before I booked the appointment as it sounded a bit of a gimmick. It uses a simple and safe low voltage circuit formed by holding two brass cylinders and the response of the body to those signals is recorded. The response being measured is small changes in the electrical resistance of the skin.

The test only took a few minutes and the results were astonishing. Bearing in mind that Mark hadn't asked me anything about trigger foods, the results spoke for themselves. Dairy is a massive problem; he said it's not that I'm lactose intolerant, but that I don't produce enough of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down lactose.
Another problem was flour, not gluten.
Other little things also highlighted, like cucumber (which I eat but only in small amounts as it doesn't always agree with me).

As well as the digestive test, he also did a nutrient test which again highlighted areas where I'm lacking. The thyroid test was clear (as was the blood test at the doctors) but I'm low on iodine which helps keep the thyroid happy and is possibly why I'm constantly tired.

Mark explained more than I can remember to document here, but everything he said made perfect sense. He's recommended some high strength probiotics, some seagreens (for iodine) and a couple of other supplements, but merely pointed me in the right direction of a supplier, rather than trying to sell them to me today; I liked that approach.
Similarly, he briefly mentioned the benefits of further treatment, but again didn't push me to book back in (though I did).

He's advised me to follow a fairly strict diet, carb limited and a focus on protein, for the next 4-5 weeks, which ties in with the FODMAP diet that the GP recommended.

Surprising things he's said to avoid are fruits and salad; he said at the moment my gut can't digest raw fruit and vegetables, so he's suggested stewed fruit or smoothies (but with only 1 or 2 fruits in) and steamed or roasted vegetables instead of salad.

I'm happy to try that as I feel like he knows his stuff and if I want to improve my health, I'm the only one who can do that.
Watch this space :-/