Routine clinical testing
Blood counts, coeliac assessment, faecal calprotectin or other ordinary tests may take priority when clinically relevant.
Assessment-led gut care
IBS and gut health: start with the clinical picture
IBS is a symptom-based diagnosis. We begin with the symptom pattern, red flags and previous evaluation, then identify the primary root cause or decisive combination before choosing routine care, dietary support or targeted measurements.
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Defined scope
Scope of this care area
This clinical route considers persistent bowel symptoms such as bloating, diarrhoea, constipation and food-related symptoms in the context of history, medicines, diet, previous investigations and established diagnoses.
Different people can have different primary mechanisms or interacting causes. Medical history, clinical assessment and appropriate diagnostics determine which are driving symptoms; next steps can include ordinary clinical testing, medicine review, meal pattern, a time-limited dietary trial with reintroduction, or a selected stool or breath analysis when a defined question justifies it.
Who this care area may help
- People with persistent bloating or altered bowel habits after an appropriate basic evaluation.
- People whose symptoms appear related to meals but whose triggers or timing remain unclear.
- People with an IBS diagnosis who need the symptom pattern, medicines, diet and previous work-up reviewed together.
- People who want help deciding whether a routine test, stool profile, hydrogen and methane breath test or no additional test is appropriate.
Who this care area is not designed to help
- Anyone with gastrointestinal red flags who has not yet received conventional medical assessment.
- Anyone seeking emergency allergy care or using specialist analysis instead of an IgE allergy assessment.
- Someone seeking a fixed panel, a permanent restrictive diet or a guaranteed explanation.
- Someone who only wants to purchase a Genova laboratory test without clinic care.
Clinical method
What “root cause” means in IBS care
At MediBalans, root cause means the primary driver, or decisive combination of causes, identified by combining medical history, clinical assessment, established medical diagnostics and carefully selected functional laboratory tests. In our clinical work, we identify the primary root cause — or the decisive combination of causes — in almost every case.
Digestive capacity, bacterial fermentation, bowel motility, food-symptom patterns, medicines and other medical conditions can interact. The clinical task is to identify which causes are decisive and sequence treatment accordingly; no measured finding or reported food association is interpreted alone. Treatment response is individual and monitored clinically.
- Triage first. Review symptoms, medicines, diet, red flags and work-up already completed.
- Define the question. Separate possible allergy, intolerance, inflammatory disease, fermentation, digestion and motility questions.
- Select a proportionate tool. Use routine care or a specialist analysis only when its scope matches the question.
- Review the response. Keep dietary changes time-limited, protect nutritional adequacy and plan reintroduction or adjustment.
Tests are optional tools
Measurements answer different questions
GI Effects®
A stool profile reports selected markers related to digestion, microbiome and intestinal inflammation. It does not diagnose the cause of IBS on its own.
SIBO breath test
Hydrogen and methane are measured over time after a substrate. The curve needs interpretation in the clinical context.
Food-symptom assessment
Food-related symptoms can have several mechanisms. A symptom record or selected analysis does not prove causation and does not replace an IgE allergy pathway.
Within clinic care
Meet Mario supports continuity
When included in your MediBalans plan, Meet Mario may help keep the clinician-defined plan, practical questions and agreed meal guidance connected between visits.
It does not replace the care team, is not continuously monitored and must not be used for emergencies.
Separate direct purchase
Genova ordering is not clinic care
A test bought through the Genova Diagnostics direct-order service is a standalone purchase. The laboratory report does not establish a diagnosis or patient relationship; medical interpretation, treatment and follow-up are separate.
Every Genova test ordered through MediBalans includes one complimentary month of Meet Mario to explore the report, receive contextual explanations and collect questions.
Evidence and boundaries
Evidence and limitations
- IBS is a symptom-based diagnosis; similar symptoms can arise from different mechanisms or conditions.
- Stool and breath tests have defined measurement scopes; no selected food-related analysis establishes symptom causation by itself.
- Broad or prolonged elimination diets can narrow nutrition and should not continue without a clear rationale and review.
- No test or care plan guarantees diagnosis, symptom improvement or a particular outcome.
For the fuller current description, see the existing in-depth IBS and gut-health page and the separate existing IBS root-causes resource.
Evidence base
Sources for scope and safety boundaries
The sources below support symptom-based IBS diagnosis, assessment of alarm features, limited standard testing and individual dietary support; they do not show that a stool profile, breath test or food-reaction analysis can determine the cause of an individual person’s IBS.
- 1177 — IBS (sensitive bowel)
- NICE CG61 — Irritable bowel syndrome in adults: diagnosis and management
- American College of Gastroenterology clinical guideline on IBS (PMID 33315591)
- American Gastroenterological Association clinical practice update on SIBO (PMID 32679220)
These sources do not validate Genova, ALCAT, CMA, HRV or any proprietary panel, and they do not promise diagnosis, improvement or any particular outcome.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is every person with IBS offered the same tests?
No. IBS care begins with the symptom pattern, red flags, medicines, diet and any previous evaluation. Stool, breath or other tests are considered only when they can answer a defined question.
Can a stool or breath test diagnose the cause of IBS on its own?
No. A stool profile or hydrogen and methane breath test reports specific measurements. Results must be interpreted with symptoms, history and ordinary medical assessment, and no single result proves the cause of IBS.
Does MediBalans replace ordinary gastroenterology or allergy care?
No. Red flags and possible inflammatory bowel disease require conventional medical assessment, and specialist analyses are not substitutes for an IgE allergy pathway.
What is separate about direct Genova ordering?
A direct Genova order is a separate laboratory-test purchase, not clinic care. It includes the kit, laboratory analysis, laboratory report and one complimentary month of Meet Mario; medical interpretation, treatment and follow-up are separate.
Next step
Begin with assessment, not a preselected panel
Book a consultation so symptoms, red flags and the work-up already completed can determine the next step.
Book a clinical assessment