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Investigation · Stockholm
Gut Health · IBS · Microbiome

You were diagnosed with IBS.
But never given a reason.

IBS is a symptom diagnosis. It tells you what you have — not why. MediBalans investigates the biological mechanisms that conventional gastroenterology lacks tools to measure: immune reactivity, dysbiosis, SIBO, barrier damage and intracellular nutritional deficiency.

"All your tests are normal. You have IBS. You'll have to learn to live with it."
If you recognise that sentence — and have tried dietitians, gastroenterologists and perhaps psychologists without lasting improvement — it is likely that the root cause has never been measured.

35–84%of IBS patients have SIBO
250+Foods tested with ALCAT
55Intracellular markers (CMA)
4.8
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In IBS there are now two double-blind trials of a diet guided by immune reactivity testing, the more recent one sham-controlled. The Yale study has been replicated →

In IBS there are now two double-blind trials of a diet guided by immune reactivity testing, the more recent one sham-controlled. The Yale study has been replicated →

What standard care misses

Four mechanisms driving your IBS

01

Food immune reactivity

ALCAT measures delayed cellular immune responses to up to 250 foods, additives and chemicals. These reactions are not IgE-mediated — they are invisible to standard allergy tests. They drive chronic intestinal inflammation around the clock, undetectable on standard blood work.

02

SIBO — bacteria in the wrong place

35–84% of IBS patients have bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine (SIBO). These bacteria ferment carbohydrates, produce gas and drive bloating, diarrhoea or constipation. The breath test confirms the diagnosis in 2–3 hours at home.

03

Intestinal barrier damage (leaky gut)

Zonulin and tight junction markers in GI Effects measure whether the intestinal wall is compromised. A damaged barrier allows unprocessed antigens to cross and activate systemic immunity — the mechanism behind gut-brain axis symptoms.

04

Intracellular magnesium deficiency

Magnesium is a cofactor for intestinal muscle regulation and prostaglandin synthesis. Deficiency is invisible in serum — CMA measures it directly inside the cells. Magnesium deficiency is one of the most common correctable causes of intestinal cramping and spasticity.

GCR Framework

What is your primary constraint?

The Global Constraint Rule (GCR) is MediBalans' clinical framework. The principle: your IBS is governed by a dominant biological constraint. Treating the wrong constraint gives partial, temporary responses.

In most IBS patients, the immunological constraint is primary: ALCAT-identified food reactivities drive chronic immune activation that creates the inflammatory microenvironment the gut cannot heal in. Eliminating these triggers is the first and most important step — before probiotics, fibre supplements or dietary protocols can have lasting effect.

GCR sequence for IBS

ALCAT → GI Effects + SIBO → CMA → MethylDetox. The order is not arbitrary. Without ALCAT data, consequences are treated, not causes. Without GI Effects, we don't know whether it is the colon or small intestine that is primarily affected.

Diagnostic protocol

What we measure

Cell Science Systems · Primary instrument

ALCAT 250+ — Immune Reactivity

Cellular immune reactivity to up to 250 foods, additives, chemicals and medicinal herbs. Identifies the specific triggers driving intestinal inflammation. Results deliver an individual elimination and rotation protocol.

Genova Diagnostics

GI Effects® Comprehensive

PCR-based gut analysis: microbiome 7 phyla, calprotectin (IBD/IBS differentiation), beta-glucuronidase, zonulin, pancreatic elastase-1, sIgA, eosinophil protein X. Complete functional gut picture.

Genova Diagnostics

SIBO Breath Test

Hydrogen and methane measurement after lactulose substrate. Identifies small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and intestinal methanogen overgrowth (IMO). At-home 2–3 hour test.

Cell Science Systems · 55 markers

CMA — Cellular Micronutrient Assay

Measures magnesium, zinc, glutamine, B-vitamins and CoQ10 directly inside white blood cells. Identifies the cofactors for intestinal repair that are missing at the cellular level.

FAQ

Questions about IBS investigation

Dietary changes may not address the underlying mechanisms. The driver can be immune reactivity to specific foods outside standard protocols (FODMAP doesn't cover the full picture), SIBO requiring specific treatment, gut dysbiosis with resistant bacterial patterns, or intracellular magnesium deficiency affecting intestinal muscle function. MediBalans identifies which of these is primary for you.
ALCAT and FODMAP measure different things. FODMAP identifies fermentable carbohydrates that can universally cause gas. ALCAT measures your specific cellular immune response to individual foods — an individual profile, not a universal food category. Most patients who respond poorly to FODMAP have ALCAT reactivities outside the FODMAP list.
IBD (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis) are autoimmune conditions with structural changes in the intestinal wall, diagnosed by colonoscopy and biopsy. IBS is a functional diagnosis without detectable organic damage. Calprotectin in GI Effects is the validated marker for differentiating IBD activity from IBS — without needing colonoscopy.
Conventional endoscopy examines structural changes — ulcers, polyps, macroscopic inflammation. It does not measure gut microbiome composition, food immune reactivity, tight junction permeability, SIBO or intracellular nutritional status. That is why symptoms can be real and biologically measurable despite normal endoscopy.
Most patients notice significant improvement within 4–8 weeks of ALCAT-based elimination. Patients with SIBO may need 3–6 months depending on treatment response. Full biochemical normalisation — measurable with follow-up testing — takes 3–12 months.
Related tests

Diagnostic protocols used in this investigation

Diagnostics
GI Effects® Comprehensive
PCR-based gut analysis — microbiome, calprotectin, zonulin, barrier markers. Essential in IBS investigation.
Diagnostics
ALCAT 250+ — Food Immune Reactivity
Cellular immune reactivity to up to 250 foods, additives and chemicals. Identifies the specific food reactivities driving intestinal inflammation.
Diagnostics
SIBO Breath Test
Hydrogen and methane measurement. Identifies bacterial overgrowth in the small intestine — found in 35-84% of IBS patients.
Diagnostics
CMA — Cellular Micronutrient Assay
Magnesium, glutamine and B-vitamins directly inside the cells — cofactors for intestinal repair.
Next step

Book an investigation
for your IBS

A 45-minute consultation where we review your history and determine which diagnostic layers provide the most clinical information for your specific presentation.

Clinical entrance: Read about MediBalans care for IBS and persistent gut symptoms.

🇸🇪 Svenska versionen

Keep reading. All 47 articles — symptom guides, clinical notes, investigations and diagnostics — are collected and searchable in the knowledge base.

Go to the knowledge base →

MediBalans + Meet Mario

Your plan continues between visits

For patients following a MediBalans protocol, Meet Mario can make the plan easier to follow between visits, with a meal plan, educational explanations and a separate channel to the care team.

Meet Mario does not replace the care team and must not be used for emergencies.

See how Meet Mario supports your plan
Meet Mario patient view showing today's personal plan