We investigate the underlying causes of your gut symptoms and use the findings to plan and review your treatment. We review symptoms and any previous investigations or treatments, then discuss what needs assessment and which next step fits your situation. New to MediBalans? Begin with a 45-minute online consultation in English. Already a patient? Choose a follow-up or results review.
The first consultation with Dr Christina Biri is free. Any tests, follow-up visits and treatments are optional and priced separately.
Banérgatan 10, Stockholm · See available consultation times
Whether your gut symptoms are new or you have lived with IBS for years, we start with your history. We review symptoms and any previous investigations or treatments, then discuss what needs assessment and which next step fits your situation. Begin with a 45-minute online consultation in English.
Bring previous results and a list of medicines, supplements and treatments. We review how your symptoms have developed and whether previous investigations need to be supplemented. Read more about IBS assessment.
No single laboratory test establishes an IBS diagnosis. Additional tests are chosen according to your situation and whether the information could change your care plan. Our gut test guide explains the differences between the analyses.
We offer consultations both before testing and after results. Findings are considered alongside symptoms and previous investigations. We help you understand what they mean, what they cannot answer and which steps are reasonable to take first.
A plan needs to be manageable. If dietary changes are included, we discuss the practical commitment. Follow-up considers pain, bloating, bowel habits and everyday functioning, and whether the plan needs to change.
Two people with similar gut symptoms may need different kinds of help. If you have already excluded many foods, we review what those changes have actually done for your symptoms and how manageable your diet is. If previous investigations leave an important question unanswered, a targeted assessment may be the next step instead. We consider your history, symptoms and relevant results together to decide what to address first. This is central to our approach, Global Constraint Rule (GCR).
Illustrative situations informed by questions in patient conversations. They explain how assessment can differ, rather than describing individual patients’ diagnoses or treatment outcomes.
You repeatedly experience symptoms after eating, but it is difficult to identify a pattern. We start with timing, meal contents and whether the same pattern recurs. Food intolerance, allergy and IBS are different questions that may require different assessments. A test result needs to be interpreted alongside your history before it is used to change your diet.
You have changed your diet but still feel depleted. We also need to review how much and how varied your food intake is, medicines, supplements and previous results. The question is whether your intake is adequate and whether fatigue needs its own medical assessment. The next step may be to adjust the plan or investigate further.
You try adding foods back, symptoms recur and you become unsure what you can eat. At follow-up we review what changed, the amounts eaten and how symptoms developed. We consider the pace of reintroduction, dietary variety and other possible explanations. Persistent or worsening symptoms are a reason to reassess the plan.
This makes the priorities practical: what needs investigation, what can change now and how will we assess whether it helps? We discuss these questions with you both before testing and after results.
IBS, irritable bowel syndrome, involves recurring abdominal pain with changes in bowel habits. Diarrhoea, constipation or a mixture may occur. Symptoms are real even when an examination of the bowel looks normal. Diagnosis considers the symptom pattern and assessment for other possible conditions.
If you already have a diagnosis or test results, we build on them. If symptoms are new, we assess what needs investigation first. Blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss or distinctly changed symptoms need medical assessment and should not automatically be attributed to IBS.
Gut microorganisms and their activity can contribute to symptoms. SIBO is a separate question sometimes investigated in people with similar symptoms. We review existing findings and whether additional testing could change care.
The gut barrier regulates contact between gut contents and the body. Research describes changes in some groups with IBS. Symptoms or a single marker cannot establish the cause in an individual.
Amounts, composition and tolerance can affect symptoms. We distinguish allergy, intolerance and other food-related symptoms and assess the effects of considered dietary changes.
Food intake, bowel movements, sleep and stress may need to be considered together. Genetic findings, including methylation-related variants, require clinical interpretation and do not establish the cause of IBS by themselves.
We listen to your history and review previous investigations. Additional tests are chosen when they can inform a decision.
We review results with you and explain what we suggest addressing first and why. GCR describes how we prioritise.
You receive clear next steps, including the practical commitment of dietary changes and how follow-up will work.
When an intervention has achieved its purpose, we assess whether to reduce it, stop it or move to maintenance. The initial plan does not continue automatically.
Follow-up reviews pain, bloating, stool form and frequency, and everyday functioning. Energy and sleep may also be followed. Foods are reintroduced with guidance when appropriate. Supplements and other interventions are reviewed according to need and tolerance. Persistent or worsening symptoms prompt reassessment.
Not everyone needs the same analyses. Before you decide, we explain what a proposed test can contribute, its limitations and expected turnaround.
Measures blood-cell reactions to exposure to different substances in a laboratory. The clinic offers panels of 250 foods or 483 substances. Results require clinical interpretation; they do not establish food allergy or a definite cause of IBS.
ALCAT studies and evidence →Different panels examine different aspects of the gut environment. Markers such as I-FABP and zonulin need interpretation according to the assay and clinical question; a normal result does not rule out every possible cause.
Compare gut tests →Examines cells’ response to nutrients in a laboratory. We consider results alongside diet, symptoms and other relevant tests. The analysis does not replace established diagnosis of nutrient deficiencies.
About CMA →Variants in genes including MTHFR and MTR may form part of a broader assessment. Genetics is not a direct measure of current nutrient status or a standalone IBS test.
About methylation testing →Heart-rate variability can contribute to a broader picture of autonomic regulation. It needs contextual interpretation and cannot alone identify what causes gut symptoms.
About HRV →Stool analysis, breath testing and nutrient-related analyses address different questions. We help assess when a test is relevant and offer consultations before testing and after results.
Explore Genova analyses →Read about Dr Christina Biri and Dr Mario Anthis, their backgrounds and roles. Meet Mario can help you understand and follow the plan between appointments. Clinical decisions are made through your care team.
Explore GCR and our approach or the ALCAT studies. The patient reviews above describe personal experiences.
Yes. You can start with a consultation to discuss your symptoms and previous investigations before choosing a test. We also offer a results review after testing. Book an initial consultation or see follow-up and results-review appointments.
Turnaround depends on the analyses chosen. Before testing, we discuss sampling, preparation and expected turnaround for the selected tests. Follow-up timing is tailored to the steps in your plan. We then review changes in symptoms and daily functioning; improvement cannot be promised within a fixed period.
No single cause explains every patient’s IBS symptoms. Gut sensitivity, motility, gut–brain interaction, diet and sometimes a previous infection can contribute. Assessment helps identify which questions matter in your situation.
Dysbiosis describes changes in the gut microbial environment. Such changes have been studied in IBS, but a microbiome test alone cannot determine why you have symptoms. Findings need to be considered alongside your history and other investigations.
Yes. Meal composition, amounts and eating patterns can influence symptoms. Dietary changes need to be individual, nutritionally adequate and reviewed. The goal is a manageable daily life with as varied a diet as possible, including guidance on food reintroduction.
We bring your history, previous investigations and relevant findings together in an individual plan. We offer consultations before testing and after results. Using GCR as a framework, we prioritise next steps and review interventions according to your symptoms and daily functioning.
No referral is required. MediBalans accepts patients directly. Book an initial consultation at Banérgatan 10 in Stockholm.
New gut symptoms or an existing IBS diagnosis? Book an initial consultation to discuss your situation and possible next steps.
Keep reading. Explore symptom guides, clinical notes, assessments and diagnostics in our knowledge base.
Visit the knowledge base →MediBalans + Meet Mario
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.
See how Meet Mario supports your plan