Finding the root cause of Crohn’s disease, colitis, diverticulitis, IBS, and other chronic gut conditions is rarely as simple as ordering one laboratory test. In this episode, Josh Dech explains why a history-first approach can be more valuable than immediately ordering an expensive battery of functional medicine tests.
Josh walks through how he investigates the timeline leading up to chronic gut symptoms, including events that may have occurred months, years, or even decades before diagnosis. He discusses the relevance of factors such as antibiotic exposure, food poisoning, diet, environmental exposures, childhood illness, birth history, ultra-processed foods, and potential mold exposure.
From there, Josh explains how he uses targeted testing to investigate potential contributors to gut dysfunction. The conversation explores the gut microbiome, dysbiosis, environmental toxins, mold exposure, organic acids, hair tissue mineral analysis, blood work, SIBO/IMO testing, genetics, food sensitivity testing, and other specialized assessments.
A major theme throughout the episode is that more testing does not necessarily mean more answers. Josh explains why overlapping tests can provide diminishing returns and why interpreting laboratory data in the context of a person’s history is critical.
The episode also explores the relationship between the microbiome and the immune system, environmental exposures and inflammation, and why identifying potential upstream contributors may be more useful than simply treating downstream symptoms.
For anyone dealing with chronic digestive symptoms or inflammatory bowel disease and wondering where to start with root-cause investigation, this episode offers a practical framework for thinking about gut health, inflammation, microbiome health, environmental factors, and personalized testing—without automatically spending thousands of dollars on every available laboratory panel.
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
- Why A Detailed Health History Comes Before Laboratory Testing
- Identifying Events And Exposures Preceding Gut Symptoms
- Childhood, Birth History, Antibiotics, Diet, And Microbiome Development
- Gut Microbiome Testing, Dysbiosis, And The Gut Zoomer/GI Map Concept
- Environmental Toxins And Mold Exposure Testing
- Organic Acid Testing (OAT) And What It Can Reveal
- Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) And Mineral/Metal Patterns
- Blood Work, Immune Markers, MCAS/CIRS, And Advanced Testing
- Genetic, Hormone, Food-Sensitivity, And VCS Testing
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