Let’s talk about something people often normalize for years: not being able to go to the bathroom normally.
Maybe you only have a bowel movement every few days. Maybe you are constantly bloated. Maybe you alternate between constipation and loose stools. Maybe you experience reflux, urgency, gas, or abdominal discomfort.
Or maybe you have been told:
“That’s just your IBS.”
Here is what I want you to know: Your GI symptoms are information from your body. You do not automatically have to accept them as your normal.
Sometimes, we need to look deeper.
One tool we may use at NPK is the GI-MAP, a comprehensive stool test that can provide insight into:
Gut bacteria, parasites, and other microbes
H. pylori
Digestive function
Gut inflammation
Immune activity in the gut
This helps us better understand what may be contributing to your symptoms.
What Can Happen When We Stop Guessing?
After completing a personalized GI protocol, one patient reported:
Digestive issues, bloating, and constipation: 8 → 1
Anxiety and mood changes: 7 → 1
Brain fog and poor focus: 6 → 2
Improvements in several other symptoms
Their overall symptom burden decreased by approximately 76%.
This is what can happen when we stop guessing, look at the full picture, and create a plan based on what each patient truly needs.
Your Gut-Health Homework This Week
For the next seven days, pay attention to:
Frequency: How often are you having a bowel movement?
Consistency: Is your stool hard, formed, loose, or watery?
Ease: Are you straining or feeling like you have not completely emptied?
Symptoms: Are you experiencing bloating, pain, reflux, gas, or urgency?
Patterns: What changes around meals, stress, travel, medications, supplements, or your menstrual cycle?
This information tells us much more than simply saying, “My digestion is not great.”
If you have been dealing with chronic GI symptoms despite eating well and trying to do everything “right,” it may be time to stop guessing and take a closer look.
You deserve to understand your digestion, not plan your life around it.
With love & Healing,
Krissy Abbott, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
Nurse Practitioner
NPK Health
Patient information has been de-identified. Individual results vary. This newsletter is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for individualized medical care.
