Question 1

My doctor wants to do a stool test to determine if he has excessive yeast or Candida.  Is this helpful?

Accepted Answer

No, it is not for two main reasons.  First, the predominant issue causing inflammation in children is bacterial overgrowth within the small intestine (SIBO).  The small intestine is the segment of the intestine that comes after the stomach, and a sampling of stool from the rectum will not give you any information about whether overgrowth is present in the small intestine.  Secondly, bacterial overgrowth and the concept of "leaky gut" were discovered approximately sixty years ago.  And over this long period, there is no evidence that Candida, yeast, or fungi (all three terms essentially mean the same thing) are a cause of overgrowth in the small intestine or leaky gut in adults or children.

Question 2

My doctor wants to do a stool test to determine if he has excessive yeast or Candida.  Is this helpful?

Accepted Answer

No, it is not for two main reasons.  First, the predominant issue causing inflammation in children is bacterial overgrowth within the small intestine (SIBO).  The small intestine is the segment of the intestine that comes after the stomach, and a sampling of stool from the rectum will not give you any information about whether overgrowth is present in the small intestine.  Secondly, bacterial overgrowth and the concept of "leaky gut" were discovered approximately sixty years ago.  And over this long period, there is no evidence that Candida, yeast, or fungi (all three terms essentially mean the same thing) are a cause of overgrowth in the small intestine or leaky gut in adults or children.