Which specialist should you see for gut problems?

By Kimberly Gillan|

Your gut plays a far bigger role in your body than you think. (Image) iStock
Here's who to see when your stomach starts playing up.

If you're suffering bloating, diarrhoea or constipation, knowing which expert to turn to can be an absolute minefield.

Everyone you know will have an opinion about whether Western or traditional medicine is best and pretty soon you'll be tempted to throw your hands in the air because finding the right clinician is just too overwhelming.

To help you understand the difference between philosophies, we spoke to leading experts in each field to ask them how they help treat gut issues.

The Western approach

For most of us, our first port-of-call is our GP for a preliminary look at what is happening in our health.

Professor Vicki Kotsirilos, GP and spokesperson for the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, told Coach that a good GP would take a thorough history to look at stress levels and physical symptoms to get a holistic picture of what is happening.

"We are interested in patient's symptoms, such as bloating, how many bowel motions are passed a day, if they are hard or soft, and how disabled they are by symptoms," she says.

"We even look at diet and whether meals are rushed because poor chewing can create poor digestion. We might organise tests such as bloods to exclude coeliac disease or a breath test to rule out fructose and lactose malabsorption."

GPs will usually conduct a thorough physical examination to exclude more sinister diseases like bowel cancer.

Treatment can involve improving diet, fibre intake and fluids, plus eliminating potentially irritable foods.

"If all tests return normal, the patient improves their lifestyle and eating habits, and reduces their stress but are still suffering, the next approach might be to refer to a gastroenterologist," Dr Kotsirilos says.

"A gastroenterologist may further investigate with blood tests, a colonoscopy, endoscopy and a biopsy to exclude more serious disease, such as Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis."

The traditional Chinese approach

You almost have to forget what you know about the human body when you go to see a Chinese medicine doctor, because they have an entirely different treatment perspective.

A Chinese medicine doctor will feel your pulse, look at your tongue and ask questions to establish whether your body is in harmony.

"When balance exists there is no disease," Shura Ford, doctor of Chinese medicine, told Coach.

"A practitioner will then use acupuncture points or herbal remedies to restore the balance of this disharmony."

When it comes to gut issues, Ford says Chinese medicine doctors ask lots of questions to get an idea of a patient's history, then will often suggest diet approach depending on whether the patient requires "heating" or "cooling" foods.

"Acupuncture is used to help relieve pain and encourage movement in the digestive system and herbs can be used to rebalance a patient's pattern of disharmony and relieve symptoms," Ford explains.

"If a person is suffering from gut issues they can expect to gain a new understanding of how the food they eat affects them and experience a reduction in gut related symptoms such as bloating, pain and disrupted bowel movements."

The naturopathic approach

Naturopaths tend to rely on a combination of traditional and Western medicine to create balance within the body.

Emma Tippett, naturopath at Empowered Health, says initial consultations will last for about an hour as the naturopath goes through all facets of a person's lifestyle to look for hints at what might not be working for them.

"We always consider how stress is affecting the digestive system because there is direct link between the central nervous system and gut function," she told Coach.

"There has to be an investigation to try and establish the cause so the body can find balance and heal."

Naturopaths can't diagnose conditions so they will often work from a Western diagnosis or request blood or urine tests to give them a clearer insight into an individual's health.

Treatment usually involves diet modifications and herbal remedies to help ease symptoms and balance hormones.