What is a CDSA?

The Complete Digestive Stool Analysis (CDSA) is a specialised test that is performed by one of Australia’s leading functional pathology laboratories. The CDSA provides a comprehensive overview of your gastrointestinal health, looking at digestion, absorption, intestinal function and microbial flora, as well as identifying pathogenic bacteria, parasites and yeasts.

Why do we recommend it prior to detoxification?

The bowel is one of the most important organs of elimination and it’s healthy function is essential for effective detoxification. In short, if the bowel isn’t able to effectively remove wastes from the body then you may be recycling wastes back into the blood stream in a process called ‘entero-hepatic recycling’. This is generally caused by ‘dysbiosis’ or an overgrowth of bugs in the gut and ‘leaky gut’, two common conditions that are associated with unhealthy gut function.

Constipation, diarrhoea, indigestion, flatulence, bloating, abdominal discomfort and bad breath are all indicative of poor gut function. Information generated from this non-invasive test helps us to individualise your detoxification treatment plan. Sometimes people with gut problems need a little extra time spent improving their gut function before moving onto the liver cleansing stage of the detox.

What information does it provide?

• Starch digestion
• Fat digestion
• Protein digestion
• Vegetable digestion
• Short chain fatty acids (marker of microbiome balance and gut wall health)
• General bowel biochemistry
• Pancreatic elastase
• Markers of upper gut function
• Full parasitology (yes that means bugs… and they are surprisingly common!)
• Bacteriology (this includes screening for all the major bacteria and screening for overgrowth of general bacteria)
• Yeasts (including candida and general yeasts)
• Commensal bacteria (some of our most important gut residents)
• Dysbiosis level (good bugs vs bad bugs)

How is the sample collected?

We give you a stool collection kit, pathology request form and full instructions in clinic. You collect the sample in the comfort of your own home and a courier collects the sample from your home or work. The samples must be submitted on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday.

How long before I get my results?

Results are ready in 3 weeks.