An assessment must be done otherwise you are literally just using a “best guess”.
That is not up to my standards of care and it should not be up to yours either!
COMPONENTS OF AN ASSESSMENT
- Asking lots of questions!
- Objective testing
Line of questioning for low stomach acid
- Does meat make you feel full quickly?
- Does meat make your feel bloated?
- Are you bloated 30 minutes after eating?
- Are you full too quickly while eating?
- Have you noticed changes in your appetite?
- Do you experience burning in the stomach region between meals (when you are hungry)?
Line of questioning for low AND high stomach acid
- Do you ever feel like theres a put in your throat or something you need to swallow even though there is nothing there ?
- Do you ever wake up with a sore throat outside of being sick?
- Do you experience heartburn or acid reflux?
- Do you get a cough after eating or while laying down not associated with being sick?
Line of questioning for high stomach acid
- Everything related to histamine & histamine intolerance in the gut
Objective testing
- Burp testing
- Betaine HCl challenge (should be done under the supervision of a health care provider)