Personally I like the CDSA test the best out of all the functional tests because it goes right to the heart of the problem, the digestive system. The CDSA give me the most useful information of all the tests, and here are the main points this test reveals:

• Bacteriology culture

• Yeast culture

• Parasitology microscopy

• Giardia and cryptosporidium assay

• Digestion & absorption markers (elastase, fat stain, muscle & veg. fibres, carbs)

• Inflammatory markers (lysozyme, lactoferrin, white blood cells, mucus)

• Immunology (secretory IgA – sIgA)

• Short chain fatty acids (the end product of bacterial fermentation of beneficial bacteria in the bowel)

• Intestinal health markers (red blood cells, pH, occult blood)

• Macroscopic (visual) appearance

The CDSA test, in my opinion, is the Rolls Royce of candida tests, and if you can afford the rather hefty price tag then you should definitely do this test, no question about it. Unfortunately, the price tag often runs into the hundreds of dollars, like I said before, so it’s not necessarily reasonable for those who don’t have a lot of expendable cash. This is OK, because we have a lot of other markers and tests we can and have used – with a great deal of success.

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Some cases, though, are a bit more difficult than others. The ones that seem to be giving us the most problem are often resolved after the use of this particular test. I have solved an amazing amount of difficult right through to “impossible” cases with this test, when all else failed the patient.

In my next posts, we’ll look at a case study and then some information on how many samples should be taken and what the information really means.

I recommend that you always consider the x 3, especially if you are chronically unwell. The 3 day collection period is considered the gold standard by most gastroenterologists, and the scientific literature suggests that three-day collections give maximum sensitivity and specificity for parasite and candida yeast detection because the parasites don’t generally leave their hosts in the same, even intervals, and yeasts have varying growth cycles as well. One day’s sample may produce negative results, while the following day’s sample may be positive, and the day after that the stool may be absolutely loaded with bugs. As I’ve mentioned previously, the effects of this optimal collection are diminished by the unscrupulous practice of some laboratories which unfortunately blend the three samples into one and perform only one analysis.

Before I continue with this article, you should know I've recently compiled a list of science-backed ways to get rid of candida yeast infections. You can download my free Candida Report here if you haven't yet.

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There are only a handful of labs that do not pool samples and perform separate analyses on each sample submitted for testing. You can also just do a parasitology test and even a stand-alone candida test through the same company, and if your results have come back positive with the CDSA x 3, you may just want to repeat the candida test as a follow- up to save on costs.

Because candida albicans is present in the gastrointestinal tract, it is possible to culture (grow it) from a stool sample. Using a special culture medium and the right anaerobic conditions (reduced oxygen), candida albicans can be grown and identified this way. David Quig Ph.D, technical manager from Doctors Data Labs (Chicago, USA) said to me that if you can culture candida albicans from a stool sample, then you have a pretty bad case of a yeast infection. Other say that this is fine, just look at the numbers, and if all three samples come back as positive, then you have a real problem on your hands. You should not be able to culture a significant viable yeast population from a motion you have passed; if you can, it means you have a significant candida overgrowth in your large bowel.

Some specialist laboratories are even able to identify the different species of candida present, and such a result could be quite significant, as some strains have a tendency to be harder to eradicate (such as candida tropicalis) than candida albicans.

Regardless of the outcome, it’s worth the effort to do all three tests. The clearer you are about the extent of your infection, the easier it is to come up with a plan of attack specific to your needs.

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The identification of abnormal levels of yeast species, bacteria and parasites in the stool is an important diagnostic step in therapeutic planning for patients in our clinic with chronic gastrointestinal and other symptoms that may be linked with a candida yeast infection. The CDSA test provides me, as the clinician, with a wide array of the most useful clinical information to help me plan my most appropriate treatment protocol that is quite specific to the individual patient.

Before I continue with this article, you should know I've recently compiled a list of science-backed ways to get rid of candida yeast infections. You can download my free Candida Report here if you haven't yet.

While this test is not for everybody (it is expensive, around several hundred dollars) it can help to solve the most difficult cases by providing me with all the answers I am looking for. The CDSA x 3 with parasitology is the most comprehensive and commonly ordered functional stool test, assessing the widest range of intestinal conditions. This test will provide information on your ability to digest, metabolise, and absorb nutrients, as well as report all bacterial flora (beneficial, imbalanced and disease causing, all yeasts, and all intestinal parasites (worms, eggs, larva, and protozoa).

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It is important to analyse both the intestinal digestion/absorption functions as well as the levels of yeast, bacteria, and parasites because symptoms of mal-digestion or mal-absorption often mimic those of chronic bacterial, yeast, or parasitic infections. Additionally, chronic bacterial, yeast, or parasitic infections may have adverse effects on the body’s metabolic and absorptive processes, which can all be assessed using this most comprehensive test.

As you probably aware by now, an overgrowth of yeast can infect virtually every organ system, leading to an extensive array of clinical manifestations. Most patients I have seen over the years that have had a candida yeast infection present with some kind of digestive symptom which often includes varying degrees or different kinds of abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, gas, diarrhea or constipation and/or various forms of digestive irritations. When investigating the presence of yeast in a stool sample, disparity may exist between the culturing of yeast and any actual microscopic examination.

Yeasts are not uniformly dispersed throughout the stool, which is a good reason why you should insist on three stool samples, and by only having one sample performed it may lead to undetectable or low levels of yeast identified by microscopy, despite a cultured amount of yeast. Conversely, microscopic examination may reveal a significant amount of yeast present, but no yeast cultured. Having three stool samples assayed, and NOT all mixed together and assayed as one sample, something many labs do, you are increasing your chances of yeast detection.

While candida does not always survive transit through the digestive tract rendering it unviable, the microscopic finding of yeast in the stool is helpful in identifying whether there is proliferation of yeast or not. Although some yeast may be normal; yeast observed in higher amounts is considered abnormal.

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