Gut health in Cairns.

IBS

A label for what you experience, like bloating, pain and altered bowels with no damage on standard tests. It describes the symptoms, not why they happen.

Food allergy

An immune reaction, sometimes serious or immediate. It needs proper medical investigation, not self-experimenting.

Food intolerance

A digestive problem rather than an immune one: the gut can’t properly break down or absorb something, as with lactose.

Food sensitivity

A looser term for delayed, low-grade reactions, and the area where popular testing tends to over-promise.

Low-FODMAP diet

A short-term, structured way to find which fermentable carbohydrates set symptoms off, followed by bringing foods back. It isn’t meant to be permanent.

• Blood in your stool
• Unexplained weight loss
• Persistent vomiting
• Difficulty swallowing
• A change in bowel habit that won’t settle
• New, significant symptoms after 50

Coeliac disease needs testing before you cut gluten out. If your picture needs a referral, we’ll tell you.

• $29960 minutes
• $39990 minutes, with our nurse practitioner

Why am I bloated even when I eat well?

Persistent bloating on a good diet is often about how your gut handles food, not its quality. How food moves through the gut, the balance of bacteria and sensitivity to fermentable carbohydrates are common threads, and sometimes the healthiest foods are the ones a sensitive gut ferments hardest. An assessment is about finding which is yours.

Can my gut affect my mood, sleep or concentration?

The gut and brain talk constantly, in both directions. Stress can unsettle the gut, and gut symptoms often travel with low mood, poor sleep or brain fog. That’s why we look at them together.

Do I need a low-FODMAP diet?

Not necessarily, and it isn’t meant to be permanent. It’s a short-term tool to find your triggers, followed by bringing foods back, and it works best as a guided process. Whether it suits you is decided after an assessment.

Do you do gut tests?

Only when a test could change your plan. Any test is explained and priced before it’s ordered, and some specialised tests aren’t covered by Medicare.

Do I need a referral?

No. You can book yourself, or start with a free 10–15 minute call with one of our nurses, who’ll help you choose an appointment. The call isn’t a clinical assessment.

What does it cost?

The Functional & Integrative Medicine Assessment is $299 for 60 minutes, or $399 for 90. Medicare rebates may apply, and they’re generally better face to face; reception can confirm your expected rebate and out-of-pocket cost before you book.

Can I see you by telehealth?

Yes, anywhere in Australia, by phone or video, with the same team and the same shared record. The fee is the same, though Medicare rebates for telehealth usually need one face-to-face visit with us in the past 12 months. For the assessment, in person is preferred.