Greetings, Eric Bakker, naturopath from New Zealand.
Thanks for coming back, checking out my videos.
We're doing a series on stool testing today.
The question is: Is Genova Diagnostics a good lab?
Are they any better than Doctor's Data?
Should they be your preference to stool test with?
Well, I'm not one really to say one's better or one's worse than the other.
I would say that they would both be on par.
Genova Diagnostics is a very, very lab just like Doctor's Data.
And a lot of it comes down to personal preference.
Some would argue and say that Genova Diagnostics have much better reports and also better training
systems, like they've got interpretive guides you can download off the internet but I think
you can do the same with Doctor's Data.
So you could self test and then do the interpretation yourself or work with your doctor.
He can help you interpret that test for you.
Both use, I would say, identical techniques now, they use PCR technology for anaerobic
bacteria.
They use what's called [Malditoft 00:01:06], which is a brand new technique now for species
identification when it comes to yeast and bacterial parasites.
I'm just trying to remember the acronym for that, I forget now, it's a long word, malditoft.
But it's a brand new technique based on laser ionization.
So it's apparently the latest thing out for species identification but both Doctor's Data
do this and Genova Diagnostics do it so species can be identified now.
Thousands of different types of bacteria and yeast can be identified now quite accurately
with this brand new DNA kind of laser technique.
So don't ask me technically how it works, it sounds all complicated.
I just mainly work with results and with patients, I don't really dive too much into the technology
behind how these tests are performed.
But if you were just starting out and wanted a stool test done, work, obviously, with a
health care professional and you're probably gonna work with that man or lady's preference
for a lab.
My preference personally is for Doctor's Data in Chicago but somebody else's preference
may well be for Genova Diagnostics.
I've got a good friend in New Zealand who used to work for a company called Great Smokey's
Diagnostics Labs, GSDL, and then they turned into Genova, except of course she's telling
me that she much prefers Genova, whereas I've worked with companies before, a long time
ago, that used to represent Doctor's Data in Australia, New Zealand.
I prefer Doctor's Data because it's the test really.
I have used, in so many instance, on patients and had such good outcomes with.
I do interpret the Genova Diagnostics reports and work off those all the time as well because
many of my patients in the States and in Europe have got these tests and would be completed
by their professional and they want me to interpret that and I can do that as well.
One thing I must say with the Genova test, which I really like, is it's quite species
specific.
So it will go through a lot of different families and also species of bacteria that they've
actually found.
So you can get a couple of pages identifying exactly what species of bacteria they found
and what amounts.
I don't need to know this information, I much prefer to work with a very basic report that
I get back from Doctor's Data with the beneficial column, the imbalance column and the dysbiotic
column.
I find this is all the information I generally need.
If I need to know more than that I'll often request a sibo breath test to give me an idea
on the level of bacteria in the small intestine and what type of bacteria they are.
It comes down to personal preference in my opinion.
The other factor I'm not so happy about Genova Diagnostics is they are more expensive so
you could be paying anywhere between $100 up to $500 more for this test depending on
your practitioner, on how much he or she charges for this test.
So I think that we offer this test for I think it could be $500, that's for the stage three
test, three samples, whereas the Doctor's Data comparable top level test is $400.
So it's about $100 difference.
But in terms of the performance of the test, the reports, I would say both labs are pretty
well equal.
So it's really up to you to decide which way you want to go, whether you wanna go with
the Genova or do you wanna go Doctor's Data.
So I mean, it's the same thing with motorcars, if you look at Mercedes, maybe an Audi, you
look at all the top level high end bars, very, very similar.
Some will do some things a little bit better or someone's models will do something else
a bit better.
Basically, all do the same job, they all look pretty cool, they all drive and when you're
working with labs like Genova or Doctor's Data it's the same thing.
You're paying big money, you're going to get a great report, as long as the test is being
performed properly.
So it's your call to decide which lab you wanna work with but also, most likely, your
practitioner's call.
But you can't go wrong with Genova Diagnostics, they are a premier lab like Doctor's Data
and the only two labs I suggest you would use.
If you're serious about your health would either be Genova or Doctor's Data.
So it's your call.
Thanks for tuning in.