Understanding UC Root Causes: Your Recovery Starts Here
Ulcerative colitis rarely happens in isolation. Discover how comprehensive gut testing reveals the bacterial imbalances and food sensitivities driving UC inflammation—and what Lori did to get her life back.
What Your Ulcerative Colitis Is Really Trying to Tell You About Your Gut
When Lori was diagnosed with severe ulcerative colitis in 2022, her doctors told her what they tell most UC patients: "You'll need biologic infusions for the rest of your life."
But Lori's story didn't end there. And if you're dealing with ulcerative colitis, yours doesn't have to either.
The Missing Piece Most Doctors Don't Test
Here's what conventional medicine often misses: ulcerative colitis rarely happens in isolation. In nearly every case, UC develops from a perfect storm of two underlying factors:
Pathogenic bacterial overgrowth in the gut
Chronic food sensitivities creating ongoing inflammation
These aren't just contributing factors—they're often the root drivers of the inflammatory cascade that leads to UC in the first place.
Think of it this way: your colon is ground zero for an immune battle. But what's triggering that battle? And why does it keep happening?
Why Standard Testing Misses the Root Cause
When you're diagnosed with UC, standard medical workup typically includes:
Colonoscopy (to visualize inflammation)
Blood tests (to check for anemia and inflammation markers)
Sometimes a stool sample (to rule out infection)
But here's what they don't routinely test:
Which specific foods are triggering your immune system
What pathogenic bacteria or parasites are living in your gut
How diverse (or depleted) your beneficial gut bacteria are
Whether you have intestinal permeability (leaky gut)
Your levels of inflammation markers like calprotectin
Without this information, you're essentially treating symptoms while the root causes continue unchecked.
The Gut Zoomer: Seeing What's Really Happening
The Vibrant Gut Zoomer 3.0 gives us a comprehensive look at your intestinal ecosystem—the kind of detailed map that helps explain why UC developed in the first place.
What We're Looking For:
Pathogenic Overgrowth: Ulcerative colitis patients frequently show elevated levels of inflammatory bacteria like:
Proteobacteria (gram-negative bacteria that produce inflammatory LPS endotoxin)
E. coli and other Enterobacteriaceae species
Desulfovibrio (sulfate-reducing bacteria that can damage the intestinal lining)
Opportunistic pathogens that crowd out beneficial bacteria
Depleted Beneficial Bacteria: At the same time, we often see low levels of protective bacteria like:
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (a major butyrate producer)
Akkermansia muciniphila (protects the gut lining)
Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus species
Other Clostridia that produce short-chain fatty acids
Markers of Inflammation: The Gut Zoomer measures specific inflammatory markers that are often sky-high in UC patients:
Calprotectin (a protein released by neutrophils during inflammation)
Lactoferrin (elevated in inflammatory bowel disease)
Lysozyme (marker of colonic inflammation)
MMP-9 (correlates with UC disease severity)
These markers tell us how much inflammation is happening—and whether your current approach is working.
Intestinal Permeability Indicators:
Zonulin (regulates tight junctions in the intestinal lining)
Anti-gliadin antibodies (indicates gluten exposure and immune response)
Short-Chain Fatty Acids (SCFAs): We measure butyrate, acetate, and propionate—critical compounds that:
Fuel the cells lining your colon
Have profound anti-inflammatory effects
Help "seal" intestinal permeability
Support healthy immune regulation
In UC patients, SCFAs are almost always depleted. This matters because butyrate is literally the preferred fuel source for colonocytes (the cells lining your colon).
The Food Sensitivity Connection
Here's where things get really interesting.
Most people with UC have been reacting to certain foods for years before their diagnosis—they just didn't know it.
Unlike IgE food allergies (which cause immediate reactions like hives or anaphylaxis), IgG and IgA food sensitivities cause delayed inflammatory responses. You might eat a trigger food on Monday and not feel the consequences until Wednesday or Thursday.
Over time, these repeated immune responses lead to:
Chronic intestinal inflammation
Increased intestinal permeability
Disrupted gut bacterial balance
Upregulation of inflammatory pathways
The Vibrant Food Sensitivity test measures both IgG and IgA antibodies to 96 different food proteins—giving us a clear picture of which foods your immune system is reacting to.
Why Both IgG and IgA Matter:
IgA antibodies:
Primarily produced in the gut's mucosal lining
Half-life of about 6 days
Indicates recent or ongoing exposure
Often shows up in response to foods you eat frequently
IgG antibodies:
Systemic immune response
Much longer half-life (21-23 days)
Indicates long-term sensitivity or repeated exposure
Associated with delayed symptoms like brain fog, joint pain, and digestive issues
When we see elevated IgA and IgG to the same food, that's a red flag that this food is a significant ongoing trigger.
Common UC Trigger Foods:
While everyone's sensitivities are unique, UC patients frequently react to:
Gluten/wheat
Dairy (especially casein)
Eggs
Soy
Corn
Nightshades (tomatoes, peppers, eggplant)
Certain grains
But here's the thing: you might be surprised by your specific triggers. I've worked with UC patients who reacted strongly to foods they thought were "safe"—almonds, chicken, spinach, or bananas.
That's why testing matters. Guessing isn't good enough when you're trying to calm an inflamed colon.
How This Shows Up in Real Life: Lori's Story
When Lori came to me, she'd been on biologic infusions for over a year. She was doing "okay"—but she knew something was still off.
Her Gut Zoomer revealed:
Elevated inflammatory markers (calprotectin was significantly high)
Low diversity of beneficial bacteria
Depleted short-chain fatty acids
Evidence of intestinal permeability
Her Food Sensitivity testing showed strong IgG reactions to several foods she was eating daily—foods she thought were healthy.
Once we addressed both pieces—rebalancing her gut ecosystem and removing her trigger foods—everything changed.
She didn't just manage her UC. She got her life back.
The Terrain-Based Approach to UC Recovery
This is the foundation of what we do in the Vibrant Foundations Immersion program.
UC isn't just a "disease" that randomly appears. It's your body's response to an internal environment (terrain) that's out of balance.
When we work together, we:
1. Investigate the terrain through comprehensive testing:
Gut Zoomer (to see the bacterial ecosystem and inflammation markers)
Food Sensitivity testing (to identify immune triggers)
Additional testing as needed (nutrient status, toxic burden, etc.)
2. Remove the obstacles to recovery:
Eliminate food sensitivities (at least temporarily)
Address pathogenic overgrowth
Reduce toxic burden
Support drainage pathways
3. Rebuild the foundation:
Restore beneficial bacteria diversity
Increase short-chain fatty acid production
Heal intestinal permeability
Regulate immune function
Support nervous system regulation
4. Empower you with tools for long-term success:
Understanding your unique triggers
Knowing how to support your gut ecosystem
Recognizing early warning signs
Building resilience
This isn't about managing symptoms for life. It's about creating an internal environment where UC can't thrive.
Why the Gut Zoomer and Food Sensitivity Tests Are Non-Negotiable
I can't tell you how many times someone has come to me saying, "I've tried everything—elimination diets, probiotics, anti-inflammatory supplements—and nothing works."
When we run these tests, we almost always discover why:
They were avoiding the wrong foods (or not avoiding the right ones)
They were taking probiotics that didn't address their specific bacterial imbalances
They had hidden parasites or pathogenic overgrowth no one had tested for
Their inflammation markers were still elevated despite symptom improvement
You can't fix what you can't see. And these tests let us see what's happening at a level that standard medical testing simply doesn't address.
What This Looks Like in Practice
The Vibrant Foundations Immersion is a 6-month recovery program designed specifically for autoimmune conditions like UC.
Here's how we incorporate gut and food testing:
Months 1-2: Investigation & Foundation
Comprehensive testing (Gut Zoomer, Food Sensitivity, Neural Zoomer, and others as needed)
Results review and personalized protocol development
Elimination diet based on your specific food sensitivities
Initial gut support protocols
Months 3-4: Deep Work
Parasite elimination (if needed)
Pathogen-specific antimicrobial protocols
Intensive gut restoration
Continued food sensitivity work
Months 5-6: Integration & Resilience
Food reintroduction strategies
Long-term gut maintenance protocols
Nervous system regulation
Building sustainable habits
Throughout the program, you're not guessing. You're working from data—real information about what's happening in your body.
The Question You're Probably Asking
"But I'm already on biologics. Can I really get off them?"
I'm not going to tell you that everyone can discontinue their UC medications. That's a decision you need to make with your prescribing physician.
What I can tell you is this: when you address the root causes—the bacterial imbalances, the food sensitivities, the inflammation, the intestinal permeability—your body has the best possible chance to heal.
Some people are able to reduce their medication needs. Others stay on medication but feel dramatically better. And yes, some people—like Lori—are able to work with their doctors to discontinue biologics entirely.
The goal isn't to take you off medication for the sake of it. The goal is to give your body what it needs to heal at the deepest level possible.
Where to Start
If you're dealing with ulcerative colitis (or any inflammatory bowel condition), here are your next steps:
1. Get tested. The Gut Zoomer and Food Sensitivity tests give us the roadmap we need. Without this information, we're guessing. Book your FREE Functional Health Breakthrough Call to learn more about testing options.
2. Consider the Vibrant Foundations Immersion. This 6-month program is specifically designed to address autoimmune conditions like UC from a root-cause perspective. Learn more about VFI here.
3. Stop accepting "for the rest of your life" as your only option. You deserve answers. You deserve to know whyyour body is inflamed. And you deserve a path forward that addresses the root causes, not just the symptoms.
Final Thoughts
When Lori sat down with me for her interview, she said something that stuck with me:
"The medical community is good at saying 'I don't know, I don't know, I don't know.' But I needed answers. And this approach gave me answers."
That's what terrain-based functional medicine does. We don't just manage disease. We investigate why disease developed in the first place—and we address those root causes systematically.
Your colon is inflamed for a reason. Let's figure out what that reason is.
Ready to investigate what's really driving your UC?
📞 Book your FREE Functional Health Breakthrough Call
📖 Learn more about the Vibrant Foundations Immersion program
📧 Questions? Email us at info@sagebrushwellness.com
*Disclaimer: This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended as medical advice. Always consult with your healthcare provider before making changes to your treatment plan, especially regarding prescription medications.
