Gut Health Doctor in Orem, Utah
Bloating, acid reflux, SIBO, food reactions, and digestive problems that never seem to resolve. If your gut has been telling you something is wrong and nobody can figure out what, Dr. Drussel uses functional medicine to find the root cause and build a plan that actually works.
Does this sound like you?
If any of these hit close to home, you're not imagining it. Your gut is trying to tell you something, and the answer isn't another round of antacids or being told to eat more fiber.
- Bloating after meals that makes you look and feel six months pregnant
- Acid reflux or heartburn that antacids barely touch
- Food reactions you can't pin down, where something different bothers you every week
- An IBS diagnosis that came with no real explanation or treatment plan
- Alternating constipation and diarrhea with no clear pattern
- You've been diagnosed with SIBO and treated, but it keeps coming back
- Told it's "just stress" or "just anxiety" and sent home with nothing
Why this happens
Your gut isn't just where food goes. It's where 70% of your immune system lives. It produces neurotransmitters. It regulates inflammation throughout your entire body. When the gut breaks down, the effects show up everywhere, and the gut itself can break down for reasons that standard testing never catches.
The most common root causes Dr. Drussel sees at Integrative Motion in Orem, Utah include:
- Low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria) that mimics acid reflux but is actually the opposite problem. Suppressing acid with antacids makes it worse, not better.
- Gut dysbiosis where the balance of bacteria in your digestive tract has shifted. Too much of the wrong bacteria, not enough of the right ones.
- Intestinal permeability (leaky gut) where the gut lining becomes compromised and allows particles into the bloodstream that shouldn't be there, triggering immune reactions and inflammation.
- Unidentified food sensitivities that aren't true allergies but create low-grade inflammation every time you eat certain foods. These don't show up on standard allergy tests.
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) where bacteria that belong in the large intestine have migrated into the small intestine, fermenting food too early and causing bloating, gas, and pain.
The key is casting a wide net. When Dr. Drussel takes your health history, he's looking at how all of these systems connect, because gut problems rarely have a single cause. The bloating might be SIBO. The SIBO might be driven by low stomach acid. The low stomach acid might be connected to stress or a nutrient deficiency. You have to trace it back to find the real starting point.
How we investigate gut problems
Dr. Drussel doesn't start with a stack of lab orders. He starts with a conversation. Your first functional medicine visit at Integrative Motion is a deep dive into your entire health history: every medication, every supplement, every diet you've tried, what helped, what made things worse, and how long the problems have been building.
Symptom surveys establish a baseline across all body systems, not just the gut. That's important because digestive issues often show up alongside fatigue, brain fog, skin problems, or joint pain. Those connections tell Dr. Drussel where the dysfunction is really coming from.
From there, the investigation may include:
- Food diary review to identify patterns between what you're eating and when symptoms flare
- Food sensitivity testing (IgG/IgA panels) to identify immune-mediated reactions that standard allergy testing misses
- Comprehensive blood work including inflammatory markers, nutrient levels, and metabolic markers that reveal how the gut dysfunction is affecting the rest of your body
- Targeted testing ordered only when it will confirm a suspicion or change the direction of treatment
Dr. Drussel is selective about testing. There are a lot of expensive functional medicine labs that don't give you clear answers. The longer you practice, the more selective you get. If your health history points in a clear direction, he may recommend trying dietary changes first without a test that won't change the approach. Every dollar you spend on testing should move the needle.
The patient who had too little stomach acid
A patient came to Dr. Drussel after suffering with acid reflux for years. They constantly felt acid moving up and were afraid it was wearing away their esophagus. The conventional approach would be antacids, Tums, or a proton pump inhibitor to suppress the acid.
But as Dr. Drussel worked through their case, he discovered the opposite: their stomach wasn't creating enough acid. This condition, called hypochlorhydria, means the stomach can't signal the esophageal sphincter to close properly. So whatever acid is there leaks up, and you feel like you have too much, when you actually have too little.
Taking antacids would have made it worse. Instead, Dr. Drussel recommended HCL supplementation to increase stomach acid production. The patient took capsules before meals, gradually building up until the acid reflux disappeared completely.
That's the difference between treating a symptom and finding the root cause. And it's exactly why gut problems require someone who looks deeper than the obvious answer.
What treatment looks like
There is no perfect diet. Dr. Drussel will tell you that on day one. Anyone selling you a one-size-fits-all gut protocol is guessing. Your treatment plan at Integrative Motion is built around your specific history, your test results, and how your body responds over time.
Depending on what the investigation reveals, your gut health protocol may include:
- Personalized elimination diet based on your food sensitivity results and symptom patterns, not a generic list from the internet
- Targeted supplementation to address the specific dysfunction, whether that's HCL for low stomach acid, antimicrobials for SIBO, or gut-lining support for intestinal permeability
- Gut-healing protocols that rebuild the gut lining and restore healthy bacterial balance over time
- Dietary modifications that are sustainable for your lifestyle, not a 30-day cleanse you'll abandon
- Regular monitoring and adjustment with check-ins every 4-8 weeks to track progress, adjust protocols, and change course when needed
- Collaborative care with your GI doctor if you're already working with a gastroenterologist. Dr. Drussel doesn't ask you to choose between providers. The best outcomes come from working as a team.
This is a marathon, not a sprint. Your gut didn't break overnight, and it won't heal overnight. But with consistent follow-through and a provider who adjusts the plan as your body responds, most patients see meaningful improvement within 4 to 8 weeks and significant progress within 3 to 6 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Dr. Drussel is a Doctor of Chiropractic who also practices functional medicine. Chiropractic adjustments can support gut health by improving nervous system function to the digestive organs, but the real investigation happens on the functional medicine side. Through detailed health histories, targeted lab testing, and personalized protocols, Dr. Drussel addresses the root cause of gut dysfunction, not just the structural component.
Your gut houses roughly 70% of your immune system. When the gut lining is compromised (often called leaky gut or intestinal permeability), particles enter the bloodstream that shouldn't be there, triggering an immune response. This creates systemic inflammation that can show up as joint pain, skin conditions, brain fog, fatigue, and more. Healing the gut often resolves inflammatory symptoms throughout the entire body.
Yes, when it's warranted. Dr. Drussel uses IgG/IgA food sensitivity panels that measure immune-mediated reactions, which are different from true food allergies (IgE). However, he doesn't order these for every patient. If your health history and a trial elimination diet can provide the same answers, he'll start there. Testing is ordered when it will confirm a suspicion or change the treatment direction, not just to run up a bill.
Most patients notice initial improvement within 4 to 8 weeks, but comprehensive gut healing typically takes 3 to 6 months of consistent follow-through. Some conditions like long-standing SIBO or autoimmune-related gut problems may take longer. Dr. Drussel monitors your progress at regular check-ins and adjusts the protocol as your body responds. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
IBS is a diagnosis of exclusion, meaning it's what you get called when they've ruled out everything else but you still have symptoms. Functional medicine digs deeper. Dr. Drussel investigates what's actually driving the bloating, pain, and irregular bowel patterns. It could be SIBO, food sensitivities, gut dysbiosis, or a combination. Once you identify the root cause, you can treat it instead of just managing symptoms.
Food allergies (IgE reactions) are immediate and can be life-threatening, like a peanut allergy causing anaphylaxis. Food sensitivities (IgG/IgA reactions) are delayed, sometimes by 24 to 72 hours, and cause lower-grade symptoms like bloating, fatigue, headaches, joint pain, and skin issues. Because the reaction is delayed, most people never connect the symptom to the food. Standard allergy tests only check IgE, which is why food sensitivities often go undiagnosed.
Related conditions
Gut health connects to nearly every system in the body. If you're dealing with digestive issues, these related conditions may also be part of the picture.
Start with a Functional Medicine Consultation
Call Integrative Motion in Orem, Utah to schedule your consultation with Dr. Drussel. If your gut has been telling you something is wrong, it's time someone listened.