Digestive Health Doctor in San Diego, CA — Functional GI Medicine
Digestive health doctor in San Diego — root-cause treatment for SIBO, leaky gut, GERD, parasites, and chronic GI issues. Functional GI medicine by Dr. Joseph Dubroff, N.D.
The Gut Is the Root of More Than You Think.
If you have chronic digestive symptoms — bloating, gas, abdominal pain, GERD, irregular bowel movements, food sensitivities that keep multiplying — your gut is asking for attention. But what most people don't realize is that gut dysfunction also drives symptoms that don't look like digestive problems at all: brain fog, skin issues, joint pain, autoimmune flares, mood disorders, chronic fatigue, and stubborn weight gain.
That's not a wellness-industry talking point. The connection between gut health and systemic inflammation has years of research behind it. Your intestinal lining is one cell thick — a single layer separating the contents of your gut from your bloodstream. When that lining is compromised, when the microbiome is dysregulated, when there's bacterial overgrowth or parasites or chronic low-grade inflammation, the downstream effects show up everywhere in the body.
"I've had patients come in for hormone issues, fatigue, joint pain, even depression — and after we ran the gut tests, the answer was sitting in their digestive tract the whole time."
Conventional medicine often treats digestive symptoms by suppressing them: PPIs for heartburn, antispasmodics for IBS, antibiotics for whatever they can label as infection. That can buy short-term relief, but it doesn't address why the dysfunction started in the first place — and the suppression often makes the underlying problem worse over time.
Functional GI medicine takes the opposite approach. Find the cause. Address it directly. Restore function. The protocols Dr. Dubroff uses are built around testing — comprehensive stool analysis, breath testing, food sensitivity panels — and tailored to what your specific gut is actually doing.
Four Common GI Conditions. Real Root-Cause Approaches.
Most digestive issues fall into one of these four patterns — but accurate diagnosis matters. Comprehensive testing tells us which pattern is yours before treatment begins.
SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)
Bacteria that belong in your colon end up in your small intestine, where they ferment carbohydrates and produce excessive hydrogen or methane gas. Drives bloating, distention, irregular bowel patterns, and is frequently the underlying cause of "IBS." Identified through breath testing — and very treatable when correctly identified.
Leaky Gut Syndrome
Intestinal permeability — the protective barrier of your gut lining loosens, letting partially digested food particles, bacterial byproducts, and toxins cross into the bloodstream. Drives systemic inflammation, food sensitivities, autoimmunity, skin issues, and chronic fatigue. The "root cause behind the root cause" for many patients.
GERD & Acid Reflux
Chronic reflux and heartburn — most often caused not by too much stomach acid, but by underlying dysfunction that conventional acid blockers (PPIs) can actually worsen long-term. Real GERD treatment addresses why the reflux is happening, not just suppressing the acid.
Parasites & GI Map Testing
Parasites are far more common in adults than most people realize — and rarely found on standard medical testing. Comprehensive stool analysis (GI Map) detects parasites alongside bacterial dysbiosis, yeast overgrowth, inflammation markers, and other GI pathogens that drive chronic symptoms.
Test, Identify, Restore.
Functional GI medicine is iterative and data-driven. No guesswork, no symptom-suppression-and-hope.
Comprehensive Testing
Depending on your symptoms, this may include a GI Map (comprehensive stool analysis), SIBO breath testing, food sensitivity panels, intestinal permeability assessment, or other targeted diagnostics. The protocol comes from the data — not from a one-size-fits-all template.
Targeted Treatment
Once we know what's actually happening, the treatment matches. SIBO protocols, parasite cleanses, gut-lining repair, microbiome rebalancing, dietary refinement, targeted supplements — applied specifically to what your testing showed.
Retest & Refine
Functional GI care is iterative. Retest after the initial protocol, adjust based on what's improved and what still needs work, and continue refining until your gut is functioning the way it should be — and your downstream symptoms resolve as a consequence.
Digestive Health FAQs
Stop Managing Symptoms. Address the Cause.
Book a free consultation. Dr. Dubroff will tell you which GI testing makes sense for your case — and what a functional protocol could look like.