Summer is when I get to meet my patients’ kids. With school out, parents often have no choice but to bring them along to appointments. Today it’s Phoebe, a lovely 7-year-old, and while her mom and I try to keep her entertained enough to have a real conversation, Phoebe finds a stack of my business cards more interesting. She asks what those funny letters next to my name mean: FABNG. Good question. What is a FABNG, anyway?
FABNG stands for Fellow of the American Board of Naturopathic Gastroenterology.
Just as medical doctors (MDs) can spend extra years training to specialize in a field, naturopathic doctors (NDs) can pursue additional training in a specialty too. A FABNG is an ND who has completed advanced training in gastroenterology.
To earn the certification, a doctor must already be a licensed ND, have logged at least 1,800 hours treating gastroenterology patients, submitted clinical cases that demonstrate sound clinical judgment, and passed a separate board exam. It’s a rigorous process, designed to prove real, hands-on expertise in gut health, not just a passing familiarity with it.
A FABNG is not a medical gastroenterologist.
I can’t perform an endoscopy or colonoscopy, and in California, I can’t prescribe most of the medications a medical gastroenterologist would. What I do offer is expertise in functional testing and natural therapies for a wide range of gut-related issues. My training combines conventional diagnostics with root-cause, whole-body care, so I look at digestive health from an angle most patients haven’t encountered before.
There are plenty of functional tests on the market, testing stool, urine, blood, and more. Marketing claims they can detect IBS, map the gut microbiome, identify food sensitivities, you name it. But these results need careful interpretation. They aren’t diagnostic on their own; they’re meant to add information that points toward a potential issue.
I’ve seen patients spend a lot of money on unnecessary testing, and I’ve seen patients handed a false food allergy diagnosis. When someone comes to see me, I choose only the tests that are genuinely appropriate for their situation, and I explain why: what problem I’m investigating, and how the results will shape our next steps. When we review results together, I walk through each test’s strengths and limitations and explain what the findings actually mean for that patient’s specific condition.
As a FABNG, I have access to a broader range of protocols for gut issues than a typical ND, and more experience navigating the nuances of complex digestive cases. I take the time to walk patients through their options: the pros and cons of each, what side effects to watch for, how we’d manage those side effects, and the practical logistics involved.
The feedback I hear most often is relief: patients finally have a doctor who explains the underlying cause of their symptoms and lays out a clear, understandable plan, instead of leaving them to guess.
What a FABNG really offers, beyond the credential itself, is a different kind of conversation about your gut health: one grounded in clinical rigor and a willingness to look past a single symptom.
Whether you’re dealing with bloating, irregular bowel movements, food reactions, or a diagnosis that never quite added up, working with a doctor who has this level of specialized training means a more thoughtful, individualized approach to figuring out what’s actually going on.
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Dr. Sherry Su, ND, FABNG
Naturopathic Doctor San Jose
408-356-1364
Dr. Sherry Su is a licensed naturopathic doctor specializing in gastrointestinal disorders, women’s health, thyroid and adrenal imbalances, and anxiety. She earned her degree from Bastyr University and holds the prestigious FABNG certification for advanced expertise in evidence-based naturopathic gastrointestinal care. With a compassionate, integrative approach, Dr. Su uses minimally invasive therapies to help patients reclaim their health and well-being. She is passionate about empowering patients with sustainable lifestyle changes and personalized care.
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