Why your microbiome is the key to good health

It turns out the key to weight loss, immunity and a healthier life has been living right under our noses, literally — your gut microbiome. Now there’s a simple way to harness the power of your gut microbiome for good.

What is your microbiome? 

There’s a community of 100 trillion organisms (including bacteria) living in symbiosis with you in your gut. They help to digest food, produce essential vitamins, prevent bowel cancer and keep your immune system balanced, among other things. In fact, your survival depends on keeping them healthy and happy.

The health of your gut is dependent on:

• Symbiosis — the food you eat feeds them, and in return, they create beneficial compounds that improve the health of your gut and body as a whole.

• Function — certain bacteria are associated with beneficial activities. For example, some bacteria produce metabolites that are anti-inflammatory.

• Diversity — generally, the more different types of bacteria in your gut, the better your digestive and overall health. Lack of diversity is associated with poorer health.

Disrupting the microbiome

Many factors of modern life — like stress, poor diet, antibiotics and inflammation — can disrupt your gut microbiome causing dysbiosis.

Dysbiosis is a reduction in the diversity of your gut bacteria or an imbalance in the ratio of ‘good’ bacteria to ‘bad’ bacteria. It has been linked to all sorts of diseases, including:

• Anxiety and depression

• Eczema, psoriasis and dermatitis

• Heart disease

• Allergies

• Asthma

• Autoimmune diseases

• Obesity

• Type 2 diabetes

Is your microbiome disrupted?

There are many signs to look out for if you believe your gut may be disrupted:

• Altered bowel habits — like diarrhoea, constipation or Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

• Flatulence or gas

• Bloating

• Abdominal pain

• Food intolerances

• Frequent colds and flus

• Allergies

Microbiome disruption often shows up with gut symptoms first. The best way to find out about the health of your gut microbiome is to get tested. Thankfully, there’s now a simple test that can help you find out the exact state of your microbiome.

Harness the power of your microbiome 

Your gut microbiome holds insights into your health and wellbeing. By understanding your unique microbiome, you can understand how it affects your health and how to achieve a better balance between the desirable and less desirable microorganisms in your gut.

Our cutting edge scientific MetaBiome™ test can provide detailed insights into the organisms living in your gut and how they contribute to your health. The test provides you with a multi-page report that you and your Naturopath can use to assess and improve your gut microbiome health.

The test will provide you with insights into:

• What kind of functions your microbiome can perform for you

• How many different types of organisms you have

• Which organisms make up the community of your gut

• Science-backed advice on how to feed your gut microbiome to support your beneficial bacteria and improve diversity

• A score for the overall health of your microbiome out of 100 — this gives you a clear and easy measure to track your progress.

Find out the health of your microbiome

Taking the test is easy — it’s just a simple stool test in the comfort of your own home. All you need to do is:

• Using the swab provided, take a small amount of stool off a piece of soiled toilet paper

• Score your stool according to the Bristol Stool Chart

• Mail the sample in the reply paid envelope provided

• See your Naturopath for the results

To find out what’s going on with your gut microbiome, make an appointment with your Naturopath to discuss the MetaBiome™ test today!