COMPREHENSIVE GUT MICROBIOME EVALUATION

Our Gastrointestinal tracts (our guts) are home to 70 of our immune system. When our GI system is out of balance, it affects every other organ in our body. Our GI function depends on the billions of bacteria that colonize it, when that bacterial population is unbalanced, disease occurs.

Complaints related to abdominal pain, constipation, bloating, abdominal discomfort are among the most common reasons that patients seek medical care. The Comprehensive Gut Microbiome analysis is a simple tool that can help assess functions such as:

• Are you digesting your food properly?
• Are you absorbing food properly?
• Is there enough healthy bacteria?
• Is there harmful bacteria?
• Is there yeast or fungi present (Candida etc.)?
• Are there parasites present?

The Comprehensive Gut Microbiome Evaluation is an invaluable non-invasive diagnostic assessment for any patient that suffers from:

• Gastrointestinal Symptoms
• Autoimmune Disease
• Joint Pain
• IBD/IBS
• Inflammation
• Food Sensitivities
• Nutritional Deficiencies
• Skin Conditions (Atopic Dermatitis)
• Depression/ Anxiety

Inflammation can significantly increase intestinal permeability and compromise our ability to absorb nutrients. The extent of inflammation, whether caused by pathogens or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), can be assessed and monitored by examination of the levels of different biomarkers.

These markers can be used to differentiate between inflammation associated with potentially life-threatening inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which requires lifelong treatment, and less severe inflammation that can be associated with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) which is frequently due to the presence of pathogenic bacteria.

Foundations of good health include proper digestion of food, absorption of nutrients, exclusion of pathogens and timely elimination of waste. To obtain benefits from the food that we eat, nutrients must be appropriately digested and then efficiently absorbed.

Microbes, larger-sized particles of fiber, and undigested foodstuffs should remain within the intestines. Poor digestion and malabsorption of vital nutrients can contribute to degenerative diseases, compromised immune status and nutritional deficiencies. Impairment of the highly specific nutrient uptake processes, or compromised GI barrier function, as in “leaky gut syndrome,” can result from a number of causes including:

• Low gastric acid production
• Chronic maldigestion
• Food allergen impact on bowel absorptive surfaces
• Bacterial overgrowth or imbalances (dysbiosis)
• Pathogenic bacteria, yeast or parasites and related toxic irritants
• The use of NSAIDs and antibiotics

Impairment of intestinal functions can contribute to the development of food allergies, systemic illnesses, autoimmune disease, and toxic overload from substances that are usually kept in the confines of the bowel for elimination.

After performing a Comprehensive Gut Microbiome Evaluation, we customize a comprehensive guided approach to heal the GI function, which includes consideration of elimination of pathogens and exposure to irritants, supplementation of hydrochloric acid, pancreatic enzymes and pre- and probiotics, and repair of the mucosal barrier.