Microbiomes are complex microbial ecosystems that occur within different areas of the body

(GI, vaginal, oral, skin, urinary etc)

Microbiome balance can play a role in health and disease, and is key in relation to the concept of the ‘terrain theory’.

The microbiome is dependant on cultural, dietary, environmental and familial aspects.

Comprehensive Digestive Stool Analysis

“All disease starts in the gut” — Hippocrates.

Emerging microbiome science supports this in many ways, and newer methodologies in testing has enabled stool testing to gradually become much more available and accurate.

Stool testing can be useful to help optimise a diet for a healthy microbiome, ascertain if there is possible increased intestinal permeability, look for the presence of inflammation, gas-producing bacteria, or in some cases pathogenic microbes.

Stool testing is a good way of getting a comprehensive snapshot of digestive function and the GI microbiome at a given time

It can be helpful when working with GI complaints or for more chronic systemic illnesses in which poor GI function might be relevant. This includes the

consideration of metabolic endotoxemia.

What is Metabolic Endotoxaemia?

‘An immune response that becomes a sub-clinical, persistent, low-grade inflammation because of increased circulating endotoxins (LPS)’.

This normally happens in conjunction with poor GI barrier integrity.

It can be a risk factor for many chronic diseases such as insulin resistance, diabetes, CFS, autoimmunity.

What is tested?

Methodologies of stool testing mostly include:

• Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) — DNA testing of the microbe, and doesn’t require a culture.

• Culture with MALDI-TOF or microbiology assessment.

Comprehensive stool tests can evaluate:

• Microbial markers such as commensal bacteria, pathogenic bacteria, parasites, pathobiont microbes, mycology, sometimes worms (these are often best seen visibly in the stool).

• Host markers — markers made by the human host such as immune, digestive, inflammation, intestinal permeability and occult blood.

Examples:

• Commensal— microbes that live in harmony

with the host (us) and provide a benefit to us.

• Pathogenic— microbes that possess certain evolutionary advantages to invade our microbiome at a cost to our health.

• Pathobiont— microbes that live with us and normally don’t pose a problem unless there is clear opportunity.

• Gram negative bacteria — bacteria that possess an outer cell wall, normally rich in lipopolysaccharides (LPS).

• LPS— the major component of gram-negative bacteria which have the ability to induce inflammation and immune responses.

SIBO Breath Tests

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO)

In SIBO, fermentation of carbohydrates in the small

intestine results in raised hydrogen or methane.

• Breath-testing is a non-invasive test that is looking for the gases made by fermenting bacteria (hydrogen or methane) after ingesting a substrate that the bacteria eats.

• After the substrate is taken, breath samples are collected every 20 or 30 minutes.

Substrates:

Types of substrates (bacterial food) used for the breath test:

• Lactulose

• Glucose

• Fructose

The ‘Terrain Theory’

States that disease occurs from within the body

• That bacteria and viruses are the ‘after-effects’ rather than the cause of disease which are a result of an acidic, low oxygenated terrain.

“Germs seek their natural habitat – diseased tissue – rather than being the cause of diseased tissue.”

- Antoine Béchamp

This counter-argues the ‘Germ theory’ which suggests that “disease occurs from outside of the body”, i.e., bacteria, viruses, fungi, “the germs” are what we need to worry about and we need to keep finding ways to kill them off. This was termed by Louis Pasteur who developed the pasteurisation process (now used commercially in the dairy & other mainstream industries) where he found that rapid heating destroys microbes.

Because of poor soils and the prevalence of toxic chemicals and metals in our foods, air and water, today's bodies are generally weaker. Add in daily stressors, generally insufficient diets and fast food, radiation and electromagnetic fields (EMFs), you can see why it is important to have medicines that can help us combat invading microbes if our bodies do not have a strong enough immune system to deal with them naturally.

By working on the “terrain” - the body's inner environment, we are making it inhospitable to viruses and parasites.

Viruses, germs and illness will always be a part of our world but by eating the right foods (a balanced diet with plenty of water) and moving our bodies regularly, we are helping our immune system, building the right "terrain" and creating the defence against potential threats.

This is a lifelong endeavour but the fruits of your labour will be realised within a much shorter time.

By noticing how you become resistant to the latest flu or cold going around will prove to you that balancing your body chemistry to strengthen your immune system is worth making the effort. 

If you’re interested in discussing a comprehensive test you can book a free 20 minute discovery call by clicking the button below: