Investigating gut health – The Complete Microbiome Map

Here at Solaine Douglas Nutrition, you know I have a large focus on gut health. The research is in agreement – a healthy gut is essential for a healthy you. When referring to ‘gut health’, I am not talking about kombucha or sauerkraut. 

A healthy gut means that you can break down food, access and absorb nutrients, reduce inflammation and produce neurotransmitters like serotonin. It also means your immune system is robust and you are not that person who is sick every five minutes. 

How do you know if you have a healthy gut or not? 

There are a few key tells that something is funky down in your gut. Key symptoms I look out for are:

• Constipation or diarrhoea, or alternating 
• Unformed stools, undigested food in stools
• Abdominal cramps or pain
• Low thyroid function
• Leaky gut symptoms like food reactions, symptoms of histamine intolerance
• Low blood levels of nutrients, that do not match dietary intake
• Allergies
• Joint pain
• Weakness
• Bloating
• Fatigue
• & more! 

I’ve said it many times – “test, don’t guess”. One of my preferred methods of testing is The Complete Microbiome Map. 

“The Complete Microbiome Mapping Test was designed to assess a patient’s microbiome from a single stool sample, with particular attention to microbes that cause disease or that disrupt normal microbial balance and contribute to perturbations in the GI flora and contribute to illness. The panel is a comprehensive collection of microbial targets as well as immune and digestive markers. It screens for pathogenic bacteria, commensal bacteria, opportunistic pathogens, fungi, viruses, and parasites.” Take a look at a sample report here.

How does it work?

It’s simple and you can do it in the comfort of your own home! You are sent a kit with instructions, the stool kit and a return bag. The test needs to be done Monday – Wednesday. Your collection is returned to Nutripath. You do need to ensure you have not had antibiotics in the 4 weeks prior to testing and you need to avoid all fermented foods for 2 weeks prior to testing. 

What is tested?

• Markers of gastrointestinal inflammation
• Zonulin, a marker of intestinal permeability
• Parasites
• Fungi and yeasts like Candida Albicans
• Opportunistic bacteria
• Beneficial bacteria and commensal species
• Take a look at a sample report here.
  
  

What’s the cost?

The investment is $380, which I know does sound like a lot. Though truthfully for anyone that has experimented with different supplements before, you know all too well that the cost of guessing not testing adds up fast!

Gathering the correct information about your gut health can save you hundreds of dollars on unnecessary supplements.

I encourage you to reframe the cost of testing as a). Incredibly fortunate that you can afford the testing and b). A small investment in your long term health. 

Are you ready to dive in and explore your gut health? Looking underneath your metaphorical ‘hood’? Book in for a complimentary consultation Today and we can discuss the next steps in your gut health (& long term) health journey.