Determining the Health of Your Gut Microbiome

The health of your gut plays a significant role in your overall health. It goes beyond digestion. Your gut impacts every system in your body. And, the microbiome is connected to your immune system, mental health, metabolism, and much more. An imbalance in your microbiome with overgrowth of pathogens can contribute to the development of chronic symptoms.

The best method to determine the overall health of your microbiome is to have a comprehensive stool analysis. It helps to identify intestinal health markers, potential autoimmune triggers, dysbiotic flora, normal flora, viral pathogens, parasitic pathogens, and bacterial pathogens.

The importance of the microbiome

Your gut has a diverse community of bacteria. The wide variety of bacteria constitutes your microbiome, which plays a key role in your health. A healthy microbiome has good diversity, balance, and a good supply of beneficial bacteria. It is a foundation for the entire body.

However, if your gut microbiome lacks diversity and has too many harmful bacteria and other pathogens, it has an imbalance of bacteria, which is called dysbiosis. This can increase the risk of inflammation, autoimmune disorders, and other health issues.

How does dysbiosis develop?

Dysbiosis has a number of contributing factors: poor diet lacking in nutrient-dense whole foods and high in processed, artificial food, poor sleep, lack of exercise, poor hydration, excessive stress, and high exposure to toxins. Other factors include poor stomach acid, food sensitivities, poor bile flow, and pathogen overgrowth. If you are experiencing symptoms, testing your gut microbiome will help pinpoint pathogen overgrowth, intestinal health markers, and underlying health issues.