Viewing the Microbiome as a Naturopathic Doctor of Cause

When I was in naturopathic medicine school, I repeatedly heard, “in naturopathic medicine, you start by treating the gut.”

As a young twenty-three-year-old starting medical school, I had no idea of the magnitude of this statement.  

I have nothing against symptom relief. Most of us need it at one point or another. However, patching up symptoms can still have an underlying illness taking hold at a deeper level.  

Treating at the level of cause is paramount to getting rid of pollution at a river’s upstream instead of giving it chemicals downstream to attempt to make it clean.  

Over and over again I have seen our body get into patterns, whether positive or negative. Sometimes it does take a medication to break a pattern of sleeplessness or pain. Sometimes this can be done with acupuncture, rest and/or good food. Other times, it can be done by addressing the imbalances in the microbiome.  

Sadly, most doctors in busy allopathic medical models only have time to treat downstream.

Treating upstream takes time. It takes detective work, a thorough history and diagnostic workups.  People say they can’t take the time and money to diagnose correctly, but sometimes they are disabled without working. Learning from the microbiome can help us balance upstream for a healthy vitality.  

Nothing I can prescribe can replace healthy habits such as diet, drinking sufficient water, movement, finding peace and having supportive community.   

More and more chronic diseases are getting connected to our gut microbiome.  Inflammation in the gut has been linked to Alzheimer’s and cognitive function.  

In Chinese medicine, digestion transforms our food into qi, which is energy.  

Stress can impact the gut microbiome brain connection. So it is possible that balancing the microbiome can be helpful to stress responses as well. The vagus nerve has been connected to our microbiome and the effect is reciprocal, meaning our nervous system impacts our gut and our gut impacts our nervous system.  

Probiotic interventions can be helpful to balance the microbiome.  

The neurotransmitter serotonin is mostly created in the gut, emphasizing the importance of the gut brain connection.

What is tested in a gut microbiome test?

Yeast, bacteria, parasites, enzyme markers, food reactions, occult blood and inflammation are amongst the markers included.

I have seen digestive issues balance, neurological symptoms improve and autoimmune flares lessen by balancing the microbiome.  

Leaky gut is extremely common in patients who have had too many antibiotics. Due to imbalances in the microbiome, the spaces between the intestinal cells can get bigger and food proteins get into the blood stream causing more food reactions. It is possible to heal the gut lining to decrease the occurrence of food sensitivities and reactions.

Who is a good candidate for microbiome testing?

Those with:

• Chronic yeast infections
• Chronic digestive symptoms
• Food reactions
• Chronic Fatigue
• Immune system issues/Autoimmunity
• Brain health issues/Cognitive impairment

Why also consider microbiome testing?  You want to optimize your health.  You’re not getting answers for chronic issues in the conventional medical model.  

The future of effective medicine lies in discerning causes rather than treating symptoms.  The gut microbiome can help us do just that…. 

If you would like to address causes by looking at the microbiome, feel free to call to make an appointment by calling 928-862-2914.