I added Stool testing

I recently added the BiomeFx stool analysis testing kit to my practice.

I primarily brought it in for clients who have GI issues including pain, distress and irregularities including constipation and diarrhea. 

I decided to submit my own sample and was surprised with the results, but am also thankful for the results! No I know that arthritis and other auto-immune issues can result in a microbiome that is less than ideal. Including mine.

Each client has had different issues with the microbiome balance.  Some have food allergies, stomach pain or mood disregulation.  Each test result I review with the doctors on staff with microbiome labs as the 19 page comprehensive report can be daunting when you see it.

In some, there have been opportunistic bacteria as well as an imbalance in both the keystone species and the diversity of the biome.  This imbalance is called dysbiosis and can also lead to leaky gut where the mucosal layer becomes transparent. Then the junctures get wide and the undigested food particles can travel into the blood stream which is a bad thing.

The only way you know, is if you do this kind of stool testing – which is why I added stoool testing to my practice!

Did you know, the microbiome is what regulates metabolism, moods, and immunity?  Most think it is just indicative of digestion issues but these results tell a larger story!

The test can indicate whether it is dysbiosis, an imbalance in flora, liver challenges, neurotransmitter issues (mood regulators like GABA), primary and secondary digestion, metabolism challenges, the integrity of the gut mucosal lining and so much more.

When I got mine, I reviewed them with the doctor and although I eat all the right things, even the things that the good doctor suggested, I had no gut flora to protect me from inflammation, arthritis and food sensitivities.  I can just imagine how bad it would be if I didn’t eat well!

I also had very low GABA, low bifido bacteria and low diversity of the keystone species.  But I also have too much lactobacillus bacteria (a good kind), which crowds out the others. So eating more kimchi or fermented foods was not actually a good thing for me. I needed other bugs which is where the MegaSporebiotic comes to the rescue.

I also found out that my primary digestion is part of the issue which causes low tolerance to carbohydrates and poor metabolism.  No wonder I have to train for 2+ hours so I can eat some potatoes!

The good thing is, that we can make changes to the diet, add specific supplements to help rebalance the primary digestion, rebuild the mucosal lining and support my body in creating GABA naturally.  

The biggest surprise was when the good doctor mentioned how low  my akkermansia was.

Akkermansia is the protective mucosal layer of the intestines. This is a strain of bugs that eats that and replenishes it. Here is a link for more info: https://atlasbiomed.com/blog/what-is-akkermansia/.
Mine was undetected.

This low level is seen in people with food sensitivities, arthritis and auto-immune issues.  It also indicates inflammation. Bingo – no wonder I have a degenerative hip.  It is hereditary and my mother also has this issue as did my paternal grandmother.  So some of gut flora is passed on from mother to offspring during birth, but maybe all those years of stress eating, training and stress of running a business, years of anti-biotics have also contributed to this imbalance.

Luckily, microbiome labs also has some sporebiotics specifically designed to rebuild that mucosal lining so I have ordered it and eagerly await for it to come in. Then Metagenics just added a pasteurized akkermansia so that will help, too – just started that, too! But I will write another post on how to improve that mucosal lining with supplements and foods like chicken bone broth!

If I intend on regenerating my hip, an anti-inflammatory protocol will not be enough.  I have done much inner work to heal the emotional injuries from childhood, and won’t stop. But adding this stool testing into my practice really is an eye opener.  

Now I need to correct the imbalance in my gut, continue to do my corrective strengthening and physical rebalancing so the hip can hopefully regenerate naturally or at least stop the degeneration.  (This is where the prayer comes in …)

The body can heal given the right tools.  

Nutrition, anti-inflammatory protocols, inner healing work, PT, yoga, strength training and now the stool analysis to rebalance the gut are the key tools to get the body closer to that innate healing and regenerating so can have optimal health across your lifetime.

If you are interested in learning more about this BiomeFx kit, https://microbiomelabs.com/register/?ref=NIMPA or check out the results here.

Here is mine because if I can share mine, you may see that just eating healthy and living a healthy lifestyle may not be enough.  But it the stool testing is the only way to know what it is you have in your microbiome and what is missing along with why.

So if you are wondering why I added stool testing, it was for my GI patients, but now I can see how valuable it is for the chronic pain or auto-immune clients who come in.  Now we will have something to new to help you attain a higher level of heath! yay