Is the Future of Medicine Microbiome Testing?

We are continually being told to embrace how unique we are. Still, we don’t celebrate these differences when it comes to our health. Consumers spend $30 billion a year on generic dietary supplements. Yet, research indicates that generalized supplements have little impact on the health of those who take them. That is why personalized care is the future of improving individual wellness. To achieve this, you must get to the source with microbiome testing.

Why Take a Gut Test?

From our Spotify lists to our Domino’s pizza crusts to our data plans, we personalize everything. You no longer have to be the sad child with a weird name looking for a keychain that says “Apple.” Now, the Paltrows can just order this keychain online.

If we go above and beyond for a keychain, why wouldn’t we give our health the same consideration? When we are looking to improve our general health, many turn to multivitamins or dietary supplement staples like calcium or Vitamin C.

While there is nothing wrong with getting an extra dose of micronutrients, your body might not necessarily need them. Your diet might suffice. At the end of the day, it makes your wellness investment a bit of a monetary bust.

As we shared in the New York Times exposé above, a primary cause of multivitamin ineffectiveness is due to poor absorption from the human body. When we consume a vitamin, it must get broken down by our stomach acids. Consequently, a good portion of the nutritional value is destroyed before the intestines absorb the minerals.

Overly acidic guts further hinder the absorption process. If your microbiome is full of harmful bacteria and inflammation, these invaders will make it increasingly difficult for your body to absorb nutrients from supplements…or food.

A gut bacteria test allows you to decipher which microbes are living in your system. At Ombre, we will use the results from your gut test and your symptoms survey to recommend targeted probiotics for your issues. From there, we will recommend foods that will help diversify your gut microbiome.

Based on the bacteria in your probiotics supplements, we guide you toward the best prebiotics for probiotics so your beneficial bacteria can flourish.

How Bacteria in Stomach Influence General Health

Everything that gives our physical body structure is cells. Beyond these cells lives a complex system of organs, tissues, neurons, microbes, bacteria, viruses…you get the point. There are more people invited to our internal party than any shindig we’ll throw in our lifetime!

These microbes have been with us since day one. They are what helped form us when we were in utero and followed us through this crazy journey we call life. This introduction is why breastfeeding has shown to be so beneficial for infants.

The probiotics within the mother’s breastmilk are the same microbes the baby was used to when it was just a fetus. This phenomenon is much like when we bring a goldfish home from the pet store.

At first, we keep the fish in its bag with the original store water. From there, we drop the bag into a tank filled with our water. We do this so the fish can adjust to its new surroundings and build up its strength. Probiotics in breastmilk offer newborns this same support system.

Now that you see how these microbes helped formulate us into the individuals we are today; you can better understand how they influence our general health.

Research indicates that our microbes influence a number of crucial functions of our lives, including:

• Mood
• Immunity
• Weight
• Inflammatory Response
• Skin Care
• Hair Health

As harmful bacteria continue to divide and conquer, general health issues may graduate to permanent ones. In order to create a battle plan and claim victory in your gut, you need to know what you’re working with. That is why we recommend microbiome testing.

The Importance of Microbiome Testing and Strain-Specific Probiotics

What makes treating issues such as Leaky Gut Syndrome or autoimmune disease so tricky is that there are many factors at play. These conditions don’t happen overnight, and it’s not just one culprit that set them off. The only thing we can be sure of is that these problems persisted thanks to what we have introduced to our system.

There is a myriad of factors that may compromise our gut health. These include:

• Consumption of GMOs
• High-Fat Diet, Rich in Processed Foods and Saturated Fats
• Exposure to Pesticides in Agriculture
• Blockages Created by Artificial Sweeteners, Ingredients, and Refined Sugars
• Excessive Antibiotic Use
• Viral and Bacterial Infection
• Allergic Reactions or Sensitivities to Foods like Gluten, Dairy
• Hormonal Imbalances from Non-Organic Animal Products
• Chemical Reactions from Consuming Plastics
• Inflammation

Some of us may be guilty of many of these infractions. Others may just have a poor diet. Then there are cases where antibiotics destroy a healthy microbiome.

Every scenario that contributes to poor gut health is unique. In return, these scenarios create a breeding ground for different types of microbes.

Our body is made of trillions of microbes. At Ombre, our database of 35,000 scientific journals spans over 1,000 microbes. This cutting-edge research tool gives us access to the characteristics of thousands of bacteria strains with the brush of a finger.

We must look at our microbiome as our fingerprint. It may look the same to many, but each one is individual. Thus, humans should be treated as per case, not as a collective. That is why we are such staunch advocates for personalized probiotics and microbiome testing.

The Benefits of Microbiome Testing

Everything we eat introduces new microbes into our bodies. Look at broccoli. Come on, put those childhood-based fears aside and take an in-depth, hard look at this healthy green.

What gives broccoli its distinct hue is this vegetable has a lot of chlorophyll. It certainly has a lot more than a flank of steak or pint of blueberries. Chlorophyll is one of the many beneficial compounds found in broccoli that we ingest every time we eat this childhood favorite.

The downside of consuming foods grown or manufactured by others is that you are also ingesting more than just chlorophyll. You may also ingest any pesticides used to cultivate the crop, mold from rotting foods the broccoli came into contact with along transit, or the germs of anyone who handled the produce before you bought it. All of these unique factors are why some Romaine lettuce companies didn’t experience the E.coli outbreak that many others did in 2018 and 2019.

Nutrition in food is one of the many factors that make our gut health so unique and microbiome testing so essential. The Standard American Diet (SAD) is rich in animal fats, saturated fats, preservatives, GMOs, and refined sugars. These sorts of additives all wreak havoc on the microbiome.

Depending on the ratio in your system, symptoms may differ. Not one person follows the same diet. In fact, diets have gotten so niche that there’s even a Paleo Vegan sector.

All of these different lifestyle choices open each person’s microbiome up to a multitude of unique microbes. By choosing to take a gut health test, you can stop the guesswork and figure out which bacteria are actually living in your system.

How to Know If I Should Get a Gut Test?

We all want to feel our best. Therefore, microbiome testing is for everyone. However, if you are experiencing any of the following symptoms, you should give serious consideration to purchasing a gut bacteria test:

• Frequent Acid Reflux
• Leaky Gut Syndrome
• Bouts of Heartburn Multiple Times Per Week
• Gastrointestinal Disorders (ex. Irritable Bowel Syndrome)
• Skin Problems (Itchiness/Redness/Flakiness)
• Mood Swings/Bouts of Depression
• Bloating
• Constipation
• Weight Gain
• Sore Joints
• Lack of Motivation
• Trouble Sleeping
• Increase in Colds/Flu/Allergies
• Recently Off Antibiotics

As you can see, this covers a lot of ground. Our microbes are influential. While they’re microscopic, there are trillions of them. You can’t defeat microbes when it comes to the numbers game…unless you know which microbes are in there. Want to feel your best at all times? Microbiome testing is the first step in that direction.

What to Do After Microbiome Testing?

Knowing which bacteria in your system is excellent and all…but now what? After microbiome testing, you need to diversify your microbiome. The more species of probiotic bacteria you have in your system, the healthier your microbiome will be.

Since we all eat different foods, partake in various exercise activities, and are exposed to new germs every day, we all require different microbes to diversify our individual systems. That’s why we take the results from your gut health test kit and everyday symptoms into consideration when recommending strain-specific probiotics for your gut microbiome.

One analysis found the majority of generic probiotic supplements don’t work. This issue is much like the multivitamin problem above. Generic probiotics won’t fill the holes missing in your microbe makeup. That’s where Ombre steps in.

After we recommend a strain-specific probiotic, you need to increase the bacteria’s chances of survival. To accomplish this feat, we recommend foods targeted to diversify your gut microbiome. 

Like you, the living cultures in your system have likes and dislikes. If you want to experience the maximum benefits of taking probiotics, you need prebiotics. The beneficial microbes need to grow so they can shift the balance in your microbiome back to the healthy side.

Ombre is the future of medicine. Get your gut test today to improve every aspect of your health regimen.