Understanding your microbiome (the trillions of microbes in your gut)plays a real role in your long-term health. These microscopic partners impact digestion, immunity, mood, metabolism, and even disease risk.
Some of what's said about the gut microbiome is well established; some of it, especially claims about mood, mental health, and quick fixes like detoxes, is still being researched or is simply marketing. We've tried to be clear below about which is which.
So, what exactly is the microbiome, and why does it matter?
The microbiome includes bacteria, viruses, yeasts, protists, and sometimes archaea, living in different environments like your skin, lungs, mouth, and most significantly, your gut.
These microbes are not invaders; they live in symbiosis with us and are essential for maintaining good health. At TejoMed, we help patients understand how to cultivate a balanced microbiome to support vitality and prevent disease.
What Is the Gut Microbiota?
The gut microbiota refers specifically to the microorganisms living in your digestive tract, especially in the colon. This ecosystem contains 10 to 100 trillion microbes, often outnumbering human cells in the body. Each person’s microbiome is uniquely shaped by diet, lifestyle, environment, and medications.
The gut microbiota plays a central role in:
Digesting food: Breaking down complex carbohydrates and producing essential nutrients.
Supporting immunity: Helping the immune system distinguish between harmful invaders and friendly agents.
Influencing mood and mental health: Operating through the “gut-brain axis,” communicating with the brain mainly via the vagus nerve and bacterial byproducts, affecting anxiety, depression, and cognition with associations observed between gut health and anxiety, depression, and cognition. This is still an emerging area of research. Most human evidence shows a connection, not proof that changing your gut directly changes your mental health.
Regulating metabolism: Affecting weight, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels.
Signs Your Microbiome Might Be Imbalanced
When the microbiome falls out of balance - a condition called dysbiosis - it can affect far more than just digestion. Common symptoms include:
Digestive issues: bloating, gas, diarrhea, constipation, and nutrient malabsorption.
Weakened immunity: frequent colds, infections, or slow recovery.
Allergies and food intolerances: increased sensitivity to foods or environmental triggers.
Unexplained weight gain: changes in fat storage and appetite regulation.
Others: Chronic fatigue, acne, UTIs, joint pain, and even fertility challenges.
It's worth noting that persistent versions of these symptoms, especially ongoing bloating, diarrhea, or unexplained deficiencies in iron, B12, or vitamin D, are sometimes signs of a specific, treatable gut infection (such as small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, H. pylori, or a parasite) rather than a general “imbalance.” These are real medical conditions with established tests and treatments, and it's worth ruling them out with your doctor before assuming a broader microbiome issue is to blame.
At TejoMed, we take these symptoms seriously. As part of your care, we evaluate whether gut health may be contributing and offer a roadmap to restore balance.
What Helps or Harms the Microbiome?
Your daily habits play a critical role in shaping the health of your gut microbiome. Certain behaviors can support a diverse and balanced microbial environment, while others may disrupt it and contribute to symptoms over time. The good news is that the microbiome is highly adaptable. Even after setbacks (such as illness, antibiotic use, or chronic stress), it has the capacity to recover and rebalance with the right guidance and support.
Positive influences include:
A diverse, fiber-rich diet (especially plants). Most people fall short of the 25–35g of fiber a day associated with a more diverse microbiome. Mediterranean-style eating is the dietary pattern with the strongest evidence for getting there.
Fermented foods and probiotics when matched to a specific, doctor-approved use. Probiotic benefits are strain- and condition-specific, so a random supplement isn't necessarily helpful and, used incorrectly, can occasionally cause harm
Quality sleep and regular physical activity
Stress management
Harmful influences include:
Frequent antibiotics or unnecessary medications
Highly processed foods and artificial sweeteners
Chronic stress and poor sleep
Excess alcohol or tobacco use
The good news? The microbiome is highly responsive to change. Even after disruption (e.g., illness, antibiotics), it can recover and rebalance with the right support.
Microbiome Testing at TejoMed: A Personalized Approach
As part of our preventative care and root-cause analysis at TejoMed, we start by ruling out the specific, well-understood conditions mentioned above (infections like SIBO, H. pylori, or parasites) since these have established tests and treatments and are a more common explanation for gut symptoms than a general “imbalance.” Broader microbiome testing can be a useful next step for select patients once those causes have been ruled out and symptoms persist, but it's a targeted, doctor-guided decision rather than a routine test for everyone: no commercial microbiome test is currently approved by health regulators as a stand-alone diagnostic, and what an “ideal” microbiome looks like still varies from person to person. What we offer every patient is time: longer appointments to look at your full history and symptoms, and a personalized plan built with a doctor who knows your case, rather than a one-size-fits-all panel.
Why test the microbiome?
Identify imbalances early, before disease develops
Personalize your diet, supplement, or probiotic plan
Track improvements over time as we work together on your health goals
Key Takeaways: How We Support You
Your microbiome is dynamic, shaped more by daily habits than genetics.
The habits with the strongest evidence, like a fiber-rich, Mediterranean-style diet and stress management, matter more than any single test or supplement.
At TejoMed, we integrate microbiome health into comprehensive care plans looking at your whole health picture, including when symptoms point to a specific, treatable condition rather than a general imbalance
Ready to Take the Next Step?
If you’ve been experiencing persistent digestive issues, unexplained fatigue, frequent infections, or are simply curious about improving your long-term health, your microbiome might be the key. Our team at TejoMed is here to guide you.
We’ll help you:
Assess your gut health through advanced testing
Create a personalized nutrition and supplement strategy
Track your improvements over time
Book a Call with a TejoMed Advisor and learn how TejoMed can support you.
References:
Zhernakova, A., et al. (2022). Microbiota in health and disease. Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41392-022-00974-4
Cleveland Clinic. (2023). What is your gut microbiome? https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/25201-gut-microbiome
Moszak, A., et al. (2022). Human gut microbiota in health and disease. Frontiers in Microbiology. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2022.999001/full
Cryan, J. F., & Dinan, T. G. (2012). Mind-altering microorganisms: the impact of the gut microbiota on brain and behaviour. Journal of Neuroscience. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrn3346
Hwei-Ee Tan (2023).The microbiota-gut-brain axis in stress and depression. Frontiers in Neuroscience.https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnins.2023.1151478/full
Verywell Health. (2008). How your gut flora affects your health. https://www.verywellhealth.com/what-are-your-gut-flora-1944914
Wikipedia. Gut–brain axis. 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gut%E2%80%93brain_axis
