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What the gut microbiome is and what it does
What the gut microbiome is, where gut microbes live, and what they do for digestion, the immune system and the gut-brain connection, plus what researchers still can't define. Read more...
IBS and gut microbes: what newer research means for treatment
Research on gut microbes has sharpened how doctors look at some IBS symptoms, especially methane and constipation, but most microbiome-based treatments still rest on small or inconclusive studies. Here is what the evidence supports so far. Read more...
Personalized IMO care: what breath and stool tests can and can't tell you
Breath testing is the basis of an IMO diagnosis and can shape treatment. Stool microbiome tests are another matter: an international expert consensus says they are not ready to guide care. Here is how to tell the difference. Read more...
Treating IMO: what the evidence shows for antibiotics and the elemental diet
What the evidence shows for the treatments a clinician may consider for intestinal methanogen overgrowth (IMO), including antibiotics and a small elemental-diet trial, plus what is and isn't known about add-ons and relapse. Read more...
What shapes your gut microbiome, and what you can change
Birth, age, diet, antibiotics and other medicines, and the world around you all shape the gut microbiome. This explains what the evidence supports doing about it, and why microbiome test kits aren't yet useful for personal advice. Read more...
How your digestive system works, from mouth to colon
How food is broken down and absorbed on its way from mouth to colon, how nerves and hormones coordinate the process, which everyday habits help, and when symptoms are worth getting checked. Read more...
IMO explained: symptoms, breath testing and how it differs from SIBO
Intestinal methanogen overgrowth (IMO) is an excess of methane-producing microbes in the gut, closely linked to constipation and bloating. Here is how a breath test diagnoses it and how it differs from SIBO. Read more...
IBS basics: symptoms, diagnosis, triggers and treatment
Irritable bowel syndrome is a common disorder of gut-brain interaction. This plain-language introduction covers the symptoms, how doctors diagnose it with the Rome criteria, common triggers, the main treatment options and when to see a doctor. Read more...
SIBO explained: symptoms, causes, testing and treatment
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) means too many bacteria in the small intestine. This explainer covers the symptoms, who is at risk, how breath tests work and where they fall short, and what treatment and relapse look like. Read more...