Gut Health & Complete Microbiome Testing

Your gut can affect far more than digestion.

Bloating, gas, reflux, constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, food reactions, fatigue, skin issues, inflammation, mood changes, and poor energy can all be linked to what is happening in the digestive system.

For many people, the frustrating part is not just the symptoms. It is the unpredictability.

You may eat well, exercise, avoid obvious triggers, try supplements, cut out certain foods, or follow advice online, yet still feel like your gut is controlling your life.

At Doctor360, we provide doctor-led assessment for gut health, digestive symptoms, IBS-type symptoms, SIBO concerns, reflux, bloating, bowel changes, and microbiome imbalance.

Where appropriate, we can also arrange advanced functional testing such as Complete Microbiome Mapping to help better understand what may be contributing to your symptoms.

Gut symptoms can be more disruptive than people realise.

You may start planning your day around your bowel habits, avoiding certain foods, worrying about bloating after meals, feeling anxious about travel, or losing confidence because you do not know how your body will react.

You may benefit from a Doctor360 gut health consultation if you are experiencing:

• Bloating

• Excessive gas or wind

• Abdominal cramps or pain

• Constipation

• Diarrhoea

• Alternating constipation and diarrhoea

• Reflux or heartburn

• Nausea

• Food intolerances or reactions

• IBS-type symptoms

• Suspected SIBO

• Recurrent gut infections

• Unexplained fatigue

• Skin issues linked with gut symptoms

• Brain fog or low mood alongside digestive symptoms

• Ongoing symptoms despite diet changes

Gut symptoms are common, but they should not be dismissed

Digestive symptoms can have many different causes.

Common contributors include:

• Irritable bowel syndrome, also known as IBS

• Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, also known as SIBO

• Gut dysbiosis or microbiome imbalance

• Food intolerances

• Coeliac disease

• Inflammatory bowel disease, including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis

• Reflux or gastritis

• Low digestive enzyme activity

• Constipation and altered motility

• Stress and nervous system dysregulation

• Medication effects

• Antibiotic use

• Parasites, yeast, or bacterial overgrowth

• Poor diet quality or low fibre intake

• Alcohol intake

• Hormonal changes

• Inflammation or immune activation

The right treatment depends on what is driving the symptoms. That is why proper assessment matters.

Doctor360 takes a structured approach to gut health.

We do not just give a generic gut protocol and hope for the best. We look at your symptoms, medical history, diet, lifestyle, medications, previous testing, red flags, and goals.

Our approach usually includes three steps.

1. Assess

The first step is understanding what is actually happening.

Your Doctor360 clinician may ask about:

• Your main digestive symptoms

• How long symptoms have been present

• Bowel habits and stool changes

• Bloating patterns

• Food triggers

• Reflux or upper gut symptoms

• Previous infections or antibiotic use

• Stress, sleep, and lifestyle

• Diet and alcohol intake

• Medication and supplement use

• Family history of gut conditions

• Unexplained weight loss, bleeding, fever, or other red flags

Where appropriate, testing may be arranged.

This may include standard blood tests, stool testing, breath testing, or functional testing depending on your symptoms.

2. Plan

Once we have a clearer picture, we create a plan that fits your symptoms and goals.

Your plan may include:

• Nutrition changes

• Fibre and prebiotic support

• Protein and meal timing guidance

• Gut-directed supplement support

• Probiotics where appropriate

• Antimicrobial or anti-inflammatory support where clinically suitable

• SIBO treatment pathways where relevant

• Reflux management

• Constipation support

• Stress and nervous system strategies

• Medication review

• Referral for specialist care if red flags are present

The aim is not to give you a complicated plan that you cannot follow.

The aim is to give you a clear, practical pathway that helps you regain control.

3. Refine

Gut healing is rarely perfectly linear.

Symptoms can shift as diet changes, stress changes, the microbiome changes, and treatment progresses.

Follow-up is useful because it allows us to:

• Review symptom changes

• Adjust your plan

• Track response to treatment

• Review test results

• Identify new patterns

• Decide whether further testing is needed

• Reduce unnecessary supplements or restrictions

• Build a long-term maintenance plan

The goal is to make progress without turning your life into a permanent elimination diet.

Complete Microbiome Mapping is an advanced stool test that provides a more detailed look at the gut microbiome and digestive environment.

It may help assess:

• Beneficial bacteria

• Opportunistic bacteria

• Pathogenic bacteria

• Yeast or fungal overgrowth

• Parasites where included in the panel

• Gut inflammation markers

• Digestive function markers

• Immune markers

• Markers linked with intestinal permeability or gut barrier stress, depending on the test used

The test is usually completed at home using a stool collection kit. The sample is then sent to a specialised laboratory for analysis.

Once results are available, your Doctor360 clinician can interpret the findings and explain what they mean in plain language.

Complete Microbiome Mapping may be worth considering if you have ongoing digestive symptoms that have not improved with basic measures.

It may be useful for people experiencing:

• IBS-type symptoms

• Persistent bloating

• Ongoing gas or wind

• Constipation

• Diarrhoea

• Alternating bowel habits

• Reflux or upper gut symptoms

• Recurrent gut infections

• Suspected gut dysbiosis

• Food sensitivity patterns

• Fatigue associated with gut symptoms

• Skin issues associated with gut symptoms

• Mood or brain fog symptoms linked with digestive issues

• Symptoms after antibiotics, travel, food poisoning, or gut infections

Not everyone needs microbiome testing. In some cases, standard medical testing or a simpler treatment plan is the better first step.

Some patients with bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, constipation, diarrhoea, or symptoms that worsen after certain carbohydrates may need assessment for SIBO, or small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

SIBO testing is usually done through a breath test that measures gas patterns after drinking a test solution.

SIBO is not the cause of every gut symptom, but it can be relevant in selected patients.

Doctor360 can help decide whether SIBO testing is worth considering or whether another pathway makes more sense.

Functional gut testing can be useful, but it should not replace proper medical assessment.

In some cases, standard investigations may be needed first, especially if symptoms suggest inflammation, bleeding, infection, coeliac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, or another medical condition.

Depending on your situation, testing may include:

• Full blood count

• Iron studies

• B12, folate, and vitamin D

• Inflammatory markers

• Coeliac screening

• Liver and kidney function

• Thyroid function

• Stool testing

• Complete Microbiome Mapping

• SIBO breath testing

• Food sensitivity testing where clinically relevant

• Referral for imaging, endoscopy, colonoscopy, or specialist gastroenterology review where needed

The right test depends on your symptoms and risk factors.

The gut does not work in isolation.

Digestive health may influence or overlap with:

• Energy levels

• Nutrient absorption

• Immune function

• Inflammation

• Skin health

• Hormone metabolism

• Mood and stress response

• Sleep

• Metabolic health

• Food tolerance

• General wellbeing

This does not mean every symptom is caused by the gut. But if gut symptoms are ongoing, it is worth assessing properly.

Some symptoms should not be managed with functional testing alone.

You should seek urgent medical advice or specialist review if you have:

• Blood in the stool

• Black stools

• Unexplained weight loss

• Persistent vomiting

• Severe abdominal pain

• Fever with abdominal symptoms

• New bowel changes over age 50

• Difficulty swallowing

• Iron deficiency anaemia

• Family history of bowel cancer or inflammatory bowel disease

• Symptoms waking you from sleep

• Severe dehydration

• Ongoing symptoms after travel or infection

If these are present, Doctor360 may recommend urgent assessment, standard medical testing, or referral rather than starting with microbiome testing.

Treatment depends on what is driving your symptoms.

Your plan may include:

• Nutrition changes

• Fibre optimisation

• Low FODMAP guidance where appropriate

• Reintroduction planning

• Gut-directed supplements

• Probiotics or prebiotics where suitable

• Digestive enzyme support where appropriate

• Reflux treatment

• Constipation treatment

• SIBO treatment pathways

• Antimicrobial support where clinically appropriate

• Stress and nervous system regulation

• Sleep and lifestyle changes

• Medication review

• Referral to a dietitian, gastroenterologist, or other specialist where needed

The goal is to reduce symptoms, improve digestive function, and help you understand what your gut is reacting to.

Doctor360 provides doctor-led gut health and microbiome testing support across New Zealand.

With Doctor360, you get:

• Telehealth consultations from home

• Doctor-led gut health assessment

• Access to Complete Microbiome Mapping where appropriate

• SIBO and functional testing options where useful

• Standard blood and stool testing where needed

• Clear explanation of results

• Practical treatment planning

• Nutrition, supplement, and lifestyle guidance

• Referral pathways when in-person or specialist care is required

• Support for IBS-type symptoms, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, reflux, and ongoing digestive concerns

We do not just treat the symptom. We help you understand the pattern and build a plan.

1. Book your telehealth consultation

Choose an online appointment time with Doctor360.

2. Review your symptoms

Your doctor will ask about your gut symptoms, bowel habits, food triggers, medical history, medications, stress, sleep, and previous testing.

3. Testing may be arranged

If needed, your doctor may arrange blood tests, stool tests, SIBO breath testing, Complete Microbiome Mapping, or other investigations.

4. Results are reviewed

Your Doctor360 clinician will explain your results clearly and connect them back to your symptoms.

5. Receive a personalised plan

Your plan may include diet changes, supplements, treatment options, lifestyle changes, or referral where needed.

6. Follow-up and refinement

Gut symptoms often need a staged approach. Follow-up helps adjust your plan and track progress.

If bloating, reflux, constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain, or food reactions are affecting your life, it may be time to look deeper.

Doctor360 provides doctor-led gut health consultations and Complete Microbiome Mapping support by telehealth across New Zealand.

Book a Doctor360 gut health consultation and get clear answers, proper testing, and a practical plan for your digestive health.