Linda Spirou - Naturopath

Linda Spirou - Naturopath Helping adults with IBS, SIBO, constipation & bloating find answers — not just cut more food BHSc (Naturopathy)
Professional Association: NHAA
(1)

Degree qualified Naturopath who utilises both traditional and the latest evidence based complimentary medicine.

You’ve probably never heard of it — but this microbe supports your gut liningAkkermansia muciniphila is a key gut microb...
17/10/2025

You’ve probably never heard of it — but this microbe supports your gut lining
Akkermansia muciniphila is a key gut microbe that lives right at the mucus layer of your intestinal wall.
🧬 It’s not just a passenger — it’s a protector.
This species supports:
✔️ Mucosal barrier integrity
✔️ Immune system balance
✔️ Metabolic + blood sugar regulation
✔️ Inflammation control
The tricky part?
You can’t buy it in a probiotic capsule (yet).
But you can grow more of it naturally — with the right foods.
🍽️ How to feed Akkermansia:
– Polyphenols: pomegranate, cranberry, blueberry, cacao
– Prebiotics: chicory, inulin, onion, asparagus
– Green banana flour or green bananas
– Gut lining support: zinc, glutamine
– Gentle fasting (it thrives when the lining renews)
Most people I work with don’t need more restriction.
They need smarter support for the species that repair from within.
📩 DM “if you want to know what’s really happening in your gut.
📍 Online consults available | Melbourne Naturopath


16/10/2025

There’s one gut microbe I always look at on stool tests:
Akkermansia muciniphila.
🧬 Why? Because it lives near your gut lining — and helps maintain the mucus layer that protects you from inflammation, permeability (“leaky gut”), and overactive immune responses.

Low Akkermansia has been associated with:
• Low microbial diversity
• Poor mucosal integrity
• Metabolic dysfunction (e.g. insulin resistance)
• Chronic inflammation
And you can’t just supplement it.
You have to create the right internal environment.

🎯 I use advanced microbiome testing to help you understand what’s thriving, what’s missing, and what to feed to support long-term gut resilience.
📩 DM me if you want to know more.
📍 Online consultations | Based in Melbourne

The Gut Health Gap Most Plans Miss”Diet is the most direct way we influence microbiome function.But if the gut lining is...
15/10/2025

The Gut Health Gap Most Plans Miss”

Diet is the most direct way we influence microbiome function.
But if the gut lining is inflamed or key species are under-functioning, that function may be disrupted — and symptoms often persist.
That doesn’t mean food isn’t important.
It means your microbiome might need a more strategic, supported approach.
Your gut microbes should be:
✔️ Fermenting fibre into postbiotics like butyrate
✔️ Producing vitamins (Bs &K )
✔️ Supporting immune balance
✔️ Strengthening your gut lining
When those systems falter, symptoms like bloating, food sensitivity, fatigue, and skin flares can continue — even with a well-rounded diet.
This is why I use metagenomic stool testing — to go beyond “what’s there” and look at:
– Microbial function
– Postbiotic production
– Mucosal barrier support
– Inflammatory patterns
You don’t need a stricter plan.
You need a more informed one — tailored to how your microbiome is working.

📍 Online Consults Based in Melbourne

15/10/2025

Hot off the press: For the first time, researchers have systematically assessed the impact of long-term medication use on the gut microbiome.

This 2025 retrospective study, "A hidden confounder for microbiome studies: medications used years before sample collection," found that multiple medicines affected the gut microbiome for many years after use.

Typically, we think of antibiotics as the primary medication that alters the gut ecosystem in the long term. However, this study found that beta-blockers, benzodiazepine derivatives, glucocorticoids, PPIs, biguanides (metformin is the most widely prescribed drug in this class), and antidepressants affected the gut microbiome for several years after discontinuing use. And for many of them, the effects at the microbiome level are additive.

Overall, of the 186 drugs analyzed, 167 were found to be associated with the microbiome—affecting alpha diversity, beta diversity, or the abundance of at least one bacterial species—and 78 of those exhibited long-term effects on the gut.

Of note, benzodiazepines—nervous system depressants commonly prescribed for anxiety—impact the microbiome even more than several broad-spectrum antibiotics. The impacts of benzodiazepines and broad-spectrum antibiotics were detectable even when the drugs had not been used for over three years prior to microbiome sampling.

Read the full study at PMID: 40910778

You’re eating fibre… but still bloated?The problem might not be what you’re eating — but what your microbes are doing wi...
14/10/2025

You’re eating fibre… but still bloated?
The problem might not be what you’re eating — but what your microbes are doing with it.
One of the most important compounds your gut should be producing is butyrate — a short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) with powerful healing effects.
Butyrate:
✔️ Repairs your gut lining
✔️ Lowers inflammation
✔️ Feeds colon cells
✔️ Supports calm digestion and brain health
🧬 But here’s the catch:
You don’t “take” butyrate.
You feed the microbes that know how to make it.
🍽️ Top Butyrate-Supporting Foods:
– Cooked + cooled potatoes, rice, oats (resistant starch)
– Lentils, chickpeas, black beans
– Garlic, onion, leeks, Jerusalem artichoke
– Ground flaxseed
– Diversity: 30+ different plants per week
Even “healthy” food can feel off if your gut can’t ferment it properly.
🎯 That’s why I test the function of your microbiome — not just symptoms.

📍 Online available | Based in Melbourne

Most people focus on what they want to eat…but forget who eats it first: their gut microbes.Your gut microbiome is home ...
01/10/2025

Most people focus on what they want to eat…
but forget who eats it first: their gut microbes.
Your gut microbiome is home to trillions of bacteria — and they’re not just along for the ride.
They turn your food into signals:
🧬 healing short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs)
⚠️ or inflammatory toxins and gases
What you feed them today can impact:
Your digestion
Your bloating, constipation or IBS symptoms
Your energy and mental clarity
Your skin, hormones and mood
Your immune system
💡 It’s not about perfection. It’s about connection.
The food you eat doesn’t just fuel you. It shapes your entire internal ecosystem.
👩‍⚕️ I create gut-smart, personalised plans that support microbial healing — based on testing, not guesswork.

29/09/2025

Your food doesn’t just feed you… it feeds them.”
Most people don’t realise this:
Your food doesn’t just nourish you — it feeds the trillions of microbes living in your gut.
And those microbes?
They’re not just along for the ride — they’re workers.
What you feed them shapes what they do.
🥦 Feed them fibre, plants, ferments?
They create anti-inflammatory compounds that heal your gut and support your energy.
🍩 Feed them junk, sugar, alcohol, stress?
They create gas, toxins, and signals that trigger bloating, brain fog, and food sensitivities.
If your gut feels off, your energy’s low, or you’re reacting to “healthy” foods…
Let’s stop guessing.
Let’s start with the bugs that matter — and what you're feeding them.
👩‍⚕️ I create gut-smart plans using microbiome testing, symptom mapping, and your health history.
It’s not about restriction — it’s about feeding the right bugs, in the right way.

5 Overlooked Causes of Constipation (Beyond Fibre)Adding more fibre isn’t always the fix for constipation.In clinic, I s...
17/09/2025

5 Overlooked Causes of Constipation (Beyond Fibre)

Adding more fibre isn’t always the fix for constipation.
In clinic, I see people eating “perfectly” — and still backed up.
Why? Because constipation is about function, not just food.
5 root causes I check in consults (that often get missed):
✅ Methane SIBO — gas that slows gut transit
✅ Medications — like iron, opioids, antihistamines
✅ Poor Motility - stress, thyroid dysfunction, low vagal tome
✅ Pelvic floor - Poor coordination of pelvic floor muscles
✅ Missed Health Conditions — thyroid, PCOS, endometriosis

If you’re eating well but still going every few days (or straining), don’t just add psyllium.
Look deeper.

📍 Online gut consults — Australia-wide

15/09/2025

Still constipated, even with more fibre

Tried all the fibre tips — chia, flax, psyllium — and still backed up?
Here’s why that’s common in chronic constipation:
🦠 Methane overgrowth slows gut motility
💊 Meds like iron, opioids, or antacids can block you up
🧠 Stress suppresses peristalsis + urge
👀 Pelvic floor dysfunction prevents full release
🧬 Low stomach acid = poor breakdown + bloating
➡ Fibre is helpful — but not magic. Let’s figure out what’s really behind it.

📍 Online consults available Australia-wide

Think your gut’s fine because you go daily?Going every day doesn’t mean your digestion’s working properly.Signs your bow...
14/09/2025

Think your gut’s fine because you go daily?

Going every day doesn’t mean your digestion’s working properly.
Signs your bowel habits aren’t as “normal” as you think:
✔ You wipe forever
✔ It floats or sticks
✔ You feel bloated after
✔ You’re tired after going
✔ It’s tiny, hard or fragmented
That’s not just digestion — that’s your nervous system, gut bacteria, and bile flow asking for help.
🌿 I help you figure out why your gut’s off — and what to do that’s actually evidence-based.
📍 Consults available Australia-wide





Address

Westbury Street, St Kilda East
Melbourne, VIC
3183

Opening Hours

8am - 7pm

Website

https://linktr.ee/lindaspirounaturopath

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