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Your gut health matters.
Your gut health matters.
Your gut does much more than digest food. It helps your body absorb nutrients, supports immune function, and communicates with other systems in the body.
Gut health is influenced by many factors, including how your digestive system functions, your diet, medications, the immune system, and the microorganisms living in your intestine.
These microorganisms make up your gut microbiome. Understanding how they interact with the body is an important part of modern gut health research.
At The Gut Instinct, we use microbiology and translational science to help people better understand gut health, interpret relevant findings, and explore person-centric approaches to their concerns.
Digestion and nutrient absorbtion
Digestion and nutrient absorbtion
Your digestive system breaks down food and absorbs the nutrients your body needs to function.
Changes in digestion can affect bowel habits, abdominal comfort, and how well you tolerate different foods. Understanding these patterns is an important first step in exploring gut health.
The Gut and Immune System
The Gut and Immune System
The intestine is an important part of your immune system. Its lining acts as a protective barrier, while immune cells and resident microorganisms interact with one another.
These interactions help maintain the gut's internal environment. Understanding them can offer useful context when exploring digestive and immune health.
The Gut, Brain and Nervous System
The Gut, Brain and Nervous System
Your gut and brain communicate through nerves, hormones, and immune signals. This two-way connection is often called the gut–brain axis.
It helps explain why stress can influence digestion and why gut discomfort can affect how you feel.
The nervous system regulates digestion, while signals travelling from the gut to the brain influence stress responses, mood, and emotional wellbeing. The gut microbiome contributes to this communication by interacting with the nervous, immune, and hormonal systems.
Your health is interconnected. However, gut symptoms do not automatically mean that your microbiome is imbalanced. A thoughtful approach considers digestive function, lifestyle, medications, immune activity, and the wider health picture.
What shapes your gut health?
What shapes your gut health?
Your gut health reflects the interaction between your body, your environment, and your gut microorganisms. These influences shape digestive function and change over time.
Diet and lifestyle
Food, fibre, sleep, physical activity, and stress influence digestion and the gut microbiome.
Medications and health
Antibiotics, other medications, infections, and health conditions can alter gut function and microbial communities.
Your individual history
Age, early-life exposures, and previous illnesses contribute to differences in gut health between people.
Your body's internal environment
Gut movement, immune activity, digestive secretions, and the intestinal lining shape how the gut functions and which microorganisms thrive.
Are you experiencing any of these?
Are you experiencing any of these?
Digestive disorders: IBS, IBD, SIBO, chronic bloating, constipation, diarrhoea, acid reflux, GERD.
Skin conditions: Acne, eczema, psoriasis, rosacea.
Metabolic health: Insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, obesity, fatty liver (MASLD), PMOS.
Immune & inflammatory conditions: Autoimmune disorders, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, recurrent infections, chronic inflammation or pain.
Gut–brain health: Anxiety, low mood, brain fog, poor sleep, stress-related digestive symptoms.
Food & microbiome concerns: Food intolerances, lactose intolerance, gut dysbiosis, post-antibiotic gut changes, microbiome test interpretation.
These concerns can have multiple drivers. Addressing gut health is an important part of recovery, management and remission.
Personalised consultations, wherever you are.
Personalised consultations, wherever you are.
Whether you're based in Pune, Mumbai, or elsewhere in the world, The Gut Instinct offers personalised microbiome-focused consultations tailored to your health concerns and individual needs.
In-clinic consultations
In-clinic consultations
Meet in Pune or book an in-person consultation during scheduled visits to Mumbai.
Global online consultations
Global online consultations
Access consultations remotely, wherever you are, subject to applicable professional and regulatory requirements.
Individualised guidance
Individualised guidance
From understanding persistent digestive concerns to interpreting relevant microbiome findings, each consultation begins with your health history, priorities, and goals.
Consultation fees vary by location, service, and consultation format.
Get in touch to enquire about availability and pricing.
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions
FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the gut microbiome?
What is the gut microbiome?
The gut microbiome is the community of bacteria, fungi, viruses, and other microorganisms living in your digestive tract. These microbes interact with your body in ways that influence digestion, nutrient metabolism, immune function, and the intestinal barrier. Your microbiome is shaped by factors such as diet, medication, sleep, stress, lifestyle, and environment. Understanding these interactions can offer another perspective on digestive symptoms and wider health concerns.
How can microbiome-focused recommendations help?
How can microbiome-focused recommendations help?
Your recommendations are tailored to your symptoms, health history, lifestyle, and individual needs. Depending on your case, they may include dietary and lifestyle adjustments, targeted probiotics, supplementation, and interpretation of relevant investigations. The aim is to address contributing factors, support normal physiological function, and develop a practical plan suited to you.
Do I need a microbiome test before booking a consultation?
Do I need a microbiome test before booking a consultation?
No. A consultation begins with understanding your symptoms, health history, and existing investigations. Microbiome testing is considered only when it may provide useful information. If testing is appropriate, it can be coordinated through external providers, with the findings interpreted in the context of your overall health.
Are the recommendations safe to follow alongside my existing treatment?
Are the recommendations safe to follow alongside my existing treatment?
Recommendations are individualized to your health history and circumstances. Dietary changes, probiotics, and supplements can have contraindications or interact with medications, so your existing treatments and relevant medical conditions are taken into account. Where needed, coordination with your treating physician or another qualified healthcare professional is recommended. Do not discontinue prescribed medication based on a consultation.
How long does it take to notice a difference?
How long does it take to notice a difference?
This depends on your symptoms, underlying factors, overall health, and response to the recommendations. Some people notice changes within a few weeks, while others need longer. Progress is reviewed over time so that recommendations can be adjusted based on your response. There is no fixed timeline or guaranteed outcome.
Do you work with existing medical diagnoses?
Do you work with existing medical diagnoses?
Yes. Microbiome-focused consultations can complement the management of diagnosed conditions by exploring relevant biological, lifestyle, and digestive factors. This approach does not replace medical diagnosis or treatment. Where appropriate, collaboration with your existing healthcare team can help keep recommendations aligned with your care.
Is this the same as nutrition counselling or medical treatment?
Is this the same as nutrition counselling or medical treatment?
No. The Gut Instinct focuses on the gut microbiome and its interactions with wider biological systems, drawing on microbiome science, translational biology, and functional medicine principles. It is distinct from conventional medical diagnosis and treatment, and from general nutrition counselling. Recommendations are developed within the scope of the service and may complement care provided by qualified medical professionals.
Meet your consultant
Meet your consultant
Hrishikesh Deshpande
Hrishikesh Deshpande
Clinical Microbiome and Gut Health Specialist
Clinical Microbiome and Gut Health Specialist
I’m a Microbiologist specialising in Translational Biology, with academic training in Microbiology and Bioinformatics and a multidisciplinary experiential background spanning clinical genetics, infectious diseases, psychology, nutrition, oncology, and gynaecology.
At The Gut Instinct, I use microbiome science and functional approaches to explore the complex relationship between the gut and human health.
I believe scientific understanding should translate into practical, sustainable strategies. Through my work, I aim to help people make more informed decisions about their health.
Contact Information
Contact Information
For Consults- Subject : Online/ In-Person Consultation
For Healthcare Providers- Subject: Referral/Collab
Email: info@thegutinstinct.org
WhatsApp : +91 8484808119
The Gut Instinct
Pune, India.
Pune, India.
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