There is still little evidence for the effect of probiotics in the form we know of medicines such as antibiotics. A bacterium is not a dead matter like a medicine, but a living organism that reacts depending on its environment – and it differs from person to person. Therefore, the usual drug research in many cases does not work well with microbiome therapy.

Research into individual effects and individual therapies is complicated and not very common yet. Probiotics are also relatively new in the medical field in the Netherlands. In other countries it is much further. Because the Microbiome Center is internationally oriented, we benefit from this worldwide development. For countless bacterial species, it is becoming increasingly known which functions they have and in which – personal – circumstances they can lead to a therapeutic effect.

That is why the Microbiome Center works with tailor-made treatment, so different for each individual. The measurement and proof of whether the personal therapy works also takes place on an individual basis. That is the kind of evidence that is ultimately most relevant to you as an individual. The doctors who apply that principle have joined the Microbiome Center and are able to provide you with a tailor-made examination and treatment.

Each bacterial strain has certain properties with which it can be used in the treatment of health problems. What works differs from person to person because everyone has a unique intestinal flora. Probiotics must therefore match your individual complaint pattern and the individual flora in your intestines. The chance that the bacteria you need now will occur exactly in a standard commercial product is therefore not great.

It is also worth remembering that the term “probiotics” is as broad as “drugs”. If you’ve tried one headache medicine and it doesn’t work, you won’t be likely to say that drugs never work. Another drug may work very well. In the same way, another probiotic can have a different effect.

It is therefore best to estimate with your doctor whether an effect can be achieved in your case. In that case, having a microbiome analysis done is a sensible step, because then you know what your body needs.

Many bacterial species are processed in MyOwnBlend, and this is always a selection of the types that are most effective, especially in combination with each other . The best varieties are used worldwide. Several of these are not available in shops or online stores in the Netherlands. In addition, MyOwnBlend can also contain other active substances that are usually not or only present in low doses in standard probiotic products. All this is possible through the supervision of a doctor and pharmacist. And we continuously work on improving and expanding the range.

MyOwnBlend thus differs from common products because it is tailor-made for you, because it always contains the world’s best strains, because the dosage is higher than most standard products, and because it is prepared by hand by the pharmacist.

If the analysis has been carried out at a qualitatively good laboratory, it is quite possible that it provides sufficient insight for starting a personal treatment. It may also be that insufficient analyzes have been carried out, or that the result is insufficiently useful. It is best to have this assessed by the doctor with whom you start treatment.

If you start using probiotics and / or prebiotics, there may be an increase in your abdominal complaints. That means there are important changes going on in your microbiome. It can be bloating, flatulence and sometimes mild stomach cramps. These complaints usually disappear within a few days.

There is hardly ever cause for concern, because there are hardly any side effects from probiotics. If your additional symptoms do not disappear quickly enough to your liking, please talk to your doctor. It may be advisable to build up the dosage a little more slowly, but there may also be reasons to increase the dosage properly.

With a new or subsequent recipe, the production costs are the same as with the first recipe, so is the price of the product.

To give an impression: on average, the costs of a treatment amount to approximately € 250 for the faecal analysis and € 250 for MyOwnBlend, the individual prescription. If you receive the treatment from your general practitioner or from a specialist to whom your general practitioner has referred you, there are no further consultation costs – but they may be there if you go to a fairly established doctor. You can check this with the doctor in advance.

– all larger health insurers carry out one or more supplementary policies with scope for reimbursement of “alternative medicine”
– the total reimbursement available per year increases with more expensive policies
– often a registered doctor is mentioned as a requirement
– medicines are in principle excluded.

This means that clients who have the correct supplementary policy and who have not made up their reimbursement allowance can probably count on reimbursement of the costs for consultation and pre-faecal analysis, and not for medication costs.

If you want more certainty, we recommend that you check with your health insurer. Have your policy number ready, as the answers to your questions will be determined by your policy and how much such expenses you have previously claimed this year.

Healthcare costs that are not reimbursed and that are incurred on the advice of a registered doctor can also be set off against your income tax as “special medical expenses”. Ask your treating doctor for a letter confirming this to you. You can base your settlement on this letter.