Melbourne Functional Medicine

24/11/2025

You’ve heard of SIBO, but how do you know if that’s what’s actually behind your bloating, or if it’s simply your digestion under stress? Both can leave you gassy, distended, and uncomfortable but they’re driven by very different mechanisms.

For many people, bloating is simply a sign that digestion is under pressure: rushed meals, stress, dehydration, or foods that ferment easily.

This type of bloating comes and goes. It often improves with a walk, a bowel motion, slowing down at mealtimes, or a good night’s sleep.

But when bloating becomes persistent, intense, or predictable, it can point to something deeper.

Understanding the difference matters. It helps you avoid unnecessary restriction, guesswork, or jumping from supplement to supplement in search of relief.

At Melbourne Functional Medicine, we help you decode what your symptoms are telling you, so you can support your digestion in a way that truly fits your body.

Learn more in our article: SIBO or just bloating? How to tell the difference

https://mfm.au/blog/sibo-or-just-bloating-how-to-tell-the-difference/

09/11/2025

Not all advice is created equal. The best person to review your supplements is someone who:

- Has training in functional medicine and nutritional biochemistry

- Considers your whole health history, labs, and medications

- Provides access to practitioner-grade products you can trust

At Melbourne Functional Medicine, our experts bring all of this together in the Supplement Stack Review, so you leave with clarity and confidence that your plan is safe, targeted, and high quality.

Book a Supplement Stack Today: https://optimise.mfm.au/services/supplement-stack-review/

05/11/2025

Most people take supplements without really knowing if they’re working – or even if they’re safe.

Breakfast can quickly turn into a handful of pills, often chosen based on marketing, influencers, or guesswork.

The truth is, not all supplements are created equal. Dosage, form, and quality make a huge difference in whether they support your health or simply pass through without benefit. Too much of the wrong form can even backfire.

That’s why at Melbourne Functional Medicine we take a different approach. Instead of guessing, we use testing, lab results, and your personal health goals to guide supplement choices. Practitioner-grade products, careful dosage, and regular reviews mean your supplements are:
✅ Safe
✅ Effective
✅ Aligned with your biology and goals

The goal isn’t to take more – it’s to take what matters. With the right guidance, supplementation becomes a catalyst for progress, not just another expensive habit.

Want to optimise your stack? Book a Supplement Stack Review today: https://optimise.mfm.au/services/supplement-stack-review/

02/11/2025

How often should you review your supplements?

Your health is constantly evolving. Which means your supplement plan should evolve too. Even within a single year, a lot can shift:

- Goals change – what supported peak performance might not serve you during recovery or stress
Medications change – altering how nutrients are absorbed or metabolised
- Life phases change – perimenopause, a new job, illness recovery, all bring new demands
- Labs change – biomarkers may show progress in one area while highlighting new priorities elsewhere

That’s why a regular review is so important.

Supplements should work with your body, not against it. The smartest investment is keeping them updated as you change.

Want to optimise your stack? Book a Supplement Stack Review today: https://optimise.mfm.au/services/supplement-stack-review/

29/10/2025

AI is like a well-read intern: it’s fast, enthusiastic, and has skimmed thousands of research papers, but it hasn’t met you.

Tools like ChatGPT can be useful but here’s the limitation: AI falls down in integrating your lab results, genetics, and health history. It will often confidently and convincingly miss the nuances that make a supplement safe, or not effective, or, not fit for YOU.

Work with Melbourne Functional Medicine to get personalised and objective with your supplement stack. Book a Supplement Stack Review today: https://optimise.mfm.au/services/supplement-stack-review/

26/10/2025

Did you know the food on your plate today isn’t as nutrient-rich as it once was?

Compared to 50–70 years ago, our fruits and vegetables now contain:

▪️ Up to 76% less copper
▪️ Nearly 50% less iron
▪️ Around 20% less magnesium

Soil depletion, intensive farming, and food processing have quietly stripped essential minerals like zinc and selenium from our diets.

These nutrients are critical for energy production, immune resilience, hormone balance, and repair.

This means even if you’re eating a colourful, whole-food diet, you may still be falling short on the micronutrients your body has evolved to depend on.

That’s where strategic supplementation comes in.

When chosen carefully (with a professional and based on your biology, lifestyle, and goals)supplements can bridge those nutrient gaps and help your body perform at its best.

Not more pills. Just the right ones for you.

Book a supplementation review session today: https://optimise.mfm.au/services/supplement-stack-review/

22/10/2025

We've worked with thousands of patients to reclaim and optimise their health. Here's the most common questions we get asked about supplementation...

Got questions of your own? Book a Supplement Review Session today with one of our supplementation experts: https://optimise.mfm.au/services/supplement-stack-review/

19/10/2025

Supplements can be powerful tools when they’re chosen strategically, with precision. The right ones can accelerate progress; the wrong ones can waste money, adding no benefit, or even creating risk. ⁠
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That’s why professional guidance makes all the difference.⁠
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At Melbourne Functional Medicine, our Supplement Stack Review gives you clarity and confidence. Whether you already have a shelf full of bottles or you’re starting fresh, the process helps you:⁠
⁠
- Align supplements with your health goals⁠
- Check for safety and interactions⁠
- Eliminate redundancy and unnecessary products⁠
- Optimise dosages for effectiveness without excess⁠
- Ensure you’re using high-quality, practitioner-grade products⁠
⁠
You leave with a stack that’s safe, purposeful, and worth the investment.⁠
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If you’re starting new, we often begin with comprehensive testing - genetics, blood work, biomarkers, to map exactly what your body needs before adding anything in.⁠
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Because when it comes to supplementation, guessing isn’t good enough. Testing, tailoring, and professional oversight are what turn supplements from “just pills” into a catalyst for real change.⁠
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🔗Book here: https://optimise.mfm.au/services/supplement-stack-review/

11/10/2025

Sleep isn’t just downtime – it’s a key pillar of health, performance, and longevity.

This guide by optimisation expert Mark Payne dives into strategies you can use to upgrade your sleep – from simple daily habits to next-level tech and tracking tools. If you're curious about what really works (and why), this one’s for you.

https://optimise.mfm.au/blog/biohacking-sleep/

Discover how biohacking sleep can improve health, boost longevity, and optimise recovery with sleep hygiene, tracking, and science-backed strategies.

04/10/2025

What if the right kind of stress could actually make you healthier?

Fasting. Cold plunges. Heat. Hypoxia. These aren’t just biohacking fads - they’re evidence-backed tools that trigger your body’s repair and resilience systems.

In this article, Mark Payne breaks down how hormetic stress works, how to dose it safely, and why it could be a game-changer for your immunity, cognition, metabolism, and healthspan.

Learn how to use stress, strategically at:

https://optimise.mfm.au/blog/hormesis-using-controlled-stress/

Learn how controlled stress like fasting, heat & cold exposure can sharpen your body and mind, improve resilience, and extend your healthspan.

27/09/2025

Persistent gut issues, brain fog, or inflammation, but your dental check-ups are always “fine”?

The oral microbiome could be the missing link.

What’s living in your mouth influences your gut, immune function, nitric oxide, even your risk of cognitive or cardiovascular disease, long before symptoms appear.

Here’s why oral microbiome testing is a powerful tool for chronic health investigations and optimisation:

https://optimise.mfm.au/blog/oral-microbiome-testing/

Discover how oral microbiome mapping can reveal hidden inflammation and unlock new strategies for longevity, performance, and health optimisation.