The Russian scientist Elie Metchnikoff (1845 – 1916) popularized the idea of “Dys-symbiosis” or “Dysbiosis,” describing an imbalance in the microecology of the digestive tract. When the microbial balance of the gut is disturbed, opportunistic, or “bad”, bacteria can overgrow and mitigate the effects of the “good”, predominant bacteria needed for a healthy gut.