Healing SIBO
When it comes to gut health there is a lot of conflicting information online. Health starts in the gut and a diverse microbiome is crucial to an energetic life. You may begin to take probiotics, eat more fiber, and avoid antibiotics.
Although that may sound like solid advice, if you have SIBO, small intestine bacterial overgrowth, these practices may make you feel worse. Don’t fret there is a reason and a solution.
Before reading on please keep in mind that this blog post is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, treatment, or diagnosis.
What is SIBO?
Small intestine bacterial overgrowth, aka SIBO, is when there is more bacteria in your small intestine than should be there. This bacteria could be “bad” bacteria but it could also be beneficial bacteria that belong in your large intestines but have mitigated to the wrong section of your digestive tract.
The problem with SIBO is it can cause inflammation in the gut and eventually can cause a leaky gut. A leaky gut can be a root cause of many common health issues like skin issues, anxiety issues, depression, autoimmune issues, hormone imbalance, food allergies, etc. It is important to get tested, find the root cause of your SIBO, and fix it. Some people with autoimmune diseases may be more prone to SIBO as well.
There are two main types of SIBO, hydrogen, and methane. Typically people have one or the other but there are chances where someone can have both. Hydrogen gas is released from bacteria in the small intestines, whereas methane gas is released from an organism called archaea. When testing for SIBO it is important to get both tests done before moving forward with a protocol.
Root Causes of SIBO:
Years of chronic dieting
Low stomach acid and digestive enzymes
Stress and anxiety
Inflammatory diets
Medications that reduce gut motility and antibiotics
Heavy metal toxicity
Insulin resistance
Food poisoning
Poor Mitigating Motor Complex (MMC)
What are SIBO Symptoms?
The biggest problem with SIBO that I see is the symptoms are common symptoms for other digestive issues. The most obvious symptoms of SIBO are:
Painful gas and bloating
This can be worse after eating fruits and veggies, prebiotics, fermented foods, or probiotics
Indigestion
However, more symptoms can lead to SIBO or even be caused by it such as:
Leaky gut
Skin conditions such as acne and eczema
Hormone imbalances (SIBO is more prevalent in women with endometriosis)
Immune system dysfunction
Nutritional deficiency
Histamine intolerance
IBS
Diarrhea
Constipation
It can be confusing to try and self-diagnose when there are many different symptoms. Other conditions aren't SIBO-related that can cause the above symptoms. Testing is important for this reason exactly.
SIBO Testing
The most accurate and cost-friendly SIBO tests are breath tests. As mentioned earlier, it is important to get tested on both hydrogen and methane to get an accurate representation of what is going in your gut. If you just get tested for hydrogen and your results come back negative, it does not mean that there are no archaea present. Archaea eat hydrogen in the gut and turn it into methane, so they “hide” the hydrogen the bacteria are producing.
The hydrogen breath test will measure the presence of hydrogen-producing bacteria in the small intestines, while the methane breath test will measure the presence of methane-producing archaea.
The lactulose breath test is a 3-hour test that tests for both hydrogen and methane. There is also a 60-minute glucose test, but I don't find that test to be very accurate since it takes time for gases to travel from your intestines and out through your lungs. The lactulose breath tests require a 12-hour fast and a special diet for accurate results. It can be requested by your practitioner and taken at home. If you are seeking holistic care for your SIBO needs then I am also happy to help and run these tests for you. You can apply to work with me here.
Treating SIBO
Once you have confirmed that you have SIBO and which kind then weigh out your treatment options. The conventional approach utilizes antibiotics (Rifaximin is the most common), while the holistic methods utilize lifestyle and diet changes with herbal antibiotics. Archaea are resistant to conventional antibiotics and SIBO also has a very high rate of recurrence when addressed with just antibiotics alone.
Clinical studies have found that natural antimicrobial approaches are equal to or in many cases more effective than conventional antibiotics.
Sylvie McCracken, author of The SIBO Solution agrees and says:
“By contrast, herbs are made up of many compounds. For example, garlic (which is one of the best-known natural antibiotics) contains dozens of compounds. All of these compounds work together and can attack bacteria on multiple levels. It is much harder for bacteria to adapt to herbal antibiotics because of how complex the herbs’ structures are.”
A special diet also helps decrease bacteria overgrowth while going through a SIBO protocol. Some individuals with severe cases may start with an elemental liquid diet or an Ayurvedic gradualism diet. This is to “starve” out the bacteria and does not consist of many fruits, vegetables, fermented foods, and foods high in resistant starch and inulin. A low fodmap diet or an SCD diet may also be a good option.
Once tests verify that the SIBO is gone, it is essential to focus on restoring the gut flora by introducing fermented foods, prebiotics, and a probiotic.
It typically takes 5 weeks to treat SIBO, depending on the route you choose.
SIBO Prevention
Finding the root causes of SIBO is essential to prevent it from coming back. If SIBO was caused by inflammation then changes need to be made to diet and lifestyle. If the cause was due to low stomach acid and digestive enzymes then supplementation may be needed. If the internal terrain is not addressed then the bacteria are likely to regrow. A good preventative approach is:
Stress reduction / management
An anti-inflammatory diet that is also blood sugar friendly
Increase in digestive enzymes through the use of bitters and increasing minerals
Decreases use of unnecessary medications
Supporting detox organs
If leaky gut is the root cause of your SIBO then healing leaky gut through proper gut-healing foods, supplements, and herbs may be needed.
Need help?
If you would like to run a SIBO 3-hour breath test then schedule an appointment with me and together we can test and create a SIBO protocol that works for you, if SIBO is positive.