SIBO stands for Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth. The symptoms of SIBO include, gas, bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea/constipation or both, reflux, fatigue, roseaca, food sensitivities and nutritional deficiencies. It is estimated that 80% of people with IBS have SIBO, but as a newly diagnosed disorder most doctors don't even know or think to test for it. SIBO can be caused by antibiotic overuse or low stomach acid or from antacid overuse. It can be brought on after a bout of gastroenteritis from food poisoning or norovirus and it is commonly seen in people with autoimmune diseases, especially Hashimoto's thyroiditis. Quite simply, the small intestine is meant to be free of bacteria, but when bacteria finds it's way there it eats your food, damages your intestine lining and causes the symptoms listest above.
If you have any of the symptoms above, I urge you to ask your gastroenterologist for a SIBO test. It is a simple breath test that measures for hydrogen and methane gases that your body releases through the mouth. Humans are not supposed to breath out hydrogen and methane, so if you are then you have SIBO. Some people only test positive for hydrogen and that group tends to have diarrhea type SIBO. A smaller group tests positive for methane or both hydrogen and methane. That group tends towards reflux and constipation. (Pimental M. 2012)
The good news is, if you test positive for SIBO there are steps you can take to eradicate it. There are pharmaceutical antibiotics that will help get rid of the overgrowth, but they come with side effects. There are also herbal regimens that have proven to be as good as if not better than pharmaceutical antibiotics. (Chedid et. al. 2014) There are also specific dietary recommendations and lifestyle changes that help as well. It is important to remember that SIBO is not bad bacteria, it is regular large intestinal bacteria that is in the wrong location of the small intestine. Taking a probiotic will only feed the SIBO and make your symptoms worse.
A few years ago my daughter battled SIBO after taking antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection. While a gastroenterologist was helpful in diagnosing the SIBO, they didn't really know how to treat her since she had constipation type SIBO and some of the medication used to treat that is dangerous for children to take. I treated her with herbs and sought guidance from SIBO experts. I have since become a SIBO expert myself and now treat people in my practice with SIBO and other gastrointestinal disorders. Please contact me if you would like a consult on this matter. For people in or near New York City, I can work with you in person. If you live elsewhere, I can consult via skype and am happy to coordinate care with your local provider.
References
Chedid V., Dhalla S., Clarke J., Roland, B., Dunbar K., Koh, J., Justino E., Tomakin, E. &
Mullin,G. (May, 2014), Herbal Therapy Is Equivalent to Rifaximin for the Treatment of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, Global Advances in Health and Medicine. Retrieved from, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4030608/
Pimental, M. (June, 2012), Methanogens in Human Health and Disease, from The Journal of
Gastroenterology. Retrieved from, http://www.nature.com/ajgsup/journal/v1/n1/full/ajgsup20126a.html
Porter, R. (2011), The Merck Manual, 19th Edition, page 156-157, Whitehouse Station, NJ,
Merck, Sharp & Dohme Corp.
[email protected]
245 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10016
Copyright 2020 Beth Hooper Health
If you have any of the symptoms above, I urge you to ask your gastroenterologist for a SIBO test. It is a simple breath test that measures for hydrogen and methane gases that your body releases through the mouth. Humans are not supposed to breath out hydrogen and methane, so if you are then you have SIBO. Some people only test positive for hydrogen and that group tends to have diarrhea type SIBO. A smaller group tests positive for methane or both hydrogen and methane. That group tends towards reflux and constipation. (Pimental M. 2012)
The good news is, if you test positive for SIBO there are steps you can take to eradicate it. There are pharmaceutical antibiotics that will help get rid of the overgrowth, but they come with side effects. There are also herbal regimens that have proven to be as good as if not better than pharmaceutical antibiotics. (Chedid et. al. 2014) There are also specific dietary recommendations and lifestyle changes that help as well. It is important to remember that SIBO is not bad bacteria, it is regular large intestinal bacteria that is in the wrong location of the small intestine. Taking a probiotic will only feed the SIBO and make your symptoms worse.
A few years ago my daughter battled SIBO after taking antibiotics for an upper respiratory infection. While a gastroenterologist was helpful in diagnosing the SIBO, they didn't really know how to treat her since she had constipation type SIBO and some of the medication used to treat that is dangerous for children to take. I treated her with herbs and sought guidance from SIBO experts. I have since become a SIBO expert myself and now treat people in my practice with SIBO and other gastrointestinal disorders. Please contact me if you would like a consult on this matter. For people in or near New York City, I can work with you in person. If you live elsewhere, I can consult via skype and am happy to coordinate care with your local provider.
References
Chedid V., Dhalla S., Clarke J., Roland, B., Dunbar K., Koh, J., Justino E., Tomakin, E. &
Mullin,G. (May, 2014), Herbal Therapy Is Equivalent to Rifaximin for the Treatment of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, Global Advances in Health and Medicine. Retrieved from, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4030608/
Pimental, M. (June, 2012), Methanogens in Human Health and Disease, from The Journal of
Gastroenterology. Retrieved from, http://www.nature.com/ajgsup/journal/v1/n1/full/ajgsup20126a.html
Porter, R. (2011), The Merck Manual, 19th Edition, page 156-157, Whitehouse Station, NJ,
Merck, Sharp & Dohme Corp.
[email protected]
245 Fifth Avenue, 3rd Floor, New York, NY 10016
Copyright 2020 Beth Hooper Health