Inflammation and SIBO

SIBO is an abnormal number of bacteria in the small intestine that can lead to the following symptoms.

-bloating and increased passing of gas (flatulence)

-diarrhea or constipation

-abdominal pain

-nausea

-fatigue

In more extreme cases, the small intestine may not be able to absorb nutrients. In these situations, you may also experience weight loss and anemia (iron deficiency).

SIBO Treatment Options

Specialists understand that there are different levels and types of SIBO. These distinctions matter when determining the most appropriate treatment. Depending on the extent of your condition, treatment may vary. There are customized treatment plans for:

hydrogen-predominant SIBO: The primary treatment is the antibiotic rifaximin.
methane-predominant SIBO: This type of SIBO is harder to treat, and it may take longer to respond to treatment. Rifaximin plus neomycin are generally used for these cases.
recurrent SIBO: Monitoring your diet can reduce the risk recurrence of SIBO. Antimicrobial herbs are generally helpful and can be used to treat recurrences of SIBO and as an alternative for initial treatment of hydrogen- or methane-predominant SIBO.

There are medications that your doctor can prescribe to help treat SIBO, however these medications tend to have many side effects and risk further damaging your gut lining.

So before trying medications, you'll want to get diagnostic testing to ensure what form of SIBO you have, and you'll want to try to treat it as naturally as possible.

1. You'll want to follow a low FODMAP diet.

2. There are antimicrobial herbs that can be used to clear out any overgrowth like:

- Amy Myers MD Micro Clear

- Primal Earth Probiotics, as these can clear the small intestine and help heal the large intestine.

- Coconut Charcoal, as this can help clear out the excess bacteria and bind up the toxic waste products caused by the bacterial overgrowth. This can help calm down symptoms from the SIBO. The coconut is also gentle enough, while leaving beneficial enzymes that helps the gut. If you can not tolerate coconut charcoal, you can substitute it with regular activated charcoal.

3. You can follow a strict Water diet to help starve out the bacteria. If you're not feeding it, they will die off. However, this should never go more than 7 days and under doctor supervision.

Those with adrenal fatigue may need to find a better alternative or prepare for it first. You'll need direct doctor supervision during the process. Black licorice root (especially the Chinese version- Glycyrrhiza Uralensis ) seems to be the most beneficial in helping overcome adrenal fatigue. The western version, as I have been told by many, is a little harsher where the Chinese version is much gentler on them and more beneficial in healing their adrenal fatigue.

You'll also want to look into the cause behind what caused your SIBO in the first place.

The liver filters your entire volume of blood 7 times an hour. Those toxins are then filtered into the gallbladder. So your gallbladder is filled with basically a "toxic soup" make up of bile, cholesterol, fats, and salts (and any chemicals your liver pulled out). Keeping your gallbladder in check (through proper diet and nutrients) is one of the first defenses to helping keep your gut in check.

There are certain conditons that can raise your SIBO risk. One of them being the MTHFR gene mutation, as it directly affects the gall bladder. If the gallbladder isn't able to effectively do its job, the bile inside the gallbladder can go from being like a runny "dish soap" to a molasses type fluid. This dish soap type action is what helps keep the microbiome in check and clears away any germs, pathogens or bacteria overgrowth growing in your intestines. However, when you're methyl cycles run out, your body will start burning sugar in order to keep you going and keep the processes running in the body. When this happens, the burning of sugar turns the gallbladder bile from a dish soap to molasses.

If that 'molasses' starts to dehydrate, then that's when the formation of gallstones begins to occur.

(For more information on Gallbladder health please see "Inflammation and the Gallbladder")

But there are other conditions that can help lead to SIBO issues as well.

What are SIBO risk factors?

Structural or anatomic abnormalities may affect normal movement of the small intestine (motility). Stasis, or lack of movement, can lead to bacterial imbalance. This can occur if you:

Have diverticulosis — tiny bulging pouches (diverticula) in the small intestine
Had surgery that changed the small intestine’s structure, such as Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, or surgery on the right colon with removal of the ileocecal valve, or surgery on the last part of the small bowel.
Have adhesions (scar tissue) that developed after radiation therapy or after multiple abdominal surgeries
Have amyloidosis (a buildup of amyloid protein deposits) — deposits can accumulate in the small intestine and change its structure

Use of certain medications could be linked to SIBO. These include:

Narcotic medications
Anti-spasm medications for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), such as hyoscyamine or dicyclomine
Long-term use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) — medications that decrease acid in the stomach to control heartburn
Frequent use of antibiotics, which may alter the bacteria in the small bowel

Chronic systemic conditions can cause motility issues. If you have these conditions, you may be at a higher risk for SIBO:

Diabetes
Lupus
Scleroderma or connective tissue disorders

Having a lowered immune system. This includes those who have:

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
Immunoglobulin A deficiency
Combined variable immunodeficiency

SIBO Diagnostic Procedures

Gastroenterologists (doctors who specialize in the digestive system) diagnose SIBO with a lactulose breath test. For the test, you will swallow a drink containing the sugar lactulose. Next, you will breathe into a balloon approximately every 15 minutes over the course of three hours. Each time, they remove the breath sample from the balloon and test it. SIBO may be present if your breath sample contains hydrogen or methane shortly after drinking the solution.

Also a complete stool testing kit with, organic acids test, and SIBO test.

If previous attempts have failed to combat suspected SIBO have failed, you may be referred to specialist in order to follow a very specific SIBO Treatment Plan. This plan will help you to rid the SIBO by getting to the root causes that caused your SIBO issues in the first place.

There are many causes that can contribute to SIBO, and the specialists will follow a type of Checklist to determine that root cause.

As always, use discernment when trying to new medications and try to heal the problem at the root cause or as naturally as possible. However, do not delay treatment.

Love and Light,

Happy Healing