SIBO Solutions

15 Jul 2019


Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth or SIBO, is a condition that can be minor or have debilitating symptoms. Most commonly, doctors will prescribe a type of antibiotic to eliminate overgrown bacteria. What happens when the patients SIBO arise again after a round of antibiotics?

SIBO isn’t a “quick fix” condition

Western conventional medicine, in a nutshell, is all about eliminating symptoms via drugs rather than getting to the root cause of your illness. Doctors are trained to have this mentality of “fast medicine” without digging in deeper. Especially when the patients have dysbiosis gut issues with no known cause. There are times and places for conventional when dealing with conditions that need life-saving medical attention. Saying this, SIBO is a chronic disorder and can have several puzzle pieces.

Risks for developing SIBO

Though antibiotics work for some people, “However, studies show that despite treatment with antibiotics, recurrence develops in almost half of all patients within one year,” according to KresserInstitute. In the article, it states that SIBO is complex and there are risk factors for it such as
Low stomach acid
Irritable bowel syndrome
Celiac disease (long-standing)
Crohn’s disease
bowel surgery
Diabetes mellitus (type I and type II)
Multiple courses of antibiotics

Organ system dysfunction, such as liver cirrhosis, chronic pancreatitis, or renal failure

The only logical way to heal SIBO is to correct the underlying cause. This tactic is tedious since some of these conditions are chronic. Some studies say that 80% of IBS suffers have SIBO. If your digestive system is already compromised, it creates a habitable place for bacteria to multiply

Antibiotics are a bandage solution because professionals are not looking deeper on why their patient has SIBO in the first place. Antibiotics are a good step in the right direction, but addressing the issue as a whole is ideal. By treating the underlying condition to one’s SIBO, the problem will dissipate faster.

Being conventional and functional

Being completely natural or only relying on medicine is inadequate for any medical diagnosis. A balanced path for healing is taking antibiotics but also getting advice from a functional doctor. A naturopath would suggest diet and lifestyle changes to reduce the chance of a relapse after the round of antibiotics is finished.

Basic diet reminders for SIBO

It is a well-known diet is very important when recovering from SIBO. Bacteria in the gut thrive off of some FODMAPs. According to Medical News Today, “FODMAPs are short-chain carbohydrates that are commonly present in dairy products, grains, and certain fruits and vegetables. Reducing the intake of these foods may relieve the symptoms of SIBO and help people identify the foods that trigger them.” Though, not all high FODMAP foods can cause digestive issues.

Herbal supplements

NCBI has stated, “Herbal therapies are at least as effective as rifaximin for resolution of SIBO…” With a big source hyping up herbal supplements for SIB, which ones seem to work the best? Verywell health suggests that herbal antimicrobials used to treat bacterial overgrowth may include:

Grapefruit seed extract: for people who don’t like taking capsules, grapefruit seed extract can be found in liquid form. Add a few drops to a glass of water and drink in between meals
Oregano oil capsules
Garlic
Berberine: goldenseal, Oregon grape
Olive leaf extract
Pau d’arco

Mental health connected with SIBO

A patient can take fix up their diet perfectly and take a hand full of herbal supplements, but there is a silent killer… stress. Mental stress can inhibit gastric acid production. Without a sufficient amount of stomach acid, the process of breaking down digested bacteria is harder before it can reach the small intestine. Furthermore, Kresserinstitue suggests,

Stress hormones favor the growth of pathogenic bacteria. Catecholamines, which include epinephrine and norepinephrine, enhance bacterial attachment to host tissues and affect the growth and virulence of bacteria. (10) Stress also enhances general susceptibility to infection. (11) These findings represent another important link between stress and the risk of SIBO.

Overall, SIBO is a complex condition and most conventional physicians do not grasp it 100%. SIBO is a result of an underlying problem with countless pieces to achieve full recovery. SIBO is curable and practicing conventional and functional tactics

  

Laura Gamble

My name is Laura Gamble and I enjoy dancing, hiking, and making healthy food. But, my “friend” of about two years, IBS (c), has held me back sometimes. At the prime age of 17, I have gone through countless, treatment plans, ER trips, doctors appointments, claimed “IBS miracle diets”, and battled with mental health issues sourced from my IBS. Despite all of my hardships, I have figured out what works the best for me physically and mentally. Though IBS is claimed to have 200000 cases in the US alone, there needs to be more advocacy and places for people to turn to when in need. My goal is to share my story, my IBS hacks, and full support to teens and adults experiencing similar issues.

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