Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, usually called SIBO, is a condition that can cause significant and ongoing digestive pain. SIBO occurs because bacteria in the small intestine become unbalanced and interfere with the processing and digestion of food. Abdominal discomfort is a common symptom, but there are many others.
It’s normal to have low levels bacteria in the small intestine, but when populations become excessive, problems occur. Normally, most of the bacteria in your digestive system are located in the colon.
You’ll also hear SIBO called Small Bowel Bacterial Overgrowth. This seems confusing, but some people call the small intestine the small bowel. In any case, it’s the part of your digestive system that connects your stomach with your large intestine and colon.
What Causes Bacterial Overgrowth?
SIBO occurs often in people who have been diagnosed with IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), and is common in individuals with damage to the nerves or muscles of the stomach area. Diabetes is an example of a condition that can cause this type of damage. There can be other contributing factors, including medications. Low stomach acid production can be a large contributor to the development of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth, because normally your stomach acid helps control the populations of bacteria in your upper gastrointestinal tract.
What Does SIBO Do To My Digestion?
Normally, your small intestine’s main function is to extract nutrients from the food you eat. When bacteria in your small intestine become overabundant or unbalanced, they cause production of gas where it shouldn’t be, and also interfere with the effective absorption of nutrients – particularly iron and fat-soluble vitamins such as vitamins A, D, E and K. Over time, deficiencies in nutrients or malnutrition can help create other health issues.
Digestive Pain And Other Symptoms of SIBO
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth can result in any of the following symptoms:
- digestive pain or cramps
- chronic gas
- joint pain
- weight loss
- food intolerances
Diagnosis of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth
Diagnosing SIBO is done with a simple breath test performed over 3 hours. The results give an indication, not only of the existance of bacterial overgrowth, but help indicate the type of treatment that will be most effective. The good news is that herbal medicines in combination with diet is as effective as antibiotics.
Resolving Digestive Pain With Herbal Treatment
Antibiotics called Xifaxan or Rifaximin are common treatments for SIBO, but research has shown that herbal treatments can be equally, or perhaps even more effective. In a study at John’s Hopkins and the University of Pittsburgh natural treatment for SIBO using herbal antimicrobial supplements was as effective as the conventional SIBO antibiotics.
In the study, a group of 104 patients who tested positive for newly diagnosed SIBO took either a standard, high dose of antibiotic or a herbal supplement protocol. Of the patients who received herbal therapy, 46 percent showed no evidence of SIBO on follow up testing compared to 34 percent of rifaximin users. The study also showed no signficant adverse sideeffects among the herbal treatment patients, while significant side effects were experienced by some of the antibiotic patients.
The Hong Kong Gut Health Centre is part of our integrative practice. We take gut health very seriously, as it’s so important to reducing inflammatory disease and maintaining vibrant good health.
We treat SIBO with a combination of herbal therapies and temporary dietary changes known as a low FODMAP diet, or FODMAP elimination diet. Daily probiotics can also help once initial treatment is completed. We believe this is the most effective way to resolve SIBO and reduce its chances of reoccurance. Our patients feel better with this protocol and experience relief from digestive pain and other symptoms quite quickly.