Irritable Bowel syndrome can be debilitating for patients, but more importantly can serve as a precursor to many other chronic illnesses. Patients will often have the classic symptoms of IBS; constipation, diarrhea, bloating or abdominal pain, but not understand the root of these issues.
In a new study from Cedars Sinai, IBS was found to be directly linked to bacterial overgrowth in the gut. Integrative medicine has long recognized bacterial overgrowth as a direct cause of IBS and many IM practitioners frequently screen for dysbiosis, or bacterial overgrowth.
Dysbiosis has its roots in many different functional medicine concepts, including food allergies and intolerances, chemical sensitivities and poor detoxification. At ACHIM, I will often treat dysbiosis with an aggressive leaky gut regimen that includes probiotics, an attempt to improve the overall gut bacterial morphology.
I think the take home message from this study is that bacteria do play a role in IBS. While the study calls for antibiotic treatment, our protocols recommend treating and evaluating the cause of this bacterial overgrowth, while implementing a regimen to restore normal gut bacteria.