SIBO or Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth is an issue in many individuals. With SIBO, many patients experience IBS as well. Over ⅔ of SIBO cases are chronic and long-term treatment is needed. Individuals suffering with SIBO experience bloating, headaches, fatigue, and more.
SIBO is diagnosed best with a 3 hours lactose breath test. The 3 hour test is most effective as it determines if the SIBO if methane or hydrogen based, which impacts treatment plans. Patients who have SIBO along with constipation typically have methane-based SIBO. Methane SIBO is harder to kill as the bacteria tends to get aggravated and there is not as many known medications to trigger methane SIBO.
Throughout SIBO treatment, it is not uncommon for symptoms to get worse before they get better. This does not mean the treatment is failing but is most often linked to “die-off”. Die-off of the SIBO bacteria causes individuals to have symptoms such as extreme fatigue, worsening of bloating, flu-like feelings, and upper-respiratory infection symptoms.
Once the treatment plan of SIBO is complete, it is crucial that patients immediately start a prokinetic to reduce relapse probability. Additionally, each patient needs to get re-tested to see if another round is needed or if a different treatment plan needs to be considered. With SIBO, two rounds of treatment has been proven most effective.
Diet
For the most symptom relief, patients find a diet to be an essential factor. However, every individual has sensitivities and reactions to specific foods. Although each patient has SIBO there is no one diet fits all. All diets for SIBO are centered around a low carb method. Foods that include carbs are:
- Fruits
- Vegetables
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Beans
- Sugars
- Milk
The most effective diets work off of foods with low amounts of carbohydrates mentioned above. There are four diets to choose from. These four diets are to be modified to fit each patient:
- Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)
- Low FODMAP Diet (LFD)
- Cedars-Sinai Low Fermentation Diet (C-SLFD)
- SIBO Specific Food Guide (SSFG)
All-Natural Supplements
On top of diet, part of treatment plans include supplements to aid in killing bacteria. The variation, type, and dose of supplements vary on a case by case basis going off of the specific lab results obtained. Some of the all-natural supplements your health care provider may suggest are:
- Allicin (not whole garlic)
- Berberine
- Neem
- Oregano
- Cinnamon
For those suffering with SIBO recovery and relief is possible. Seeking out help from a knowledgeable healthcare provider is the first step in healing.
Although SIBO has been proven tricky and relapse often occurs 2 weeks after treatment, working with the right healthcare team makes a huge difference! Understanding lab results, treatment forms, personalized diet types and the use of a prokinetic and follow up testing are all highly essential steps in reducing SIBO. -Kenna Vaughn, Senior Health Coach
References
Siebecker, Allison. “Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) (Part 3).” 8 May 2020, http://www.functionalmedicineuniversity.com/members/1062.cfm.
The scope of our information is limited to chiropractic, musculoskeletal, and nervous health issues or functional medicine articles, topics, and discussions. We use functional health protocols to treat injuries or disorders of the musculoskeletal system. Our office has made a reasonable attempt to provide supportive citations and has identified the relevant research study or studies supporting our posts. We also make copies of supporting research studies available to the board and or the public upon request. To further discuss the subject matter above, please feel free to ask Dr. Alex Jimenez or contact us at 915-850-0900.
