Part 2 of 2

This week I am going to discuss testing and treatment for SIBO. This is part 2 of series on SIBO and the functional medicine approach. Part 1 of the series covers what SIBO is, common causes and how it can affect your health. So let’s jumping into testing for SIBO.

SIBO TESTING

SIBO is often diagnosed by performing a breath test…yes the air coming out of your lungs. Testing the gases of your breath can help determine if you have excessive bacteria living in your small intestine. Specifically, the gases hydrogen and methane are measured. With SIBO, the bacteria are producing these gases which travel to your bloodstream and ultimately are expelled from your body through the lungs. Unfortunately, this is not a perfect test for SIBO and doctors may interpret the results differently; some may conclude that you have SIBO while another may not. Some doctors rely more heavily on testing for SIBO while others may arrive at a diagnosis based on patient symptoms. I can see the validity of both approaches; many times the patient’s history and symptoms paint a clear picture that SIBO is very likely to be present. Depending on the other health issues the patient is presenting with, time and money may be better spent on other diagnostic tests such as food sensitivities, stool test, etc. There is no cookie-cutter approach to SIBO because the underlying cause(s) of SIBO must be identified; not just the SIBO itself.

SIBO TREATMENT

Reducing the number of bacteria in the small intestine is the goal when treating SIBO, but as we have already discussed, the underlying cause of this condition must be identified and addressed in order to achieve stable results. The cause may be poor gut motility, low stomach acid or insufficient gut immunity. Poor diet can also be a significant risk factor.

Let’s see if we can simplify the issue of SIBO a bit more and get it distilled down to a single concept. The bottom line is that large amounts of bacteria are thriving in the small intestine because it suits them; the environment is agreeable to them…too much so.  Let’s consider 3 common causes of SIBO and see how this is so.

#1 If gut motility is sluggish, then bacteria are not being swept out of the small intestine and into the large intestine and so their numbers easily increase. If the gut is sluggish, then the cause must be identified. This may be due to a diet low in fiber or an imbalance of neurotransmitters being produced in the gut. It is not uncommon to find that gut function issues in patients who are taking antidepressants.

#2 Low stomach acid in the stomach means less acid reaching the small intestine; bacteria find this more favorable and so they thrive. Different factors can lead to poor acid production including nutrient deficiencies or an autoimmune condition that leads to destruction of the cells in the stomach that produce stomach acid. This condition is more common than you would think; I identify this condition through blood tests on a regular basis in my office.

#3 With poor gut immunity, the immune system is not interfering with or killing excess bacteria, so once again numbers rise. One of the most common causes of altered gut immunity is food sensitivities. The immune system of the gut is overworked, trying to keep your gut free from infection as well as “fighting” foods you may be eating every day. These sensitivities can deplete immune system resources, thus weakening your gut defenses.

The reason bacteria are thriving and growing in number is because the small intestine environment has been altered and created ideal conditions for overgrowth.  These bacteria are not subject to the regulating mechanisms listed above and to make matters worse, they have an endless supply of food. The small intestine is where your body absorbs its nutrition but with SIBO the bacteria have access to the food you eat before you do!

The effective treatment of SIBO therefore requires the underlying cause(s) to be identified and addressed. With this approach, you may not need to directly kill off excess bacteria with antibiotic medication or natural antibiotic formulas. The reason you may not need to do this  is because once the environment returns to its normal and healthy state, the environment of the small intestine will no longer support excessive numbers of bacteria; no more SIBO. I’ll say it again; to effectively treat and prevent SIBO, the environment of the small intestine needs to be returned to a normal and healthy state.

Diet modification can be very helpful during the process of treating SIBO. Limiting sweets and high fructose foods can be helpful. Reducing foods like cabbage, onions, peas, soy, peanuts and beans can also ease symptoms of SIBO. I find that it is important to also identify foods that may also be compromising the immune status of the digestive tract. These foods can be identified through blood tests that we offer in our Naperville office.

SIBO is a condition that develops when normal and healthy function of the digestive tract has been compromised. Improve the health and function of the gut and SIBO cannot persist. Functional medicine takes the treatment of SIBO beyond simply killing off excess bacteria, it seeks to address the conditions that cause SIBO to take root in the first place.

If you would like more information about SIBO, functional medicine or Dr. Sexton go to www.napervilleintegratedwelness.com

Do your own research, inform yourself and ask lots of questions. When collecting information you MUST consider the source. There is no shortage of false, misleading, outdated, profit-driven and utterly biased information in healthcare today; even from the most respected sources.