05 Aug How we work with Small Intestine Bacteria Overgrowth (SIBO)
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a bacteria overgrowth in the small intestine. While bacteria naturally occur throughout the digestive tract, in a healthy system, the small intestine has relatively low levels of bacteria; it’s supposed to be at highest concentrations in the colon.
It is estimated that 80% of IBS sufferers have SIBO.
What are the symptoms?
- stomach or abdominal pain
- belching
- IBS
- bloating
- diarrhoea
- constipation
- ileocecal valve pain
- nausea
- unintentional weight loss
- malabsorption of key nutrients including B12 and iron
- autoimmune conditions
- inflammation
- food intolerances
- high histamine
- fats in stools
- itching including nose and anus
- skin issues such as rosacea, psoriasis, rashes and eczema
- nausea
- joint pain
- fatigue
- sleep disturbance
What are potential non medical underlying causes?
- thyroid conditions
- the abnormally slow movement of the digestive system
- low levels of stomach acid
- acid reflux or GERD
- PPI use
- physical abnormalities of the small intestine
- a weakened immune system
- high stress
- antibiotic usage
- the pill
- food poisoning
- gut infections including giardia and h pylori
- frequent sugar, carb or alcohol consumption
What can be done with the diet to support this issue?
- The FODMAP diet is often recommended for SIBO but this eliminates beneficial vegetables with prebiotic fibre. We find some clients get better results on a blood sugar balancing diet with the prebiotic vegetables included in
- If a client cannot tolerate FODMAPs early on in, we work to balance the body so that the prebiotic fibre foods can be added in as quickly as possible because these prebiotic fibres are important for healthy gut flora
- Identifying and removing trigger foods that cause intolerances such as wheat and dairy
- Targeted supplementation including herbs to control the bacteria, prebiotics and probiotics to repopulate the flora and gut repair such as L’Glutamine
- Targeted digestive support to ensure digestion including betaine HcL, enzymes and bile
- Identifying vitamins that may not be absorbed due to the SIBO such as B12 and iron and adding this in once the body is able to absorb
How do we support this in clinic?
- Rebalancing the muscle-organ-meridian connections including all digestive organs – the small intestine, stomach, large intestine, pancreas and liver / gall bladder
- Offering tried and tested kinesiology techniques for the structural imbalances such as ileocacal valve manipulation and dural torque (the dura is a shealth of membrane along the spine which can twist during SIBO causing immune stress)
- Working on stress reduction and balancing the triple warmer meridian which is linked to the adrenals and thyroid
- Emotional coaching to bring down stress
- Activation of the vague nerve which triggers the parasympathetic nervous system response and improves digestion and relaxation
- Identifying trigger foods for the individual
- Identifying and recommending targeted nutritional supplementation
- Offering tailored advice on the right diet
Why do we get results?
- We use a multi pronged approach looking at nutrition, diet, structure, emotion and acupuncture energies
- We work on all areas of the digestion – stomach, small intestine, large intestine, pancreas, liver and gall bladder
- We look at stress and hormones which play a large part in the environment of the digestion
- We respect the gut microbiome – our treatments are not just about killing bacteria, we work on creating the right environment for digestion
- We support clients to make lasting changes to their lifestyle, including stress, toxins and diet
- Because we look at everything above, we have good success at working with SIBO and keeping it from returning
What is the long term management for this issue?
- Keeping trigger foods out of the diet
- Having maintenance kinesiology sessions to ensure supplementation is still working and structural imbalances aren’t occurring
- Keeping diet optimal for gut flora
- Keeping sugar to a minimum
- Keeping stress low and the immune system strong