As the real food movement continues to grow, more and more people are beginning to focus on the health of their gut by eating fermented foods and taking probiotics.
According to Global Industry Analysis, probiotic supplement sales have and will continue to raise about 6.8% for the next 5 years. Which means sales growth will soar from $27.9 billion in annual earnings to $44.9 billion. (1)But what if your probiotic is actually hurting you?
Because if you have Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), taking certain types of probiotics could be aggravating your gut symptoms.
And SIBO is much more common than you might think. In fact, a study from The American Journal of Gastroenterology published in 2003 showed that 84% of IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) sufferers have SIBO. (2)
What is SIBO?
We have over 100 trillion bacterial organisms in our gut. The range and species vary depending on the area of the gastrointestinal tract. While the large intestine has around 10-100 billion bacteria organisms per teaspoon of fluid, the small intestine only has around 100 thousand organisms. It’s when there’s an overgrowth of bacterial that is prevalent in the small intestine (where there isn’t supposed to be much bacteria) when problems arise.So it’s more a case of bacteria growing in the wrong place… and it could be good bacteria or it could be bad bacteria.
So how does this happen?
The majority of SIBO is most likely due to chronic stress. (3,4,5)
There’s also research pointing to acute gastroenteritis from things like H. Pylori, food poisoning, or plain gut irritation can cause changes in gut nerves, altering motility (how things move), and triggering bacterial overgrowth. (6,7).
Signs You Have SIBO
In Chris Kresser’s new book, “Your Personal Paleo Code,” he cites a study that suggests, “Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) affects between 10 and 15% of the population and is the second leading cause of missed work days, behind only the common cold.”That’s a popular call-in excuse!
The primary symptoms of SIBO are similar to IBS symptoms, including:
- Abdominal bloating
- Belching
- Gas
- Abdominal pain
- Cramping
- Constipation
- and Diarrhea
In addition, fructose malabsorption, anemia, weight loss, and steatorrhea (fatty stools) can also be red flags for SIBO
Watch this video for more in-depth info on the signs and symptoms of SIBO:
Testing for SIBO
Unfortunately there isn’t a perfect test for SIBO because the small intestine is so difficult to reach with modern equipment.But right now the gold standard for most practitioners is a breath test.
These type of tests involve drinking a prepared glucose or lactulose solution, and measuring the presence of methane and hydrogen gases within 2-3 hours after. This type of test relies on the fact that hydrogen and methane gases found in the body are produced by bacteria, not humans. So if we measure the amount of gases produced after consuming the solution, higher levels of gas indicate the solution was consumed by bacteria in the small intestine. (8)
There’s another test from Metametrix we’re using with our private clients that measures specific Organic Acids present at high levels in the urine if bacteria are overgrown in the small intestine.
Knowing whether or not you have SIBO is only the beginning. The treatment is the next step… and the one that can be the most difficult.
Treating Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth
Step 1: Starve the BugsThe Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD Diet) is the foundational diet to begin fighting SIBO. The SCD Diet is a group of foods which are grain-free, sugar-free, starch-free, and unprocessed. Not only does it remove many foods that are toxic and harmful to the gut, but it also removes many of the complex sugars that the bacteria can feed on.
It’s most likely not enough to beat SIBO on its own… but it’s the first place to start.
Step 2: Kill the Bugs
There’s two primary ways to kill SIBO. Drugs and herbs. Or in some cases, an interesting combination of the two…
Clearly we’re not Doctors, but our good friend (and http://siboinfo.com expert) Allison Siebecker is.
Watch this interview with Dr. Siebecker to learn more about how she treats SIBO:
The most common antibiotic used to kill SIBO is Rifraximin. It’s cheap and easy to use, however using powerful antibiotics can also have a negative impact on the good bacteria in the gut. With that in mind, many people choose to try an herbal first. Dr. Siebecker has more specific protocols and dosages published here: http://www.siboinfo.com/antibiotics.html
- Herbal SIBO treatment
There are many different herbal treatments that can work, but it hasn’t been studied extensively in the medical literature. The most critical component of any herbal protocol is to include a biofilm buster. Biofilm is the plaque bacteria create to protect themselves in our bodies. Klaire Labs Interfase is a good one to start with.
Many practitioners use specific formulations of some or all of the following: cat’s claw, olive leaf extract, goldenseal, garlic, cinnamon, barberry, wormwood, and oregano oil. Although, it’s important to know that oregano oil should be used alongside a skilled practitioner as it’s extremely powerful and can cause harm if used too long.
Learning Everything You Need to Know About SIBO
On January 18-19, 2014, The National College of Natural Medicine is hosting “The SIBO Symposium” – a cutting edge collection of the latest research and clinical experience treating SIBO and IBS.Our friend Dr. Siebecker will be one of the presenters and we’re extremely excited about it.
If you’re a practitioner or just someone struggling to understand SIBO, this is an important event you’ll want to pay attention to. You can attend live online and if you can’t make it, the video recordings will be available to watch later.
Hope to see you there.
Click here to register for the SIBO Symposium
- Jordan
Citations:
1. http://m.cdc.gov/en/Features/insufficient-sleep
2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/15316000/
3. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?Db=pubmed
4. http://www.iffgd.org/store/viewproduct/211
5. http://ajpgi.physiology.org/content/280/4/G519
6. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21637276/
7. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23649377
8. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/21240630/
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About the author
Jordan Reasoner is a health engineer and author. He was diagnosed with celiac disease in 2007 and almost gave up hope when a gluten-free diet didn’t work. Since then, he transformed his health using the SCD Diet and started SCDLifestyle.com to help others naturally heal stomach problems. You can check out his story here and find him on Google+, Facebook or Twitter.- More at
