Natural Solutions for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
If you've been diagnosed with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) or suspect you may have it, you're likely familiar with a host of uncomfortable digestive symptoms including:
gas and bloating
loose stools (diarrhea)
sluggish bowel (constipation)
abdominal pain
nausea and vomiting
belching
heartburn
These symptoms are very similar to those in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). In fact, SIBO is a common underlying cause of IBS!
If you have SIBO, you probably struggle with the stress of not knowing what to eat since so many foods worsen your symptoms. Common treatments like probiotics and fibre don't help you and even make you feel worse! You're constantly bloated and uncomfortable. You know you should eat more vegetables but they make you feel terrible. You want to feel better but Dr. Google isn't enough and you need help.
You could continue on like this, just dealing with the agony and discomfort and utter food confusion caused by SIBO or you could treat the problem for good. SIBO is, after all, an infection in the small intestine, so it's treated by... you guessed it––resolving the infection!
The first step in SIBO treatment is to confirm the diagnosis. This is done through a breath test that is done in the comfort of your own home using a test kit I provide.
Once SIBO has been confirmed, there are 4 treatment phases:
How quickly you can move through these phases depends on the severity of your infection and how much biofilm you have. Think of biofilm as a sticky, sludgy matrix that makes it more difficult for medications to clear an infection. Biofilm can be a problem with any infection but it is a very common complicating factor in SIBO and it can slow treatment down.
SIBO Treatment Phase 1: Prepare
This 1st phase is all about busting up biofilm and clearing the road for effective elimination of any toxins produced from the Eradicate phase. Treatment usually includes one or more biofilm disruptors and liver detox support. This phase lasts for 2 weeks or more.
SIBO Treatment Phase 2: Eradicate
Once your biofilm disruptors are up and running and now that your liver detox is well underway, it's time to kill the infection. This phase combines a combination of pharmaceutical prescription medications and herbal therapies to clear the bacterial infection that is causing your symptoms. This phase can be as short as 2 weeks or take several months, depending on the severity of your infection and whether you have treatment-resistant biofilm blocking your progress.
SIBO Treatment Phase 3: Prevent Relapse
By now your symptoms are basically gone. Yay! BUT a huge part of SIBO treatment is determining why you got SIBO in the first place. There are several reasons why a person will develop SIBO and we need to address this in order to prevent it from coming back. Without doing this, you are at increased risk of SIBO relapse.
Some common causes of SIBO:
Low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria)
Abdominal surgeries & scar tissue
Diverticulosis
Gastroenteritis (stomach flu)
Diabetes
Slow intestinal motility (many causes)
Dysfunctional intestinal valves
Hypothyroidism
I'm here to help you figure out what caused your SIBO so we can correct the issue and prevent relapse.
SIBO Treatment Phase 4: Repair
You're feeling better and better and your symptoms are now a thing of the past. You've survived months or years of digestive problems and you've successfully treated them. It's now time to heal and repair your gut. We do this using a variety of individualized natural healing herbs and nutritional supplements to heal any tissue damage in the gut and repopulate your microbiome.
Resolve Your SIBO. Improve Your Life
SIBO treatment can be simple or it can be a journey, but it's always a journey worth taking. Treating SIBO allows you to finally feel comfortable in your body, achieve food freedom, and achieve a calm and problem-free gut. Wouldn't that be nice?
If you're in British Columbia (BC) and looking for a doctor who can treat your SIBO, you've come to the right place. Treatment can be done in person or online.
**It can be difficult to find a doctor in BC. If you're looking for a primary care doctor in BC who is accepting new patients, I can help. Appointments are available in-person in Kelowna or virtually from anywhere in BC.