Gas, bloating, belching, constipation, and diarrhea
These are all symptoms of small intestine bacterial overgrowth, which we call SIBO (see-bo). 16.8% of the population in the United States have SIBO, which is a lot of us!
In addition, 84% of people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) happen to also have SIBO. We Functional Medicine clinicians discover that SIBO frequently causes IBS. Unfortunately, this SIBO connection to IBS tends to slip through the cracks in conventional medicine.
Although many clinicians know about SIBO, the general population is in the dark about this common condition. I recently attended a conference for SIBO specialists, therefore I’m excited to educate more lay people about it. I soaked up the latest information, and my wheels are spinning. In addition, I’m inspired because a plethora of my patients, as well as friends and family members either have SIBO symptoms, or test positive for SIBO. It’s rampant!
I deliver this series in digestible snippets. The entire series is a guide to SIBO signs, symptoms, testing, treatment, and relapse prevention.
SIBO signs and symptoms
Read this list, because every condition on it is a red flag for SIBO:
- Acne and rosacea.
- Anxiety and depression.
- All autoimmune diseases.
- Digestive symptoms: belching, reflux, gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and indigestion.
- Food intolerances.
- High cholesterol, specifically high LDL.
- Low iron or ferritin, which don’t go up with supplementation.
- Numbness in extremities.
- Low bone density.
With any of these symptoms, I want to investigate SIBO as a cause. If you have any of these conditions, and want to learn more about SIBO as a possible cause, please read the next post in this series.
Please post your comments and questions below!
Great post on SIBO. Do you have any treatment strategies for patients with hydrogen sulfide sibo? I have found that is one of the trickiest cases to treat and it is still relatively unknown.
Also, what is the best type of body work to get done if someone has motility problems. Does acupuncture, message therapy, or anything related have a good effect for people struggling with this problem?
It seems like this condition is very challenging to treat and requires a lot of personalization and experimentation.
Hi Josh,
Thanks for your input! I like targeted abdominal massage. Maya abdominal massage is great and I also like visceral manipulation. You are correct that SIBO does need a personalized treatment, and relapse is unfortunately frequent. That’s why focusing on the causes (if known), and improving the colon microbiome are so important. It’s not just about what will eradicate the bacteria. You are correct that less is known about hydrogen sulfide producers. One strategy is to find out the specific bacteria and go after it, here is a test: http://
http://www.proteabiopharma.com/. Also, garlic tends to not work, and sulphur foods are best avoided. There’s often a fungal correlation, and sometimes mercury. Hope this helps!