Michael a mazaika
The most commonly used herbs used for SIBO include: garlic, berberine (from Oregan Grape), neem, wormwood, blackwalnut, olive leaf and oregano. Herbal antibiotics have been shown to be as effective in eliminating SIBO as conventional antibiotic treatment. These herbal antibiotics are not just as effective but also have fewer side effects and relapse rates. In some cases, incorporating a 10-14 day elemental diet may be necessary. Patients also follow a two part SIBO specific diet for during the eradication and rebuild phases. Natural treatment of SIBO includes herbal antibiotic formulas, biofilm disruptors and natural prokinetics. There are many other symptoms of SIBO that seem unrelated to the gut, including:Įndometriosis and other gynecological conditions
SIBO SymptomsĬlassically the symptoms of SIBO can be confused with IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) or other gastrointestinal conditions such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Dysmotility can be the result of stress, inflammation, and conditions such as hypothyroidism, diabetes, and lupus. This is why supporting motility is crucial for recovering from SIBO and preventing relapse. Motility is the movement of digestive system controlled by the rhythmic schedule known as the migrating motor complex (MMC) which emits cleansing sweeps along the colon. This allows contents to get trapped and bacteria to attach to the wall of the small intestines. Basically when you have a large amount of food waste sitting in your small intestines not moving, bacteria can easily proliferate wreaking havoc. DysmotilityĪnother major cause of SIBO is dysmotility, which when the muscles of the digestive system become impaired and are no longer able to empty contents efficiently. If our immune system is compromised due to stress, immune suppressive drugs, nutrient deficiencies, or poor sleep, then the bacteria we don’t want can easily overgrow. A healthy immune system will control bacteria in the small intestines by secreting mucus containing immunoglobulins. Normally the immune system of our gut does an excellent job of keeping out invading bacteria. When stomach acid decreases whether it is due to stress, age, prolonged vegetarian or vegan diet or use of proton-pump inhibitors, our stomach pH rises allowing bacteria to survive and eventually enter the small intestines leading to SIBO. The resulting acidic environment serves another purpose it is unfavorable to the bacteria we don’t want. Our stomach’s make acid for a reason to break down proteins and absorb B12.
When antibiotics are taken frequently especially without probiotics bacteria that normally doesn’t reside in our gut has the opportunity to create a new home and overcrowd our normal flora.Ī normal healthy gut flora balance prevents invading bacteria through crowding and the release of substances that blocks attachment of harmful bacteria. So when healthy bacteria numbers drop, bad bacteria literally has room to grow leading to SIBO. Antibiotic UseĪntibiotics doesn’t just kill pathogenic bacteria but also our healthy normal flora. Add stress’s negative effect on immune function and increased inflammation, you literally have the perfect storm for creating and maintaining bacterial overgrowth. Specifically stomach acid production drops and motility (movement of the colon) shuts down.
Our gut is linked to our brain through the gut-brain axis and is the reason it is often referred to as “the second brain.”ĭuring times of stress our brain sends signals to our gut to basically slow down digestion. Surprisingly stress could be the number one cause of SIBO as one of the biggest inhibitors of SIBO recovery and cause of relapse. The main issue with SIBO is having too much bacteria of a certain species of bacteria, such as normal small intestinal flora, pathogenic bacteria, or normal flora from another bodily region like the large intestines. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is a bacterial infection of the small intestine.Ĭalling it an “infection” can be misleading, because bacteria is always present in the small intestine.