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SIBO MAY BE THE REASON WHY YOUR GUT IS NOT HEALING
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Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth causes inflammation in your digestive tract, which can lead to painful symptoms such as abdominal pain and cramping.
Once in the small intestine, the bacteria feed on undigested food and produce either methane or hydrogen, depending on which type of bacteria overgrows. This is what causes bloating.
Brain fog is caused by excess gasses released from the bacteria that cause SIBO. The gases are absorbed by your body and excreted through your lungs in the air you breathe out- this is why the breath test is the standard test for SIBO.
Fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, diabetes, neuromuscular disorders, and autoimmune diseases are some manifestations that may result from chronic and untreated SIBO.
As your gut remains leaky and more particles escape into your bloodstream, your immune system sends out waves of inflammation. Eventually, it becomes over-stressed and begins firing less accurately. Many particles that are now flooding your bloodstream look like your body’s own tissues. Your immune system creates antibodies against these substances, which mistakenly attack your tissues in a phenomenon called molecular mimicry.
Although less common than diarrhea, SIBO can disrupt the natural gut flora, which affects your ability to eliminate waste.
Diarrhea can result from impaired motility from nerve damage. Additionally, SIBO affects bile production and flow, so can cause urgency, loose stools, or explosive diarrhea.
Compounds produced through the bacterial break-down of stagnant food can also trigger diarrhea.
Bile salts/acids, which are responsible for the digestion and absorption of fats, are broken down by the excess bacteria in your small intestine, resulting in incomplete digestion of fats and diarrhea. Bacterial products may also harm the mucous lining (mucosa) of the small intestine, resulting in decreased absorption of carbohydrates and proteins.
Such as gluten, casein, lactose, fructose, and particularly histamine intolerances are common.
SIBO causes dysmotility, which inhibits your ability to properly digest foods and allows both food and bacteria to sit in your digestive system for longer, further exacerbating inflammation and SIBO symptoms.
Gas is the byproduct of bacteria eating the food we eat. The amount of gas indicates the severity of SIBO, as gas is a result of fermentation caused by bacteria.
SIBO symptoms are extremely similar to those of IBS. In fact, one study proved that nearly 80% of people with IBS also had SIBO. When the SIBO was treated, nearly half of the patients experienced an improvement in their IBS.
Poor calcium absorption may also eventually result in kidney stones.
Inflammation in your gut leads to intestinal permeability, where the tight junctions holding your intestinal wall together become loose. When you have leaky gut, toxins, microbes, and undigested food particles can escape through the holes and into your bloodstream, where your immune system marks them as pathogens and attacks them.
SIBO can cause loss of appetite.
As a result of incomplete absorption of fats, your body can’t fully absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K. Bacteria in the small intestine synthesize as well as use vitamin B-12, which is essential for the normal functioning of your nervous system and the production of blood cells and DNA.
SIBO can impair nutrient digestion and absorption if left untreated. SIBO is a gut motility disorder. If motility is compromised, the small intestine becomes the perfect breeding ground for the overgrowth of bacteria. Malnutrition and malabsorption impair gut motility.
Nausea in people who have SIBO is often related to other common symptoms like uncomfortable fullness, abdominal pain, and bloating after eating.
Like Rosacea. SIBO damages the gut lining, which leads to the release of cytokines (regulators of host immune responses that promote inflammatory reactions) resulting in skin inflammation.
Uncomfortable feeling of fullness after eating is common with SIBO.
Due to a loss of appetite that is accomanpied by abdominal pain, bloating, gas and nausea.
Deficiencies of vitamins A, B12, D, and E are common. When your gut lining is impaired, your ability to absorb nutrients is impacted. So even if you’re getting plenty of vitamins and minerals in your diet, they might be passing straight through your body without providing any benefits.
Over time, damage to your intestine from abnormal bacterial growth causes poor calcium absorption, and eventually may lead to bone diseases, such as osteoporosis.
SIBO is Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth. It occurs when the bacteria in your small intestine become unbalanced and overgrow. When you eat carbohydrates, the fermentation of sugar occurs, causing gas and bloating. Ideally, the bacteria in your GI tract that make up your gut microbiome exist in a balanced state.
Most of your gut bacteria are meant to be located in your large intestine and colon, where they help break down food, synthesize vitamins, and eliminate waste. However, external factors such as medications or a poor diet can cause your flora to become unbalanced.
Your gut is naturally lined with mucus that lubricates and protects it. However, an overgrowth of bacteria can damage your gut’s mucosal lining. Thus creating an opportunity for bacterial biofilms – or groups of microorganisms that are protected by a layer of protective slime — to attach to your cell wall, making them harder to control.
Damaged nerves or muscles in the gut resulting in leftover bacteria in the small intestine. Physical obstructions in the gut, such as scarring from surgeries or Crohn’s disease can collect bacteria instead of passing it on to the colon. Medications that influence or disrupt the normal gut flora including antibiotics, acid-blocking drugs, and steroids. A diet high in sugar, refined carbohydrates, and alcohol.
Hydrogen dominant SIBO is diagnosed by a sufficient rise in hydrogen on a SIBO breath test. This form of SIBO is also referred to as diarrhea prone SIBO. This form of SIBO can cause damage to your gut’s mucosal lining, creating a lactase deficiency, the enzyme we use to break down and digest lactose. A reason why sudden food intolerances may occur.
Methane dominant SIBO may cause an increase in methane levels. As the hydrogen feeds single-cell organisms in your gut called archaea, they produce methane. If you have small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and are dealing with constipation as your main SIBO symptom, you likely have methane SIBO. Make sure your lab test differentiates between these two forms of SIBO.
For your body’s health system to function well, it must act fast, be well controlled, not overreact and provide the body the protection it needs. Your body’s physiology requires certain resources to help it operate at its best.
Some of the ways we help your body is by bringing down inflammation, modulating the immune system, enhancing detoxification, boosting antioxidant status and fine-tuning nutrition.
The better your body functions, the better it may respond to possible infections.
At Indigo Health Clinic, we have been boosting immune systems and treating food sensitivities successfully for over ten years. We are the best and most trusted integrative medical practice in Washington, D.C. We care for you like family.
With our knowledge and advanced testing, we are able to create a specific and unique treatment plan that suits your individual needs.
Call us at (202) 499-7535 to talk about the best option for you.
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(202) 499-7535
Indigo Integrative Health Clinic
1010 Wisconsin Ave., NW, Suite #660
Washington, D.C. 20007
Hours of operation
Monday - Friday
9am - 5pm
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