Do you suffer from stomachaches? Gas? Bloating? There could be an overgrowth of bacterial growth in the small intestine. The condition is known as small intestinal bacterial growth also known as SIBO This condition can be affecting as much as 80percent of those suffering from IBS, also known as irritable intestinal syndrome (IBS). However, many people aren’t aware that bacterial overgrowth is responsible for the ailment that they experience.
The bowel is where bacteria make sense. It’s the place the place where our bodies remove and process the toxins. The issue arises when bacteria that normally thrive in other areas of the gastrointestinal tract get trapped in the small bowel. They ferment, and release gas. The gas causes gastric pain, bloating, belching nausea, diarrhea, and constipation.
FAQ Small Intestinal Bacterial Growth
Beyond gas, bloat and cramps, SIBO can affect your body’s capacity to digest food, leading to nutritional deficiencies or imbalances in weight loss, among other symptoms that are troubling. People ask me frequently:
Q: What exactly is SIBO?
1. SIBO is a result of a shift in bacteria that reside in the small intestinal. The illness is caused by a rise in quantity of bacteria in the small bowel, or an alteration in the kind of bacteria that live in the bowel.
Q: What’s the reason?
The answer is yes. There’s a lot of possible causes. Factors that increase your chance to develop SIBO include:
Barriers are not present: Natural barriers to bacterial infection like pancreatic enzymes and stomach acid stop bacteria from settling within the bowel of the small. If these barriers are weakening due to inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pancreatic insufficiency or another issue bacteria may enter smaller intestines. Medicines that alter the pH that stomach acids are at (like proton pump inhibitors that are used to combat acid reflux) may affect your body’s natural defenses.
Immune deficiency: A part of the job of your immune system is to eliminate harmful bacteria. If you suffer from any health issue that affects the immune system of your body, then you’re at a higher chance to develop SIBO. Individuals with weak immune systems, such as those who are elderly or suffer from HIV or celiac disease, are at a higher risk of being diagnosed with SIBO.
Anatomical anomalies: Have you ever been through bariatric surgery, or a procedure for resecting an intestinal tract? The procedures may cause anatomical modifications to the intestines, which provide the perfect environment for bacteria to thrive. Bowel adhesions as well as scar tissue could also create obstructions that can cause SIBO. Women are more likely to be affected by SIBO, in part due to the fact that women are more likely suffer from IBS which can increase the chance of developing SIBO.
Constipation conditions: Health problems like hypothyroidism scleroderma, and other disorders of the nervous system that affect the body’s ability to move waste out of the digestive tract. These conditions increase the chance of developing SIBO. Drugs like narcotics also affect the digestive tract and increase the risk.
Q: How can you tell if you suffer from SIBO?
A: The best and most precise method of determining if a person is suffering from SIBO is to test for the microbes that reside in inside the intestines of small size. Because this requires an in-depth procedure, the majority of doctors are able to diagnose SIBO using a lactulose test as well as a sugar breath test. The test is easy and noninvasive. requires drinking a solution that contains either glucose or Lactulose (both kinds of sugar). Small bowel bacteria produce sugars by fermenting them, resulting in methane or hydrogen gas. If the levels of these gasses are high the chances are that you suffer from SIBO.
Q: What do you need to do be doing to improve the situation?
A treatment for SIBO is extremely specific and complicated. Doctors try to tackle each and every cause that can be identified for the bacterial overgrowth, such as lifestyle choices, diet, and other underlying issues like Parkinson’s disease. Many patients adhere to an eating plan that is low in fermentable carbohydrates to manage symptoms. The diet is known as the lower FODMAP food plan (FODMAP is an abbreviation used to describe the food ingredients which are not easy for certain people’s bodies to absorb such as disaccharides, fermentable oligosaccharides and polyols and monosaccharides) The plan hasn’t been scientifically proven to reduce the growth of bacteria. Elemental diets are prepared liquid formulas that substitute beverages and food for a specific time and have a greater cure rate than low-FODMAP diets. Other treatments consist of antimicrobial herb (like oregano and Berberine) and antibiotics like ciprofloxacin (Cipro) and metronidazole (Flagyl) or Rifaximin (Xifaxan) as well as helping to restore balance in the digestive system through probiotics (good bacteria).
How to Treat SIBO
SIBO is often the result of one or more underlying conditions, including those with bowel problems, such as celiac disease, Crohn’s disease, and inflammatory colon disease (IBD). Research suggests that over one-third of those suffering from IBD also suffer from SIBO.
Many people suffering from SIBO are unaware that the reason for their symptoms. They are due to the overgrowth of bacteria. If left untreated, SIBO can lead to grave complications, including nutritional deficiencies, dehydration and malnutrition.
SIBO is treatable however it could be recurrent. If you suspect that you may have SIBO it is essential to seek out a qualified doctor. After SIBO treatment is started any other underlying disease must be treated. Some patients will improve in a matter of weeks. Others may require several months of treatment. It all depends on the extent of bacterial overgrowth that has occurred in the intestines of small size.