11030 Southwest Capitol Highway, Suite 200 Portland Oregon 97219

  • Home
  • About Dr. Breen
  • Natural Glow
  • Patient Forms & Info
  • Supplements
  • FAQ
  • Treatments and Programs
    • IVs and GLP-1's
    • Frequency Treatment
    • SIBO
    • IBD/IBS
    • Thyroid
    • Women's Health/BHRT
    • Nutrition/Lifestyle
    • Lyme
  • More
    • Home
    • About Dr. Breen
    • Natural Glow
    • Patient Forms & Info
    • Supplements
    • FAQ
    • Treatments and Programs
      • IVs and GLP-1's
      • Frequency Treatment
      • SIBO
      • IBD/IBS
      • Thyroid
      • Women's Health/BHRT
      • Nutrition/Lifestyle
      • Lyme
  • Home
  • About Dr. Breen
  • Natural Glow
  • Patient Forms & Info
  • Supplements
  • FAQ
  • Treatments and Programs
    • IVs and GLP-1's
    • Frequency Treatment
    • SIBO
    • IBD/IBS
    • Thyroid
    • Women's Health/BHRT
    • Nutrition/Lifestyle
    • Lyme

Is SIBO the cause of your IBS symptoms?

What is SIBO?

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is a serious condition affecting the small intestine. It occurs when bacteria that normally grow in other parts of the gut start growing in the small intestine. That causes pain and diarrhea. It can also lead to malnutrition as the bacteria start to use up the body’s nutrients.

Read on to learn more about SIBO.

Symptoms

 SIBO symptoms mainly affect the gut. They may include:

  • pain in the stomach, especially after eating
  • bloating
  • cramps
  • diarrhea
  • constipation
  • indigestion
  • regular feeling of fullness
  • gas

You may also experience weight loss. 

Causes

 SIBO is not yet well understood. It can occur when:

  • your small bowel has anatomic abnormalities
  • the pH changes in your small bowel
  • your immune system isn't working properly
  • the muscular activity of the small intestine malfunctions, which means that food and bacteria aren’t removed from the organ

SIBO is associated with various conditions, such as:

  • viral gastroenteritis, or a stomach bug
  • celiac disease
  • Crohn’s disease
  • hypochlorhydria, or low stomach acid levels
  • gastroparesis
  • nerve damage
  • cirrhosis
  • portal hypertension
  • irritable bowel syndrome
  • certain gastric bypass procedures
  • surgeries that cause strictures or adhesions


Risk factors

 Having a chronic condition or surgery that affects the gastrointestinal (GI) tract can put you at risk of SIBO. Certain diseases and chronic conditions can also increase your risk, including:

  • Crohn’s disease
  • diabetes
  • scleroderma
  • HIV
  • Parkinson’s disease
  • hypothyroidism
  • medications that slow down the gut, such as narcotics

DIAGNOSING AND TREATING SIBO

The good news is that we know how to test for SIBO, and better yet, treat it effectively. SIBO is best diagnosed with the Lactulose Breath Test which detects gasses created by the overgrown intestinal bacteria and distinguishes between two groups of organisms, those producing the hydrogen and producing methane. The breath test can help us customize treatment and estimate the time required to begin seeing results.There are other tests, such a simple measurement of immunoglobulins (anti-CdtB and anti-vinculin antibodies) that have been shown to confirm IBS as a diagnosis, and point to a cause (a past gastrointestinal infection). It is very exciting that we can now test for underlying causes of IBS, historically thought to be purely “functional,” psychological, or a diagnosis of exclusion.


Capitol Wellness Center offers different treatment options: We treat SIBO at CWC in three main ways:

  1. Patients will be recommended an antimicrobial strategy to reduce overgrowth directly;
  2. You will be offered a dietary strategy to assist the antimicrobial agents by preventing the “feeding” of the overgrowth, and
  3. Medication may be prescribed offering you a prokinetic strategy to support the functioning of the intestinal tract and its movement during the periods between meals that is thought to sweep residual undigested material through the digestive tube with daily regularity.

If you recognize yourself in what is described above, it is time to explore SIBO testing. We can help to get you the appropriate evaluation, testing and treatment needed successfully treat SIBO. Once you have been tested and treated you are assured support following treatment to assure success. Regular retesting for SIBO  is also recommended to assure eradication as well as follow-up appointments to assure you have received the dietary counseling necessary to prevent relapse and, ongoing care monitor progress. 

Experience with SIBO

Dr. Breens Perspective

 

Years ago, before I had ever heard of SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth), I started to experience uncomfortable digestive symptoms, they were mild at first but grew increasingly worse and it drove me to seek out help from naturopathic and allopathic practitioners. I was prescribed slippery elm and other soothing herbs for burning stomach pain, and proton pump inhibitors from my MD. These treatments actually seemed to make things worse! I started to get severe bloating, pain, and gas every day and nothing seemed to help. Then the brain fog set in. Something was robbing me of my ability to think or concentrate anymore. I thought I was going to have to quit medical school. How can I be a doctor if I can’t think? My MD wanted to put me on an antidepressant. I thought, this cannot be my answer, so I searched out another physician in hopes to find different advice. Every test imaginable was run - all negative. Then I took an advanced gastroenterology class taught by Steven Sandberg-Lewis and Allison Siebecker. It was through this class that I discovered SIBO, what causes it, what it does to our bodies, and exactly how to test for it and treat it. It all made perfect sense to me. I immediately started the treatment and the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, and my symptoms started improving within days. I began the complicated and emotional journey of living with SIBO and dealing with the far reaching effects it had on my health. It took me a year to beat SIBO - I had to treat my thyroid, my adrenal glands, my hormonal balance, and make adjustments to my diet - but things started to fall into place and eventually I got my life back. Not only that, after years of fertility struggles, I was able to have a beautiful baby girl. I am now able to use what I’ve learned from my personal experience and research to help my patients at Capitol Wellness Center.

Copyright © 2018 Capitol Wellness Center- All Rights Reserved.


Powered by