Sibo

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) occurs when there’s an abnormal increase in the number of bacteria in your small intestine.

​​​​​​​Often, SIBO happens when surgery or a gastrointestinal disease affects the flow of food or waste through your digestive tract. These changes allow certain bacteria to thrive, increasing your risk of malnutrition and other potentially serious issues.

Symptoms of SIBO include:

• Loss of appetite

• Abdominal pain

• Nausea

• Bloating

• Feeling uncomfortably full after eating

• Diarrhea

• Vitamin deficiencies

When left untreated, many people with SIBO experience unexplained weight loss.

Make an appointment with the experienced naturopathic medicine team at Live Well Wellness Center if you regularly experience digestive issues like nausea, bloating, or diarrhea. That’s especially true if your symptoms last more than a few days or affect your normal routine.

Your Live Well Wellness Center provider reviews your medical records and asks about your symptoms and lifestyle. Next, they order several tests to check for bacterial overgrowth, including:

Breath testing

At the beginning of a breath test, you drink a glucose and water mixture and exhale into a special mouthpiece. The mouthpiece connects to a computer that analyzes the amount of hydrogen or methane in your breath. High levels of one or both gasses may indicate bacterial overgrowth.

Small intestine aspirate and fluid culture

This test occurs under anesthesia.

After you fall asleep, your Live Well Wellness Center provider inserts an endoscope –– a thin tube with a camera and light on the end –– through your mouth, down your esophagus, and into your small intestine. Once the endoscope is in position, your provider collects a sample of intestinal fluid and sends it to a nearby lab for analysis.

​​​​​​​Aspirate and fluid culture testing are generally more accurate than breath testing.