Separating IBS and SIBO
In the spirit of April being National IBS Awareness Month, it only made sense to create a blog post about this incredibly prevalent, but equally mysterious syndrome. By definition, a syndrome is a condition that isn't diagnosed based on lab readings or test results, but rather a loosely-connected group of symptoms. It shouldn’t be surprising that with this approach, there are a lot of gaps in the strategy that most of the medical community takes with IBS.
On that note, I’d like to point out that the information shared in this blog is for the purposes of education and not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure a medical condition.
WHAT IS IBS? Irritable Bowel Syndrome, or IBS, affects approximately 10-15% of adults in the United States, and that number is climbing each year. It is considered a ‘functional gastrointestinal disorder’, which means there is a problem in the communication between the gut and the brain, but it also falls under the category of autoimmune disorders. A more startling statistic is that more than 70% of IBS diagnoses aren’t really IBS after all, or rather, IBS didn’t just magically appear one day without any root causes. That’s where holistic health steps in and really shines. IBS causes recurrent attacks of abdominal pain and discomfort in association with altered bowel movements. Note: Unaddressed IBS can lean to IBD, but is not synonymous with it. IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) is the actual damage sustained to the gut lining because of the inflammation and irritation from IBS. Examples of IBD are Crohns’ disease and ulcerative colitis. It is possible to have both IBS and IBD. IBS does not change the tissue, increase the risk of colorectal cancer (according to the Mayo Clinic), or give off the key characteristic signs of IBD like fever, bleeding, weight loss, joint pain, and eye problems.
THREE TYPES IBS is sectioned into three different types: IBS-C (constipation dominant), IBS-D (diarrhea dominant), and IBS-M (bloating & diarrhea, and can include bouts of constipation as well). Understanding how each of these types develop is important when working to rebalance the body, and relies upon detecting what bacteria is producing which gas. This alone argues convincingly for the role of bacterial imbalance as the origin of the gas being measured. (We’ll be sharing more details about these three types in our social media outlets and highlights this month)
WHAT ARE COMMON SYMPTOMS OF IBS? IBS usually starts with gas or bloating after a meal. It may be subtle or just on occasion at first, but it begins increasing in frequency and intensity as the bacteria colonies build. If you’re just experiencing the gas and bloating, but no changes to bowel movements, you may not have a bacterial overgrowth issue, or you may be in the early stages of imbalance. Once the frequency increases, people usually start asking about testing options. Conventional medicine doesn’t recognize the bacterial overgrowth as a root cause issue (RCIs are more natural health territory than conventional medicine), so they don’t use lab testing to diagnose at this stage, instead relying on a list of symptoms that may or many not actually be connected, hence the ‘syndrome’ title. However, natural health looks at those contributing factors, and does have some testing options.
Common Signs of IBS:
Abdominal pain
Cramping
Bloating
Excessive gas
Diarrhea and/or constipation
Indigestion
Anxiety and/or depression
Loss of appetite
WHAT CAUSES IBS? That’s a complicated question, and the answer you receive is strongly dependent on whom you’re asking. Food poisoning accounts for 60%+ of diagnosed IBS cases, making it the leading cause. As for the other 40%, conventional medicine would say they’re not really sure (and therefore is chronic and incurable), and natural medicine would say that there are a handful of contributing factors. These variables include food sensitivities, stress levels, lifestyle impact, and increased gut permeability, but they would argue most strongly for the role of Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) as the largest and most significant contributor. Research suggests that stress and hormones play a significant role in IBS, especially considering that women are 2x more likely to be diagnosed in the US, however, in countries like India, the instance of IBS is equally distributed across men and women.
Common Triggers of IBS:
Artificial sweeteners
Carbonated beverages
Onions
Garlic
Smoking
Alcohol
Bacterial imbalances
The Missing Link: IBS vs SIBO
Ignoring Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is handicapping conventional medicine’s ability to provide real results and strategy for IBS patients. I know that sounds like a bold statement, but I say this from a professional and a personal standpoint. I had been working with SIBO clients for about six months the first time I got a call from one of my conventional medicine peers. This particular doctor was a surgeon I had worked frequently with in the operating room, giving me an opportunity to observe just how much he cared about his patients and how hard he worked to give them the best options. He was calling because we had a mutual client and he was impressed at how much she had improved since working with me, and was curious what I had done. I eagerly and openly shared my protocol for SIBO that I had implemented for her. He asked me to elaborate on what SIBO was, since it wasn’t something he was familiar with. He was looking for ways to work collaboratively to improve the outcomes for his patients- the exact same goal I had. The problem is universal- we don’t know what we don’t know. As much as pharmacology wasn’t taught in my background, Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth wasn’t taught in his. Hence the importance of a complimentary medicine model.
The most common symptoms associated with SIBO are persistent abdominal pain, cramping, gas, bloating, and diarrhea. This sounds very similar to some of the IBS signs, and for good reason. 80% of IBS cases are positive for SIBO as well, and may be a contributing factor, especially after a bout of food poisoning (this is referred to as ‘post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome’ and increases the likelihood of a repeat food poisoning event by 4x!)
Is there a cure?
‘Cure’ is a tricky word in natural health. The better question is rather, ‘can my body correct this?’, to which the answer is ‘absolutely’. Modificaitons in lifestyle, stress, sleep, diet, along with strategic supplementation can not only help manage the discomfort associated with SIBO/IBS, it can also give your body everything it needs to repair itself (the very nature and belief of naturopathy). Working with a qualified practitioner that is well versed in the topic affords the best opportunity for improvement and significant increase in quality of life. This approach also helps prevent the further decline into a worsening autoimmune state which can bring even more problems and complications.
WHEN SHOULD YOU CONSIDER TESTING? If you’re experiencing 1 or more of the common signs of IBS (listed above) at least once a week for a month or more at a time, you may want to consider testing. Our office favorite is the IBS-Smart test from Gemelli Biotech, which can detect the 3 different types of IBS that are key for an effective strategy. Testing is performed in house at our office and can be scheduled upon request.
Think you might be experiencing signs of IBS?
We can help you figure that out.
Subscribe to our email list to receive your free Signs of SIBO PDF and see how many of the seven most-common indicators you have.
Head to the website to book your Gut Dysbiosis Appointment package. Creating a tailored plan for your system and your symptoms is the best was to unwind those root cause issues and rebalance the system. There is no guide that can compare with one-on-one support with a qualified practitioner that specializes in gut disorders. BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT PACKAGE
Interested in testing? The IBS-Smart test is an in-office lab test. You can request testing by contacting our office at 361-902-8899.
You may have a little bit of a wait before you can be seen for your appointment, but you definitely don’t want to be miserable the entire time. There’s also a link below to our Amazon list where we’ve save three of our favorite SIBO/IBS-oriented supplements to calm the bloating, pressure, and pain commonly connected with SIBO/IBS. In the interest of disclosure, we do receive benefits as an Amazon affiliate for the items we link in our lists and blog posts. AMAZON SIBO + IBS LIST