Treatment Protocol 1: SIBO
SIBO is a medical condition where a person has too many bad bacteria in their small intestine. This is usually caused by both a poor American diet and long term use of a PPI drug (Proton Pump Inhibitor). Long term use of PPI’s causes bacteria that would normally be eliminated by stomach acid, to survive and flourish in the small intestine. Also the American diet of fermenting carbohydrates causes the bacteria to thrive and produce lots of excess gas. The lack of stomach acid also causes food proteins to be partially undigested which causes allergies to develop and this causes even more gas to build up.
The bacteria also make protective biofilms (one of the most common examples of a biofilm is the “film” found on your teeth when you don’t brush for awhile) which make eradication with antibiotics very difficult. The biofilm protect the bacteria from antibiotic treatment, bactericides, and probiotics. To destroy the opportunistic bacteria you have to also destroy the biofilm that it is hiding behind. This can be obtained by either breaking down the biofilm itself using systemic enzymes or by chelating the Iron out of the biofilm to break it up by using either Calcium Disodium EDTA or NAC.
The main symptoms of SIBO are indigestion, lots of gas, and horrible smelling deification, burps, and flatulence. Most people with IBS are walking around with SIBO as their main cause of their problems. Other symptoms of SIBO include abdominal pains, constipation and/or diarrhea, food allergies, and low grade fever. One of the biggest correlations between a condition and a disease are Rosacea and SIBO. In one major study 96% of Rosacea patients were in remission or cured for at least 9 months after taking Rifaxmin to treat their SIBO.
A hydrogen breath test is used to diagnose SIBO. It is a non-invasive fasting test done in which a doctor has you breathe into a machine that monitors the excess hydrogen or methane that is released by the extra opportunistic bacteria in your small intestine. You are either given glucose, dextrose, or lactulose and results are collected at twenty minute intervals for at least 3-5 hours. If you produce at least 20 ppm of hydrogen or methane then you are positive for SIBO (but even a result of 12 ppm should be treated at the very minimum). Lactulose is the best to use because it isn’t absorbed by the intestinal tract itself. Glucose is easily absorbed by both the bacteria and the intestines. This means it can give a false reading because at least 17 ft of the small intestine will not be tested because of the quick glucose absorption.
Are Opportunistic Bacteria The Main Cause of Leaky Gut?
The excess bacteria in the small intestine can wreck havoc with your health and lead you digestion into a vicious cycle. The more opportunistic bacteria in your small intestine, the more food they consume which can lead to nutrient deficiency of B 12 and Iron, which then leads to the patient developing anemia. The bacteria also consume more nutrients that are now unabsorbed by the gut which leads to both more bacteria and gas production. This leads to abdominal bloating, pain, and flatulence.
The bacteria then start to decrease fat absorption which leads to stool problems with color / fat content and this also leads to deficiencies in vitamins A and D. The intestinal lining further degrades and eventually can’t digest larger food particles which cause food allergies and sensitivities (gluten first, then usually followed by fructose problems, then lactose digestion problems).
Bacteria then enter the bloodstream from the loss of integrity in the intestinal wall and start an immune reaction that causes fatigue, systemic pain, and elevated liver enzymes. Finally, the bacteria start to excrete acids that cause neurological and cognitive problems like brain fog and memory problems. The cycle then continues as the body’s Immune system tries to kill of the opportunistic bacteria which at the same time poison the body with acids and toxins. The vicious cycle then repeats itself in the patient, who becomes sick for a very long time.