How I Cured SIBO

Dealing with an illness and not knowing the root cause of your symptoms can be extremely upsetting and frustrating especially when you live a healthy and active lifestyle. I eat organic and exercise 3-5 times a week so when I started to experience GI issues I thought my symptoms would just go away on their own with a track trigger food elimination diet. However, my symptoms only worsened with time and I realized that I was experiencing far more than a food intolerance or allergy. Disturbances in our GI function have so many causes it can be quite difficult to get a diagnosis. After seeing both my PCP then being referred to a specialist, I finally got a diagnosis of SIBO: small intestine bacteria overgrowth. SIBO is an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine. This bacteria overgrowth can be quite tricky to cure and often times people have to go through multiple courses of treatment over a few month period to get their GI system back on track. Others can’t cure SIBO at all and end up with bouts of bacteria overgrowth for years. After being part of SIBO discussion groups and realizing an abundance of people across the US were looking for treatments just as I was, I decided, I want to share how I cured SIBO on my own naturally.

My GI issues started with horrible bloating. I would eat the smallest amount of food and within minutes I would feel like I had stuffed my face with a ginormous meal. At first I thought I just had a food intolerance so I took gluten and dairy out of my diet. I tried this food elimination for one month however, my bloating only worsened. My stomach distended to the point where I looked four months pregnant. I would start the day with a flat belly and as soon as I put food in my body I blew up like a balloon. I started getting depressed because I keep a regular work out regimen and work hard to stay fit but this stomach distention issue was completely out of my control. I looked like I had gained 20 pounds! Not only did I have to buy bigger pants and baggy shirts to try and hide my stomach, I found myself unbuttoning my pants because the pressure of my stomach made me feel like I was literally going to burst. I saw my primary care doctor who tried treating me but was unsuccessful. He had me do a track trigger food elimination diet for a month which consisted of eliminating: gluten, dairy, processed food, tomatoes, pepper, spicy food, carbonated beverages, coffee and tea, alcohol and chocolate: basically everything fun! This increased elimination diet unfortunately did nothing for me.

I was in the middle of trying to get pregnant so my PCP couldn’t advise any other treatments at the time. I do feel that he should have sent me to a specialist but I ended up getting pregnant so I just figured there was nothing I could do anyway. I unfortunately lost the pregnancy after a month, which was very emotionally difficult for me, but my GI symptoms started going down as I began treating myself by drinking hot water, fresh ginger, apple cider vinegar and lemon juice every morning before I ate breakfast. Within three weeks of this regimen my stomach was almost back to normal and the ACV mix pushed all the backup out of my system. As I started feeling better I tried getting pregnant again and unfortunately had a chemical pregnancy which, means you lose the baby within a few days of conception and it is not a full miscarriage. This devastated my body and at that point I was completely emotionally drained after losing two pregnancies while dealing with GI problems. I am no spring chicken, so I was really adamant and excited about trying to conceive, however I realized I really had to listen to my body and heal before trying to grow a human inside of me.

My stomach issues started worsening again, and I went from C to D.  I went back to see my PC Dr and this time I immediately asked for a referral to a specialist. At that point I had already been dealing with stomach problems for 8 months and I was so over it! Going to see a specialist was the best thing I could have done because the Dr immediately sent me in for a Lactulose Breath Test. Lactulose is a manmade sugar that bacteria feed on but humans can’t digest. When bacteria feed on sugar they product gas. If there is an overgrowth of bacteria the amount of gas produced will be very high. Both methane and hydrogen gas are measured by drinking the lactulose solution and then breathing into a balloon over a 3 hour period. My gas level was so high that after the second test they already told me I had SIBO. Finally, I had a diagnosis!

SIBO occurs when bacteria in the small intestine get out of balance and overgrow which can cause bloating, abdominal pain, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, GERD, eczema and more. Considering I suffered from all those symptoms it clearly makes sense that I had SIBO. Typically doctors treat SIBO with antibiotics and often times patients need more than one dose. My Dr prescribed me Xifaxan 550 mg – 1 tablet a day, three times a day for en entire month. You know your infection is bad when it takes one month of antibiotics to treat it. I believe in natural treatments when possible so I was a bit skeptical about taking antibiotics because not only do they kill the bad bacteria they also kill the good bacteria which you need. More often than not taking antibiotics can cause increased GI disturbances, but since I was feeling so horrible for 8 months, I decided to give the antibiotics a try.

After not even finishing the fourth day of Xifaxan I had a terrible reaction. I felt so depleted of energy that I could barley make it from my couch to the fridge to try and eat. I fell to the ground and started sobbing uncontrollably and breathing so rapidly that I wasn’t getting enough oxygen to my brain so my lips starting curling in and my face was getting numb. I had to call 911. The paramedics told me I had a panic attack. I have never experienced a panic attack before so I didn’t know what it felt like. The paramedics told me it was a reaction to the medication and I should stop taking it immediately and consult my Dr.

After reacting poorly to the antibiotics, I decided to take matters into my own hands and find a different treatment plan. I spent hours on end researching natural remedies to cure SIBO. I joined the Facebook group called “SIBO Discussion/ Support Group” and learned that there were hundreds of people that were trying to find the best treatment plan for SIBO. I sat and cried as I wrote my post asking for suggestions, feeling defeated, emotionally and physically drained and desperate. I received an overwhelming amount of responses all with different questions and suggestions. I read through other peoples posts and found that there was such a broad mix of treatment plans and different things worked for different people. I combined my online research and some suggestions from others and made my own treatment plan basically by trial and error. While some supplements didn’t work for me others did. Ultimately I figured out how to cure SIBO naturally!

Diet – I Followed SCD + Low FODMAP Diet for 5 Weeks 

Diet is extremely important when treating SIBO. If you research you will see that bacteria feed on sugar so in order to successfully eliminate SIBO a smart approach is to limit the bacteria’s food supply thus starving the bacteria out and killing them! Sorry bacterias but you got to go!

Removing carbohydrates and sugar from my diet was no easy task however, I found it imperative that I follow the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and the low FODMAP diet as I began to see results within a few weeks. I went to this website to learn all about the Specific Carbohydrate Diet. I also purchased the book Breaking The Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall B.A., M.Sc. The book has a complete listing of foods to eat and foods to avoid, as well as recipes and in depth information on why the diet works. Below is an important starter list I followed.

I Eliminated:

• Potatoes
• Corn
• Beans
• Grains
• Dairy: milk, yogurt, whey, ice cream, cheese
• Canned or processed meats
• Canned vegetables
• Sugars – high fructose corn syrup, lactose, sucrose, fructose, processed sugar, high FODMAP foods (to learn more about FODAMPS click here.)
• Alcohol
• Candy, chocolate

I found eating 100% organic was super important because the last thing I wanted to do was add chemicals to my body when I was trying to cleanse. Also, non organic foods are often loaded with more additives. The goal for me was to eat clean and follow the SCD and the Low FODMAP Diet. I did not use any garlic or pepper when cooking and I followed this diet strictly for 5 weeks and then slowly started adding in foods to ensure I was 100% better. I coupled my diet plan with antimicrobials to kill the bacteria overgrowth, a biofilm defense to break down bacteria’s protective layer so they can be penetrated more efficiently by antimicrobials, L Glutamine to repair my gut and a probiotic to improve heathy gut bacteria growth. Taking the supplements along with the SCD and Low FODMAP diet was incremental for me in curing SIBO.

Here are some examples of meals I ate:

Breakfast

2 -3 organic eggs cooked with organic ghee or olive oil, side of spinach cooked in olive oil, side of 3-4 strawberries and small handful of  blueberries. Some people completely remove fruit but I allowed for small amounts of blueberries, strawberries and bananas as these fruits are not high FODMAPs.

Morning Snack

Muffin made with organic almond flour, bananas and honey. The complete recipe for the banana muffins is in the book Breaking the Viscuous Cycle on page 127 under “banana cake.” I made them as muffins and cooked them for about 30 minutes. I found the muffins to be important so that I could feel full. Completely removing all carbs leaves you never really feeling satisfied which is an unpleasant feeling, but nonetheless it is was important for me to adhere to the SCD and Low FODMAP diet to get better!

Lunch

Option 1: Sustainable Seas solid white tuna with olive oil and salt. Sometimes I would add in diced up organic kosher pickles because I needed more substance. I read the ingredients and found pickles without any sugar. Once I started reading ingredients on packages, I noticed that sugar is in almost everything! I found pickles at Whole Foods. No crackers and no bread.

Option 2: Chicken breast baked in the oven in tin foil prepared with organic olive oil, salt, parsley, and oregano – all organic. Cooked with a side of summer squash and zucchini peppered in ghee with salt.

I also liked to buy organic whole chicken and roast it in the oven with ghee, olive oil, salt and parsley. I found that eating the same thing everyday gets quite boring so choosing different ways to prepare meat was helpful for to feel like I was getting a bigger variety.

Afternoon Snack

Handful of almonds, handful of sunflower seeds and raisins with no sugar.

Dinner

Organic ground turkey cooked in ghee with salt and parsley. Zucchini, summer squash and spinach cooked in olive oil, salt and parsley then mixed in with turkey.

Important Tips I followed 

I chewed 30 times before swallowing, I ate slow and I did not drink water while I was  eating meals with meat. I drank water after my meal. I made sure to eat 2-3 hour before bed so that I was digested before I laid down. All these tips helped with aiding my digestion. I avoided ground beef completely for 30 days as it is harder to digest. I stuck to eggs, chicken, turkey and some nuts.

SIBO Regimen By Day that I Followed For 1 Month 

Morning

Upon waking in the am: 1 Biofilm Defense with a few sips of water. I did not eat or drink anything for 1 hour. I found information on biofilms here.

1 Hour After taking Biofilm Defense, I took 4 drops of organic oil of oregano sublingually with a little coconut oil or other carrier oil to help with absorption, 1 organic grapefruit seed extract pill and 1 L Glutamine 1,000 mg pill.

30 Minutes later I drank 8-12 oz organic fresh juiced celery. I combined mine with ginger. This helps rebuild HCL (stomach acid.)  This is the website I found celery juice information on.

Then I ate my meal.

Afternoon

1 Hour Before Lunch: 3 drops of organic oil oregano (I followed the same steps as the morning- sublingually with coconut oil), 1 grapefruit seed extract

30 Mins Before Lunch: 1 tablespoon organic apple cider vinegar with half cup hot water, half teaspoon organic juiced ginger and half teaspoon organic lemon juice to help me with digestion.

Then I ate my meal.

Evening

1 Hour Before Dinner: 1 L Glutamine 1,000 mg pill.

Probiotic with dinner.

Products I used:

Kirkman – Biofilm Defense 

Pure Encapsulations – Grapefruit Seed Extract 

Pure Encapsulations – L Glutamine 1,000 mg 

Natural Factors – Oil of Oregano 

Bragg Organic Apple Cider Vinegar with “The Mother” 

Renew Life – Ultimate Flora Probiotic 50 Billion

Notes

I started to feel worse in the middle of treatment. This is known as a “die off period” where bacteria are releasing toxins as they die. I went in a sauna and took epsom salt baths a few times a week to help rid my body of the toxins which are released by sweating. I found both the baths and sauna to be super helpful.

I found that oregano oil has some negative side effects. I did read about this before taking it, but for me it was worth pushing through it to get better. I felt the oregano oil to be an important part of my recovery. The negative side effects included feeling very weak and depleted of energy. I read it should not be taken for an extended period of time. I recommend if you look into taking it you do your research as well.

I did ease into the program instead of adding everything at once and then once I had my regimen down I followed it for a month. 

I make sure to check in with both my GI doctor and a holistic doctor during my treatment. My Gastro Dr. did not acknowledge that diet or supplements could help rid SIBO. For me I knew I did not want to take the antibiotics so I had to find another way.

March 2019 Update:

One year after writing this post, I realized a bit of information that could have helped me in my recovery and that is: mental strength is extremely important to physical healing. You have to believe you can get better and think positive despite how incredibly difficult it is. I just finished reading the book You are a Badass by Jen Sincero and it was a total life changer for me. I learned that if I keep telling myself that “I can’t” then that is what I believe and that is what will happen. Are you telling yourself “You can’t get better,” because you feel so exhausted and sick? Listen to what you are saying and what you believe. If you think you could use a look at how to change your inner thoughts to create a better outcome then definitely try this book. It is less than $10 on Amazon and worth every penny!

How I Cured SIBO / Jill E. Gallien / March 24, 2018

This site is designed for educational purposes only and should not be used in any other manner. This information is not intended to substitute for informed medical advice. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease without consulting with a qualified health care provider.