I am not a Doctor, so I can’t diagnose you or treat you. I’m writing this post from a SIBO patient point of view. Sharing with you my story and what I learned as a patient and an NTP.
What is SIBO?
SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth) is pretty self-explanatory. Too much bacteria in your small intestine, specifically bad bacteria. A dysbiosis in the gut, when the bad bacteria takes over and wreaks havoc.
Causes can vary from low stomach acid, use of antibiotics, an unbalanced diet, hypothyroidism, IBS. Some common symptoms of SIBO include bloating, constipation or diarrhea, feeling of fullness, gas, and digestive discomfort, distended abdomen, weight loss.
SIBO leads to poor nutrient absorption and can cause other issues. A system in jeopardy will cause a cascade of problems. If you suspect you might have SIBO talk to your doctor.
What Tests Can Diagnose SIBO?
There is a Breath Test, in which you adhere to a specific diet for 24 hours, fast for 8 hours then take glucose or lactulose and breathe into several tubes over the course of 3 hours. You need to take a morning off for this thing. THIS is the test I did, which my functional medicine doctor ordered for me.
My SIBO Story
I didn’t present with common SIBO symptoms when I was diagnosed. Although I have in the past and thought I resolved it via an elimination diet, what seems to have happened is that I’ve been managing my symptoms due to my low carb diet. What lead Dr. Campbell to even test for SIBO was my thyroid! One thing that became very apparent to me with this diagnosis is the importance of healing north to south. More on this in the Healing North to South section below.
In the fall my primary care doctor had my thyroid checked: TSH, T4, T3 and reverse T3 level. My T3 was on the low range of okay and my reverse T3 was higher than my free T3. This isn’t good if T3 is essentially what makes your metabolism go, reverse T3 blocks that, it slows metabolism and other thyroid functions. My doctor gave me free rein to go research the root cause of this, which is why I reached out to Dr. Becky Campbell, who authored The 30-Day Thyroid Reset.
Her hypothesis is that stress on my system was causing this thyroid imbalance, either from the liver or the gut. This supported the findings of my Functional Evaluation (during my NTA training). We decided to focus on the gut since I had done a lot to support my liver in the last year.
We decided on a strong herbal protocol of antimicrobials paired with gut support, binders, and detox pathway support to tackle this SIBO. Juxtapose the antimicrobials I am also taking high doses of specific probiotics. We discussed my diet and decided further dietary changes were not needed as I already adhere to a whole food, low carb diet, as laid out in my cookbooks. You can read more about the SIBO Thyroid Connection HERE.
I am not giving more specifics to my protocol here because this is not meant for you to take what I am taking. It’s important you work with an NTP, a functional medicine doctor, or someone who can help you properly source, dose, and administer the protocol. Essentially we went with an herbal remedy, a combination of powerful antimicrobials and also used specific probiotics, alternating, for a few weeks.
Dr. Campbell has a virtual functional medicine clinic. After graduating from my nutritional therapy program, I now work for her clinic. While she provides diagnosis and treatment plans, I offer diet and lifestyle support. You can sign up for a consultation here.
After about 3 months on the protcol, I stopped it completely and re-took the breathe test. It came back negative! Yeay! Even the H. Pylori was gone. I don’t take any of the supplements anymore, except the digestive enzymes which I use when I eat out or travel.
What is SIBO Die-Off?
Essentially, you’re killing bad bacteria and eliminating it from your body. This die-off can have several side effects and they are not pleasant. You are wiping out the current inhabitants of your gut and repopulating with beneficial bacteria. Your gut along with your liver do most of the detoxing in your body. One of the biggest jobs is conjugating and expelling excess hormones. Also, your gut has been trying to fight this invasion for some time, meaning your immune system has been taxed. There’s a lot that’s been happening and as the climate inside your body changes, there may be a lot of symptoms that present.
I read a lot about what to expect online, but I still felt it didn’t prepare me, not really for what it was like. I will try to do the experience justice here. A combination of my autoimmune symptoms and digestive distress. It felt like whack a mole!
While I hadn’t presented with bloating or gas prior to the protocol during the die-off phase I had plenty of both and it was not pleasant. There were also times of loose stools and other times of constipation. I also had waves of severe fatigue. These would hit me like a freight train and then be gone just as fast, sometimes lasting hours or up to a day. It was hard to cope with the on and off again feelings. My appetite wavered as well.
Just expect the unexpected. I really had to take it easy and make sure I had time to feel like crap. I skipped a lot of gym days. I made sure to hydrate a lot and sleep when needed. I really focused on whole foods, no processed foods and if something caused bloating or discomfort I just stayed away from it. I’m still going strong with my protocol and the symptoms seem to have faded or now. I’m excited to report back with long term health benefits to all this.
Healing North to South
Healing north to south is probably one of the most invaluable things I have learned in my nutritional therapy program. I spent a lot of time taking a laser focus on several areas of my body. My gut, my skin, my liver. Always hyper-focused on supporting whichever area or organ I thought was in jeopardy. I did well for a self-researcher and self-taught food healer.
But now, through formal education on the matter, I see the flaw in that approach. I had a lot of success yet, but there were holes in my plan. I never looked digestion as a north to south process. The focus on gut health was everything. Gut healing foods. Gut healing supplements. Gut healing protocol.
I know now that chronically low stomach acid is what led to not only SIBO but H. Pylori, which in turn taxed my system and caused my thyroid imbalance. It’s all connected and if we don’t take a step back and start at the beginning and a lot of our efforts can be in vain.
So one thing you can take away from this article is to value the importance of digestion. As we sit down to eat, we need to relax, focus on the meal, and chew slowly. We can use digestive bitters to help digestion going. No matter what you eat, if your digestion is not functioning properly the food you chose so carefully won’t do what it’s supposed to.
Taking a quality probiotic and eating a balanced diet without excess sugar will also help avoid SIBO.
I like this probiotic, the strain boulardii is especially good after antibiotic use. If you want to look into digestive bitters, they are a great way to stimulate digestion. However, slowing down, chewing your food properly, eating in a relaxed state is all most important! Also, don’t drink tons of water with your meals. If you don’t have a gallbladder you may want to look into support for that. If you feel like your digestion is very impaired you can do the HCL test at home and with a high-quality digestive enzyme.
If you’re currently suffering from Histamine Intolerance, SIBO, H. Pylori, gut infections or yeast can be a root cause. Learn more about the gut- histamine connection in Dr. Campbell’s book- the 4- Phase Histamine Reset Plan! Or set up a consult with us.
SIBO Friendly Recipes on my Blog
- Whipped Cauliflower
- Creamy Beef and Cabbage Soup
- Chicken Sausage
- Mac Nut Garlic Chicken
- Honey Mustard Salmon and Collard Greens
Bridie says
Hi Cristina, Thanks so much for sharing your story!
I’m currently treating my sibo and have been on antimicrobials (oregano oil & berberine) along with taking strong probiotics to keep the good bacteria in my gut! I’m 2-3 weeks into treatment and am still experiencing die off symptoms (constant stomach aches, fatigue, brain fog, no appetite), which has me confused as I thought die off only lasted 3-5 days. So I’m wondering how long did your symptoms last after beginning treatment and if it’s normal to still feel this discomfort?
Would love to hear back from you!
Regards,
Bridie 🙂
Cristina Curp, FNTP says
Hey Birdie, die-off is different for everyone. I would speak to your doctor about your symptoms. There could be a supplement that’s too harsh for you. My die-off was awful at first then went away after 2 weeks… but I did have some waves of it later on in the protocol. But it was never constant or unbearable. Again, talk to your practitioner about what you’re feeling!
Helen says
I had sever belching for 20 years and SIBO. A health coach had me eliminate, all sugars and sugar substitutes, yeast, vinegar, dairy, gluten , wine all carbs and fruit. I am now great after 8 months of lots of fish ,veggies almond flour bread and cookies! Yay!
Cristina Curp, FNTP says
Thanks for sharing what worked for you Helen!
Maya says
Oh my god Christina I can’t tell you how happy I am to find your site. I’ve had HS forever, undiagnosed most of the time and now at 40 am suffering a cascade of inflammatory ailments. Have learned so much over the past year regarding holistic health approaches and the importance of diet but am getting tangled in a knot with what to eliminate. Finally going to see a functional medicine doctor to get professional support, and look forward to exploring more of your advice and recipes.
Maya says
Oops sorry for spelling your name wrong ?
Cristina says
<3
Cristina says
Hi Maya! Hope my story and my recipes help your journey!
Becky says
I was diagnosed with SIBO and started taking things for it and I believe I’m in the “die-off” phase where my mood is just ALL OVER THE PLACE mostly just depressed? I feel way worse than I’d ever felt just dealing with the SIBO. My question is, how long did the ‘crap’ period last? Was it just a few days/weeks or the full 3 months?!
Cristina says
It’s different for everyone, for me it only lasted a 2 weeks and sometimes returned in short waves. Make sure you’re following a low carb diet while addressing SIBO and ask your practitioner if they also have something to support detox (liver support, binders etc)
Sam says
Isn’t SIBO actually overgrowth of good bacteria just in the wrong place? (Small vs large intestine)
Cristina says
Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) occurs when there is an abnormal increase in the overall bacterial population in the small intestine — particularly types of bacteria not commonly found in that part of the digestive tract. However, from what I see day in and day out working at a functional medicine practice, SIBO usually goes hand in hand with dysbiosis, and most folks have an overgrowth of opportunistic bacteria going on due to diet or medications like antibiotics they took.
Kelly says
Hi Cristina! Thank you so much for sharing this, it has been so helpful. I just finished 3 weeks of xifaxan for hydrogen-dominant SIBO (including digestive enzymes, GI Detox and now on the same probiotics as you as well as motility pills and a low FODMAP diet). My main symptoms have been nausea, bloating and worst of all, gagging. I have weird stomach spasms that occur mostly at night. Have you ever heard of this being an issue with SIBO? Additionally, I’m not feeling much relief yet after finishing antibiotics, have you found from others stories it takes time after antibiotic treatment? I saw it took you 3 months to feel a lot better, but not sure if that was gradual or it just took a few weeks (or if you know others’ experiences). Thanks again! Kelly
Joanna says
Hi Cristina, thank you for this post! I just wanted to ask about herbal remedies you took for SIBO. You mentioned oil of oregano capsules and caprylic acid. Did you take any other ones as well? Which one do you think was the most effective? Thanks!
Cristina says
It’s a combination of things, a specific protocol. I don’t recommend going about it without the supervision of a practitioner.
raj says
Hi Cristina..could you tell me the contact of the practitioner who came up with the herbal protocol for the SIBO for you. My son has been diagnosed 2 weeks ago.Thanks
Cristina says
I linked her page in the post, here it is again: https://drbeckycampbell.com/the-sibo-and-the-thyroid-connection/
ANA says
did you were able to heal your thyroid ??
thaNKS!
Cristina says
I think so! I haven’t had blood work drawn again, but the sibo is gone and I feel great
angel says
hi Cristina , I was recently diagnosed with sibo and Candida , in the meantime for my tests results to come back my functional medicine doctor gave me a sibo diet and supplements for my liver in the meantime and zinc Caroline for when I eat to calm down my gut, before she kills it off, please can you tell me is it a long process, longer than 3months? Also now that your sibo free , can you please tell me what life is like now? can you go back to being your normal self e.g eating all the foods you did before?eating anything without a problem?
Cristina says
It took about 3 months to get rid of, and I feel much better. I feel like my body is much more resilient than before.
angel says
Wow that is great! , did you go back to eating foods without a problem?
Cristina says
I never changed my diet throughout the protocol because I eat paleo low carb call the time anyway
angel says
That’s great , also may I ask how long did you battle with sibo please?
Cristina says
I think I had it at least 2 years before doing something about it, but I never presented with regular symptoms
Ben Grenrock says
Hi Cristina. I’m curious about what thyroid medication you take. A little over a year a had an explosion of various health issues, which, coupled with the loss of hair from pretty much every place on my body, led me into the terrible maze of thyroid testing. I’m telling you this because it seems like we have a similar thyroid issue. All of my numbers were basically normal but my reverse T3 was off the charts high. I was having all sorts of weird things going on with my body that naturopath doctors told me were probably caused by leaky gut. 9 months of and extreme AIP diet and getting my thyroid back in normal ranges with meds didn’t take me feel any better. At all. Eventually, through treatment with ayahuasca I was able to see that at least some of my issues were psychosomatic. Realizing that made them go away. Completely. Well, some of them at least. I decided i was probably fine, and that since so many doctors had told me that Reverse T3 isn’t really important and because the pills and diet hadn’t seemed to improve my symptoms whatsoever, I stopped taking meds and went about my business, trying to accept that someday I’d have no eyebrows left. I found your post because recently i was diagnosed with SIBO. Ive had it for about four months and it started pretty explosively while i was traveling with three days of something that felt like it could have been food poisoning or a parasite. Finally i got the SIBO diagnosis, but i didn’t respond at all to the antibiotics. My biggest problem in trying to deal with all this now is that i live in Argentina and don’t exactly have access to all the products and naturopaths that exist in the U.S. They do have thyroid meds and I think thanks to your article I’m going to look back into that. I know you’re not a doctor but any advice about what i should take if I can’t find anyone here who knows RT3, or anything i should be doing to get better (as vague as that is/impossible to do 100% accurately). Sorry for the long comment, but I’m sure you know how it is when you feel like you’ll never get better and you don’t know where to turn. I’m deep in the depths of that at the moment. Thank you.
Cristina says
I took T3 for a while, but it was just a bandaid… so I stopped taking it and focused on healing my SIBO I did herbal remedies like oil of oregano capsules and caprylic acid to clear out the bad bacteria then took probiotics to implant good bacteria. I wish you luck on your healing journey!
Annie says
I have had SIBO for 2 years now. It happenend after a day of caring event at a botanical garden. Felt like food poisoning. Didnt get a gastro’s appointment until 45 days after the issue started. There are a lot of food sensitivities that I have and docs kept saying after a course of doxcy that this was my mind related. Now they know it was not true and have put me back on rifagut. Cant eat dairy, gluten, corn, soy, citrus, fru tose, etc. Most of the time have hyperacidity where I feel it on the teeth, headache and a burning in my stomach. Do not usually have a reflux. Have started to gain weight but have lost a lot of hair that does stress me out. Visible scalp will stress out anyone I guess. My ferrittin is very low even after taking a few shots in the last 2 years. Do u have any suggestions? Feel less bloared since I am on antibiotics. After the food poisoining I was put on antacids more than daily recommendations to manage my symptons before seeing the gastro.
Cristina says
That’s crazy Annie. I worked with a functional med doc and we did an herbal protocol to kill the bad bacteria and used probiotics to replenish the good bacteria.
Debbie says
I have similar issues of others on this board…SIBO in particular. What probiotic do you use?
Cristina says
i used saccharomyces boullardii first for a few weeks, by jarrow, then I used biodoph7 by biotics research
Vanessa says
Hi Cristina! I feel like we’ve been on parallel trajectories in terms of our health challenges. I was diagnosed with Hashimotos about two years ago and was just diagnosed with SIBO this past month. I’m working with a Naturopath to start treatment. I was curious as to whether you’re healed from SIBO or had any additional occurrences. Thanks!
Cristina says
Hi Vanessa,
Yes, I did resolve my SIBO with the antimicrobial treatment and the H Pylori too! It took about 3 months total and I’ve finished off with a maintenance round of chlorella and mushroom support for detox, adrenal support and gut health 🙂 Check out BioRay… they have good stuff.