Podcast Episode 48: What Is SIBO & How to Heal It

Have you heard about SIBO before? What exactly is it and what can we do to heal it? Let’s dive into all things SIBO in this episode with Dr. Jason Piken and understand more about the gut-brain connection and its impact on hormonal health.

You can find all the info and links about this episode at https://holisticwellness.ca/episode48

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Topics Discussed in this Episode:

What SIBO is and how people get it
The symptoms that show up with SIBO
How to test for SIBO
What your diet should look like if you have SIBO
What leaky gut is and how it impairs digestion and leads to inflammation
Understanding the gut-brain axis
Some healing strategies for acid reflux
How to improve gut health overall

Key Takeaways:

There are hundreds of trillions of microbes that live in and on our body, and the vast majority of them should live in our gut, especially the large intestine.
If there is a breakdown in the barrier system that separates the large intestine from the small intestine, microbes from the large intestine crawl up into the small intestine and live along the intestinal walls. If nothing is stopping them from migrating even further, they keep migrating up, and this is what we call SIBO, small intestine bacterial overgrowth.
The symptom that you see the most when you have SIBO is bloating.
The standard start of care for SIBO diet-wise is a low FODMAP diet (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polysaccharides)
Only 9% of your entire nervous system is capable of sensing pain, so it’s possible that you have SIBO but not feel the symptoms. But also some people with SIBO develop visceral hypersensitivity.
The most common cause of SIBO outside of an infection in your gut is the use of antacids.

Action Steps:

Consider getting tested for SIBO.
If you have SIBO, work with a functional practitioner. And even if you’re not working on SIBO, when you get the right diet, it makes a world of difference.
Prevent acid reflux by making sure your B12 levels are good; making sure your zinc status is good; and having L-glutamine, aloe, and licorice.
Experiment with an elimination-reintroduction diet and understand how certain foods have been affecting you.

Jason said:

“The problem with testing is testing is great but testing has false-negatives… And if you’re not with a doctor that understands how to interpret a SIBO test, they can actually see a false-positive.”

“Everybody, no matter what your health status is, should play with, experiment with an elimination-reintroduction diet… If you feel wonderful eating that way for a number of weeks, fantastic, you’ve learned something.”

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