Have you ever heard of SIBO? Most people will say no to this question. I hadn’t heard of SIBO until I started seeing a naturopathic doctor. SIBO stands for small intestinal bacteria overgrowth – it is not the same as IBS or c diff.

I started seeing a naturopathic doctor (ND) in April of 2024 to treat chronic Lyme disease. Before we had even tested for Lyme, the ND was positive I was dealing with SIBO. She immediately put me on a herbal treatment for it and it was gone in three weeks. It is said that 70% of people who have lyme disease often get SIBO. This is my third time being treated for SIBO and it has been the worst case I have had thus far.

What is SIBO?

SIBO is a condition where there is an abnormal increase of bacteria in the small intestine.

Symptoms of SIBO:

You can find more information about SIBO at the Mayo Clinic here.

How is SIBO diagnosed?

1. Symptoms. If medical providers know the warning signs of SIBO, a conversation with your provider may lead to a SIBO diagnosis. In my case the ND I see treats SIBO often and she knew what was wrong before we even sat down to discuss details.
2. There is a breath test that can be done to determine how much hydrogen or methane one breathes out after drinking a mixture of glucose and water. I do not think this test can be ordered in a regular medical lab ( maybe in some areas of the world) . I do know many naturopathic doctors offer the testing, but it can be fairly pricey.

SIBO and Fibromyalgia

Out of curiosity I began googling fibromyalgia and SIBO – and found many studies indicating there is a correlation between the two conditions. Over the years, I have read that gut health needs to be corrected if one has fibromyalgia, but never understood the connection. I continue to do reading on how the gut biome can affect many health conditions to try to understand. Experts state the gut is connected to many parts of the body – including the brain.

In one study, 815 people were tested for SIBO using the breath test. 123 people in the study were known to have fibromyalgia. Out of the 123 people tested for SIBO, 96 tested positive. That is 78%. The study concluded that small intestinal bacteria over growth is associated with a fibromyalgia and when treated for SIBO intestinal symptoms improved. You can read about the study here.

Another study conducted in 2004, concluded that 100% of the participants with fibromyalgia had SIBO. This study can be found here

Even though these are both older studies the findings/results were consistent. I found a few other studies regarding SIBO and fibromyalgia, but due to very little information on the studies themselves, I chose not to include the links in my blog. I think this is due to the fact that the studies are older so only giving you the quick run down of the studies. It would be interesting to see some current studies on the subject conducted to see if the findings are still similar.

After beginning treatment for SIBO through herbal routes, I mentioned to a few medical doctors that I was being treated for SIBO. To my surprise, their response was, “What is that?” Medical doctors do not seem to even know what SIBO is – yet alone how to diagnose it or treat it. SIBO can be treated with antibiotics, but in my case heavy antibiotic use for seven months for lyme treatment was the culprit to why I developed SIBO in the first place. I was on several probiotics while on antibiotics to help counter act the gut biome from being destroyed – sadly in my case it didn’t seem to be enough and the SIBO bacteria got away on me.

After 4 weeks on various herbal supplements provided by the naturopathic doctor, I began to see improvements. The stomach bloating began to settle down, along with severe cramping, loss of appetite and severe diarrhea. Week 6 – has been fairly up and down with SIBO symptoms yet again. I am attributing the increase of symptoms due to having to switch to another supplement that may not have been strong enough to keep eliminating the bacteria.

I often wonder how I would have gotten the proper medical treatment without the naturopathic doctor being able to recognize the warning signs of SIBO – being medical doctors don’t seem to know what it is. I know I have several months left of treatment, but at least it is slowly getting better.

Next time you may be having major gut issues, consider SIBO as a possibility. You may have to advocate for yourself as many health care providers may not know what SIBO is.

Here is a good ebook i found online about SIBO symptoms. I thought I would include it for those interested in reading more information.