There is controversy about how to treat IBS.
I wish it were a clear cut solution, but it’s not. Many clients come into my practice because they’ve seen multiple doctors and have colonoscopies, endoscopies reports+ endless tests, but not finding relief from their symptoms.
The reason why they still struggle is: there’s more to balancing digestive health than meets the eye.
Both the upper and lower GI tract must work in harmony + gut flora must be in balance + immune health for improved recognition + the right diet to provide for an optimal terrain. All these factors play a role in destroying gut balance and re-storing it too.
And this is why my gut program helps the most difficult cases.
I often will use multiple types of testing to clarify the dysfunction. My theory is, if we can get down to the root cause and find the source ( the basis) of the problem, then you can focus your energy there to restore the gut back to health.
I find that most clients who self-refer from other doctors have in hand SIBO tests, reports from invasive imaging and bags of prescriptions and supplements. YES! You should rule out the BIG STUFF, but a small detail like forgetting to ask, “So did you see what you ate last night in your poop this morning?” is a HUGE OVERSIGHT by many clinicians. This is a tell-tell sign of not enough acid being produced and is a basic foundation that is most often overlooked.
You can’t forget the basics…
In my Gut Program, I look at every aspect of the digestive process and create a strategy on optimizing each step. The ultimate goal is to reach a symptom-free functioning digestive symptoms where you can enjoy foods once more and not have to think about if the food is going to upset your stomach.
On average people spend 4 months to 1 year restoring gut function back and the timing depends on the severity.
A word about the SIBO craze…
SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth and essentially means someone has too much bacteria in their small intestine. This may cause the symptoms that look identical to IBS (such as abdominal pain, diarrhea and/or constipation and bloating), food sensitivities and allergies, and even things like migraines, joint pain, fatigue and depression.
IBS on the other hand is Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder that affects the large intestine. Signs and symptoms include cramping, abdominal pain, bloating, gas, and diarrhea or constipation, or both.
Same symptoms, different location.
And yes, you can have IBS and SIBO at the same time!
SIBO is one potential cause of IBS and ill health, but not the only cause. There are many things that can cause IBS and problems in the gut. Therefore, it’s better to treat IBS which is broader than SIBO. Furthermore SIBO breath testing has an incredibly high rate of false positives. Check out this study! (and this leads to more rounds of un-needed antibiotics)
In either case, I clarify the origin of the problem in my gut program. I usually test patients and get a baseline with their current diet in place ( SAD, FODMAP, SCD) and from there you can tell where the source of the problem lies. We plug in the right diet to restore the origin + nutrients to re-balance the system and BOOM!
Milestone #1:
Treat until a positive relief of symptoms are achieved
Once this is achieved there is optional confirmatory retesting
Rebuild the leaky gut from years of inflammation
Milestone #2:
This approach is comprehensive because we are ruling out one system at a time, and you build amazing confidence in your ability to know your body, the foods it likes + dislikes and especially freeing yourself from the mindset of “something is wrong with me.”
If you have gut issues that you’d like help finding a breakthrough with your gut issues, reach out to me, and let’s find the strategy that works for you.
