3 important points to know about detecting and treating SIBO to support healthy GI function

Assessments are fundamental to our approach to health care at the Connecticut Center for Integrative Medicine. We take fresh approaches to conventional testing, such as bloodwork, and provide other, perhaps lesser-known and underutilized forms of testing to understand your unique needs. You cannot offer truly personalized medicine without understanding the individual’s one-of-a-kind needs, beyond what is considered to be “average” for a given population. As such, our neighbors in Darien and greater Westchester and Fairfield counties who are looking for an “SIBO specialist near me” have arrived at the right place to finally put persistent and worsening abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, and other GI symptoms behind them. 

As you’ll see from the three points below, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth can have an outsized, negative impact on your life, but fortunately, we have positive, life-changing solutions rooted in related testing to get you back to feeling like yourself again. 

No. 1: Bacteria as the culprit 

Not all bacteria are bad. There are “good” and “bad” bacteria. As with other indicators of health assessed by our functional medicine providers, balance is important when it comes to the bacteria that live inside us. When the wrong kinds of bacteria “overgrow” in the small intestine or bowel, food may not flow as quickly through the small intestine and may stagnate. When this happens, toxins are also produced. Bacterial overgrowth may interfere with an essential function – how the nutrients in our foods are absorbed and used by our bodies as fuel. The byproducts of bacteria digesting food can lead to a cycle of diarrhea, loose stools, and constipation, significantly impacting your daily life.

No. 2: Detecting and understanding SIBO through your breath

Evaluating for SIBO involves a breath test. SIBO is associated with abnormalities in the levels of gases like hydrogen and methane. If the carbs and sugars in our foods are not fully digested when they reach the colon, bacteria consume and turn them into gases. An overgrowth of bacteria is associated with more gas and more of the byproducts mentioned above. Regarding our specific onsite testing, these gases are absorbed in the blood, transported to your lungs, and then released through your breath. So, in turn, we can measure these levels through your breath. Our team can assess their volume and how fast these gases are being produced. This provides meaningful insights into how your digestive system or “gut” functions, and may be used to rule out or confirm inflammatory bowel diseases and other GI conditions. 

No. 3: The power of reliable and expansive testing 

No assessment at the Connecticut Center for Integrative Medicine would be complete without walking you through everything to expect before, during, and after your test. We want you to be well-informed about what the test can or cannot tell us, and also to follow any instructions provided by our team, which supports the most accurate findings. SIBO breath testing is not invasive and generally involves consuming a special glucose mix. Glucose tends to be absorbed rapidly in the small intestine, where this sugar then contributes to the process mentioned above, producing and spiking levels of hydrogen. We measure those levels after you breathe into a series of tubes at specified intervals. So, we can determine how much hydrogen or methane is being exhaled after drinking the glucose mix. When rapid increases are noted, SIBO may be the source of problems associated with GI function. Unlike SIBO tests performed elsewhere, our team also tests for another marker of bacterial overgrowth – hydrogen sulfide. We can gain even more insights with additional health assessments available at our Stamford office.

With all this information, we develop personalized interventions that may include carefully selected antibiotics and botanical medicine. If you are interested in more details about SIBO-related services, request an appointment today! Our team is proud to serve Darien, CT, and our neighbors in greater Westchester and Fairfield counties, and you can call us at (866) 320-6402 to schedule your visit.

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