SIBO: Dysbiosis Has A New Name. (Townsend Letter Feb/Mar 2015)

[anne_likes_red]

SIBO: Dysbiosis Has A New Name.
by Steven Sandberg-Lewis, ND, DHANP and Allison Siebecker, ND, MSOM

http://www.townsendletter.com/FebMarch2015/sibo0215.html

Highly recommended reading for anyone dealing with SIBO.
Anne.

 

[Crux]

Thanks, Anne;

I've only begun to read the article, looks extensive.
With SIBO, many can experience extreme symptoms, and the infection can sometimes be life threatening.
It's easy to underestimate it, thinking that it's just some gas and bloating issues. hmmm.

 

[SwanRonson]

Agreed. My symptoms from it were pretty extreme. Great article. I just forwarded it to my ND.

 

[aquariusgirl]

i just took rifaximin for a bug I picked up ...and it cleared up my brain so much...!! I had forgotten the effect of endotoxins on the brain ....

 

[adreno]

Interesting article, thanks!

 

[Crux]

Dr. Allison Siebecker has a website, http://www.siboinfo.com/, and a practice in Portland Oregon.
She seems to keep up with the latest developments in treatment.

Here's an article about SIBO. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2890937/
It's from 2010, but the clinical features section describes just how pernicious it can get. ( neuropathy, liver lesions, encephalopathy, d-lactic acidosis, etc.)

The article discusses vitamin deficiencies that can occur in SIBO : vitamin B12, fat solubles, A,D,E,K, folate, minerals, etc. I disagree about the claim that folate and vitamin K can be 'normal'.

I believe that with dysbiosis/SIBO, there can be deficiencies and/ or excesses of nutrients, depending on the microbes present.

 

[SwanRonson]

This is of note from that report:

"Pimentel et al found that 42/42 (100%) patients with fibromyalgia had an abnormal lactulose hydrogen breath test. This was a significantly higher rate compared to patients with irritable bowel syndrome (93/111, 84%) and clinically healthy persons used as a control (3/15, 20%). Patients with fibromyalgia also had a higher hydrogenic profile that correlated with somatic pain."

 

[Crux]

I've been looking around for the best report about which gut bacteria produce which vitamins, but it looks like there are so many that produce each vitamin.

file:///C:/Users/Brad/Downloads/MANUSCRIPT_PATEL_3%20(2).pdf
I can't get this link to work, so I'll find another.

This one is ok, but it looks like, ' more research is needed.'
http://www.wiley-vch.de/books/biotech/pdf/v10_shim.pdf

The reason I'm putting this information in a SIBO thread is because, with SIBO, there can be vitamin deficiencies, as well as excesses. I've come across some examples of folks with elevated B6, and since many of them weren't taking much or any of it, I suspect they may be suffering from some bacterial overgrowth producing B6.

I haven't found a case of it, but it seems plausible. In my case, folate was extremely elevated, and I had been avoiding it, ( food and supps.), for months.

Since many types of gut bacteria, including lactic acid bacteria, produce B vitamins, I suspect some people may be suffering neuropathy from excess B6 production in the gut.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22940212

@AndyPandy , have you found a way to treat your elevated B6 neuropathy? I hope so. I wrote this with you in mind.

 

[Gondwanaland]

@Crux thank you so much for bringing this aspect to our attention. Just yesterday I was reading some old threads and came to the conclusion that I have too many folate-producing bacteria, which easily increases my uric acid. My serum folic acid has been highish in range for a long time. I suspect this is the main reason why I do not tolerate gluten (flour enrichment).

During this past week I did an experiment of cutting off the salad from my dinner, but my sleep got worse on it. So now I am experimenting with a reduced salad portion.

 

[Crux]

@Gondwanaland ;

You're welcome! Enriched foods can be a big problem, along with too many fermentable fibers. ( even chocolate)
Legumes are very high in folate and fibers. ( Do the folates give you migraines and other pain?)

It looks like I'll need to read up about uric acid elevation some more. It seems the elevation of any strong acid can be ruinous and painful.

 

[Gondwanaland]

Do the folates give you migraines and other pain?

My main migraine trigger is chicken
And most pain - apart from uric acid - seems to be liver related (medication metabolism).

 

[Crux]

My main migraine trigger is chicken
And most pain - apart from uric acid - seems to be liver related (medication metabolism).

Chicken? Hmm don't know. I did read that gut bacteria produce histamines, and that could trigger migraines. ( many triggers)

With SIBO, there can be liver lesions, ( I have one), so the liver is certainly involved, only I guess the infection spreads to it?( I've had the strangest spasms in the liver area; I would watch them with horror and fascination, imagining that some parasite was wriggling.)

 

[Crux]

@Gondwanaland ;

With elevated uric acid, as you know, there are many causes and treatments. The gut microbiota can be partly involved, because some microbes can degrade uric acid.http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0105577

However, if the individual has lactic acidosis, then excretion of uric acid is slowed.

There could be overgrowth of microbes that are ovewhelming the benefits. We don't know which or how much.

L. Plantarum, shown to degrade uric acid, is very common in fermented foods and drinks. Have you any experience with it?