The #1 Overlooked Cause of IBS (And How to Heal Your Gut)

Dr. Stengler: Are you one of the millions of Americans that have irritable bowel syndrome? There can be a very specific, precise treatment that can help you. In this video, I'm going to tell you about the research identifying why so many people have irritable bowel syndrome, and the root cause that isn't being treated. I'm Dr. Mark Stengler, a naturopathic medical doctor. I've been practicing integrative medicine for 30 years, and I've treated many thousands of patients with gut disorders, including small intestine bacterial overgrowth and irritable bowel syndrome.

For decades, irritable bowel syndrome, also known as IBS, was considered by many conventional doctors to be a mysterious condition with no clear cause — often thought to be in the mind of the patient or simply a reaction to stress. Of course, this is nonsense. The majority of cases of irritable bowel syndrome are caused by real physical issues; this is what the research shows. For 30 years, I've helped patients successfully treat IBS without using medications, by addressing the underlying causes such as food sensitivities, microbiome imbalances, fungal overgrowth in the gut, leaky gut, and undiagnosed gut infections.

People with IBS experience a variety of symptoms — if you have it, you know what I'm talking about: chronic bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, or alternating constipation and diarrhea. While stress and diet can worsen symptoms, new research shows that in many cases, IBS may actually be caused by an underlying problem in the small intestine known as small intestine bacterial overgrowth, also known as SIBO. SIBO occurs when there's excessive bacteria, normally found in the large intestine, that migrates up and multiplies in the small intestine, where it doesn't belong in such large numbers. The bacteria ferment carbohydrates from food early in the digestive system and produce gases such as hydrogen and methane, and can also produce hydrogen sulfide, resulting in bloating, gas, discomfort, and changes in bowel habits identical to IBS symptoms.

You can test for SIBO simply with a breath test, which measures gases that rise after consuming a sugar solution — this is really the standard diagnostic tool for detecting SIBO. Studies suggest that a majority of patients diagnosed with IBS, especially those with bloating or diarrhea, often have SIBO; I've seen some research showing as high as 75% of cases. So treating the bacterial overgrowth often leads to significant improvement or even complete resolution of IBS symptoms. Standard treatment includes targeted antibiotics, which is what gastroenterologists usually use. However, in integrative medicine, we like to use herbal antimicrobials — things like berberine can work very well. We also make dietary changes, reducing foods that ferment easily in the gut, like the low-FODMAP diet for a short period, which can be very helpful. In addition, we want to improve digestive function — increasing stomach acid and enzyme levels to break food down better and create fewer symptoms.

Recognizing that SIBO is a root cause of IBS offers hope for millions of people who have struggled with this chronic digestive condition. Rather than just managing symptoms with fiber, laxatives, and antispasmodic medications, by testing and identifying SIBO and following an integrative protocol, you can have tremendous success — this is what I've seen with many patients. IBS is not a vague functional disorder, but a treatable consequence of microbial disruption in the small intestine. I highly recommend you get tested, work with an integrative doctor, incorporate dietary approaches and specific supplements that can help with SIBO, and in a smaller number of cases, you might need antibiotic therapy for a short period. In any event, SIBO can be treated very effectively. If you want to read more about IBS and SIBO, you can see articles at my website, markstengler.com, or my book, The Holistic Guide to Gut Health. I hope you liked this video — make sure to like and subscribe to the channel.

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