SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth)

SIBO happens when bacteria build up in the small intestine—an area where bacteria should be relatively low. This imbalance can disrupt digestion, cause fermentation, and trigger a range of symptoms, including bloating, discomfort, constipation, diarrhoea, and food sensitivities.

What SIBO Really Is

SIBO isn’t a disease on its own. It’s a pattern, usually caused by:

  • Low stomach acid

  • Slow motility (MMC dysfunction)

  • Post-infectious changes

  • Antibiotic or medication use

  • Stress-related digestive shutdown

  • Structural tension patterns (e.g., chronic diaphragm tension)

  • Dysbiosis in the large intestine

  • Hormonal influences (esp. in women)

Understanding why SIBO has developed is the key to resolving it.

Common SIBO Symptoms

SIBO can look different from person to person, but typical signs include:

  • Excessive or daily bloating

  • Pain or cramping after meals

  • Constipation, diarrhoea, or mixed-type IBS symptoms

  • Nausea or reflux

  • Food reactions that change frequently

  • Feeling full too quickly

  • Brain fog or fatigue linked to digestion

The Connection With Stress & the Nervous System

The small intestine is highly sensitive to stress.
When the nervous system shifts into fight, flight, freeze, or shutdown, digestion slows dramatically.

This slowing can mimic or worsen SIBO symptoms, and for many people, nervous-system regulation becomes as important as nutrition.

(You can keep this section light — no heavy trauma language.)

Testing for SIBO

Breath tests (lactulose or glucose) can help identify:

  • Hydrogen-dominant SIBO

  • Methane-dominant SIBO

  • Hydrogen sulphide patterns (not all tests detect this)

Functional stool tests may also reveal underlying drivers like dysbiosis, enzyme insufficiency or inflammation.

Supporting SIBO Long-Term

True SIBO recovery is rarely about one protocol.
Effective support tends to include:

  • Rebuilding digestive flow

  • Supporting stomach acid + enzyme levels

  • Balancing the microbiome

  • Reducing inflammation

  • Restoring MMC motility

  • Gentle, supportive mind–body work for stress-related flares

Your SIBO is never “just SIBO.”
It’s part of a wider story — and this page helps you begin to understand that story more clearly.