Treating SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) in Bothell, WA

Naturopathic Treatment for SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) in Bothell

Naturopathic treatment of SIBO follows a sequence, and skipping steps is why so many people relapse. Diagnosis comes first: a three-hour lactulose or glucose breath test measuring hydrogen and methane identifies whether overgrowth is present and which gas predominates, which in turn determines treatment, since methane-predominant overgrowth behaves differently and responds to different agents than hydrogen-predominant. Botanical medicine is the primary treatment tool — berberine, oregano oil, neem, allicin and similar antimicrobials have evidence comparable to rifaximin in head-to-head work — and Dr. Sanika refers for prescription antibiotics where that is the better option. Clinical nutrition is used as symptom control during treatment rather than as the treatment itself: low-FODMAP and similar approaches reduce fermentable substrate and make people considerably more comfortable, but starving bacteria indefinitely is not a cure and long-term restriction narrows the microbiome in ways that cause their own problems, so the diet is deliberately time-limited and food is reintroduced systematically. The step that determines whether SIBO stays gone is the prevention phase: prokinetic support to restore the migrating motor complex, spacing meals so that the cleaning wave can actually run, addressing low stomach acid, treating hypothyroidism if present, and vagal and stress work where motility is being suppressed by the nervous system. Functional lab testing checks iron, B12 and fat-soluble vitamin status, which are commonly depleted by the malabsorption that overgrowth causes.