Health Articles

S.I.B.O. = Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth

In this article HERE we covered the overall path of digestion, and if you haven’t read it — you should.

The digestive tract is arguably the most important pathway in the body for overall health, weight loss, muscle-building, hormones, energy, and immune system function.

Now we’re going to dive more into one aspect of it affecting a majority of the people in the US right now whether they know it or not: SIBO or Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth.

What is SIBO, Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth?

These are bacteria that make their way into your small intestine and take root, causing all sorts of problems.

There is something called “Leaky Gut”, and this is not just a funny name. It’s probably one of the most accurate labels there are, actually.

When food comes into your small intestine from your stomach it’s already mostly broken down. Here, more enzymes (bodily chemicals) are released to break it down further into truly microscopic pieces.

We also get any bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites that were not killed in your stomach if you don’t have enough stomach acid there.

Your small intestine has three walls: the inside wall is very thin, a thickness of one cell to be exact. This is the wall of cells that senses nutrients and opens tiny doors called “Tight Junctions” to let them through.

The next wall is lymph tissue (part of your immune system) that is there to spot and attack any harmful bacteria, viruses, etc.

If we have Acid Reflux, Heartburn or GERD then we have lower levels of stomach acid. Period.

So first, we need to get off any acid blockers, antacids, and even soda water, which also lessens acidity.

We then need to start taking digestive enzymes to provide the Stomach Acid and Enzymes the stomach needs to fully break down food and kill off bacteria and parasites coming in. Because if we have one of the above situations then we already know we don’t have enough.

I’ve been asked many times about the one vitamin or supplement a person needs for good health, about this or that diet, about going Vegan or going Carnivore, and much more.

So I wanted to take a moment to look at some things here. Not the pros and cons of different diets or the importance of one vitamin over another, but instead — how you can determine what is right for you.

Which Vitamin Is The Most Important For Overall Health?

First, vitamins and supplements. 

Which one do you need? Which one is the best or most important?

Especially as they get older, women can find it easier and easier to gain weight and harder and harder to lose it. 

But more and more this is happening with younger women as well — and there is an exact reason for this. 

It has to do with hormones, the messenger chemicals in our body that tell our cells how to use the foods we eat, whether to store fat or lose it, increase or decrease energy. They even affect our moods. 

And when they get out of control, it can become harder and harder to climb back out of the hole...

The ability to fully digest and absorb protein means the difference between killing or maximizing muscle gains and fat loss, as well as your overall hormonal balances, energy levels, inflammation, and health.

So, understanding exactly how it works and how to keep it, or get it, working properly is very important.

Let’s look at this.

When you consume food, you chew it and it goes into your stomach.

Here we see mostly protein digestion, with fats and carbs mainly digested in the small intestine.

From the late 70’s to now we see the percentage of obese adults in the US go from about 12% for men and 16% for women, up to over 40% for both.

This is the third article in a series on Insulin, Insulin Resistance, Sugar and Body Fat, as a well as an overall series on hormones, so stay tuned! (See the first article here.)

Alright, so we know that when sugar comes into the body Insulin is released to shuttle that sugar into the cell. And if the cell is full, then it connects the sugars in chains and stores them as something called Glycogen in your muscle and liver cells for use later on...

The study was a comparative study and determined the percentage of amino acid utilization, also known as net nitrogen utilization. It was conducted on 66 subjects, over a 12-week period, where they were alternately given a specific amino acid formula. Then compared to amino acid formulas based on other dietary proteins, such as eggs.

This study showed a considerable amount of nitrogen waste from the dietary proteins, and confirmed the discovery of a unique pattern of essential amino acids (PA) for human nutrition, capable of inducing an Amino Acid Utilization (AAU) that was extremely effective.

My practice has a strong interest in the effect of protein on the overall health of autistic children. Many autistic children are sensitive to textures and smells, and most don’t like meat, fish, or eggs; they like French fries. They often have a horrible diet, and it’s not because their parents don’t try their best—the kids simply won’t eat it. If they dislike the texture, they won’t eat it, and you can’t force a two-year-old to eat!

We’ve found that autistic kids are loaded with environmental toxins. These are often acquired from their mothers in the womb, as it is known that the mother will “detox” into the placenta, and then into the baby. Then, after birth, heavy amounts of substances like mercury, aluminum, and formaldehyde enter their system from vaccinations, which adds to the load. Newborns suck on plastic bottle nipples and pacifiers; chemically-laced, flame retardant parts on their cribs; and GMO laden baby cereals laced with pesticides. When they get older, they crawl around on the floor and in the grass, and they’re exposed to more chemicals and pesticides. They don’t stand a chance! Children’s systems are overwhelmed the moment their lives begin, and if they lack good nutrition, they will exhibit developmental delays and may not be able to adequately detoxify to maintain their health.

Since taking up running 14 years ago, I’ve been considered a masters (those over 40) runner for nearly 9 of those years. I was a little late to the game by taking up the sport at almost 35. When I turned 40, it was like being reborn. Not only was I entering a new age group, I was entering a whole new world of awards and respect.

Some races offer a separate category of “age-graded” results which makes it fun to see how older athletes stack up against those in their younger years. One of my favorite masters results is when 98-year-old George Etzweiler won the 2018 Mount Washington Road Race age-graded category and the prize money that comes with it. As of this writing, George is 101 years young and still running!

While most protein products are marketed toward men and bodybuilding, the protein problem affects women in many specific ways. These include osteoporosis, hormone deficiency, beauty concerns such as sagging skin and wrinkles, loss of muscle mass, and problems during menopause.

If you believe what commercials say on TV, taking calcium is the solution to osteoporosis just take it and you’ll be fine. If that doesn’t work, they suggest taking a bisphosphonate drug. This medication will make your bones look better on a density scan, but in reality, it makes them very fragile.