SIBO vs IBS: Who Cares?

⬇️⬇️ What’s the difference between IBS & SIBO??

On the surface, IBS and SIBO are hard to tell apart. Both can cause bloating, gas, pain, and either diarrhea or constipation. 

❌ But they are NOT the same ❌

IBS and SIBO have different causes and different solutions—making it critical to know which is to blame if you ever want to heal. 

🔆 Solving digestive mysteries is one of our specialties. We always recommend testing to know for sure what we are working with 🔆 

Here are some differences between IBS and SIBO that anyone struggling with gas and bloating needs to know:

✅ SIBO affects the small intestine, whereas IBS affects the large intestine

✅ SIBO is caused by overgrowth of good bacteria, whereas IBS often involves yeast, parasites, or pathogenic bacteria

✅ Antibiotics may give temporary relief from SIBO but not IBS 

✅ Probiotics and prebiotics are more likely to make SIBO worse and IBS better

The bottom line?

If you are at all confused about the cause of digestive distress, it’s time to stop guessing and actually test. 

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🤯⁉️ Why Am I So Bloated?

🤯⁉️Why am I so bloated??

Bloating is one of the most aggravating symptoms because of how uncomfortable and embarrassing it can be!

When attempts to avoid beans and broccoli fail, it’s time to get to the root cause. Here are some driving factors we look for when a client comes to us with bloating:

1️⃣ Food Reactions
It’s not only beans that can cause the bloat! Some people are reactive to gluten, dairy, or other foods they eat every day without even thinking about it. 

2️⃣ Gut Dysbiosis

That’s a fancy word to say the gut microbiome is out of balance. There could be an overgrowth of yeast or unwanted bacteria to blame. 

3️⃣ Hormones

Hormonal changes can cause fluid retention and bloating—sometimes leading people to believe they have a digestive problem when it’s actually hormones!

4️⃣ SIBO or IBS

Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth and irritable bowel syndrome are two common diagnoses that cause bloating. I’ll break down the difference in my next post!!

How can you know what the cause is for you?

➡️ That’s our forte. We use functional medicine testing to eliminate the guesswork. 

Give us a tap ❤️ if you found this helpful, and head over to our website to learn about our functional medicine services!