Dr. Robert Whitfield explains SIBO, a bacterial overgrowth causing severe bloating, gas, and digestive pain after meals. He sees it frequently in patients with breast implant illness and other chronic inflammatory conditions, not as a standalone problem but as part of a larger picture.
If you eat and suddenly look pregnant, you may be dealing with sibo. Let's talk about sibo symptoms in women that I treat with breast implant illness and other gut issues. First of all, what is sibo? Sibo stands for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. It happens when the bacteria that are meant to live in the large intestine migrate upward into the small intestine, even in the stomach where they don't belong. So when this happens, the bacteria basically ferment the food you eat, produce gas, and that gas has to go somewhere. So in my patients who are already unwell with breast implant illness and facing more gut problems, these sibo symptoms may include, but aren't limited to severe bloating, potentially just right after eating, even drinking water, burping and belching. And like we mentioned, more abdominal distension and pain, may have more gas, feel full, very, very quick. And depending on the type of sibo, you may have more diarrhea or constipation patient. So at my patients, worse sibo can be so severe that even, like I mentioned, taking sips of water for them can make them feel full or bloated or even look several months pregnant. Sibo in my patients is absolutely very common. It's very common in breastplant illness. It's very common in other disorders of chronic inflammation, including thyroid disorders. We don't have any current numbers on how many of my patients suffer with sibo. We haven't looked at that critically. So if, if you want to learn more about this. In particular, I did a whole episode on my show about the Gut with Dr. Kyle Landry. He's a food scientist, and we touch on sibo and other common problems with toxicity that my patients face. So if you want to learn more about that DM us the word guide, we'll connect it with our lower inflammation support guide, and we'll also give you access to that episode.
