Have you ever met someone new and completely hit it off?
Like you were long lost friends that could talk about anything?
Recently that happened to me after a chance introduction email… and the first time we met on the phone we talked for hours about everything from poop to wine.
And the best part?
My wife is a HUGE fan of my new friend because now I have someone ELSE to talk to every time I find a new study on gut bacteria and fecal transplants.
Anyways, in this 54-min podcast I interview my new friend: Dr. Allison Siebecker from siboinfo.com.
She suffered from IBS for years until she found SCD and then became an expert in Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO). I really think you’ll enjoy hearing her clinical experience using SCD as a treatment to overcome small intestinal bacterial overgrowth…
Especially the part where she shares how to tell if you have it and what to do about it.
In podcast 25 we cover:
1:25 How she used SCD to overcome IBS – then discovered why it works for SIBO
8:25 What exactly is SIBO… so you know what you’re up against
12:50 The symptoms that you have SIBO and the specific tests to know for sure
20:21 What to do if you have SIBO and how to choose the treatment option that’s right for you
26:35 Shedding light on the “die-off’ mystery – with clinical experience on what to expect and how long it lasts
30:56 Using SCD as a treatment for SIBO – and whether or not antibiotics are really necessary
34:40 The pitfalls to avoid if you want to cure SIBO with SCD – and the mistakes that can work against your healing progress
38:27 The best answer when figuring out how long it takes to CURE SIBO
45:22 The specific steps to follow for the next 30 days, 90 days, and 1 year to overcome SIBO AND make sure it doesn’t come back again
51:56 How to become an SIBO expert by gaining access to the latest treatment strategies being taught to medical professionals
Thank you Dr. Siebecker.
I hope you enjoy the interview 
In good health,
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{ 27 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you, thank you, thank you for having Dr. Siebecker on! This was AMAZING! Thank God there are doctors out there like her. My situation makes so much more sense now! You all are my heros!
Awesome awesome podcast!! Very enlightening regarding SIBO. Many thanks!!!!!
Thank you for all this information !
Being French, I would be very grateful if someone could make a transcription of that podcast : despite all my attention I missed a lot of useful informations I couldn’t understand.
And also, I discovered very recently that I had fructose malabsorption (I suffer from UC). Do you have some info and advices about it ? Thank you so much for your amazing work.
This is great! If anyone is in the midwest, there is a GI practice here in St. Louis, which is one of the foremost SIBO testing centers around. I believe, in addition to testing in office, you can also test at home. Just do a search for Leonard Weinstock SIBO and you will find them. They are great believers in SIBO and very supportive of the surrounding protocols! (not all docs are…)
Thanks, Steve and Jordan, for your wonderful work.
Great podcast. Very informative. Thank you!!
Hi all,
I’ve been on SCD for over 3 weeks and decided to be tested for SIBO. I contacted Dr. Siebecker, asking if SCD would skew my results…her gracious reply was yes, probably so…and that as few as 3 days back on a ‘normal’ diet could show results more ‘truly’. So…bummed as I was to give up my progress, I went back onto my ‘normal’ diet and will have the test next week. If anyone is on SCD and is going to be tested for SIBO, bear this in mind. (at the same time, I’m asking myself why I’m having the test, when the point of SCD is to wipe out the bad bacteria!)
Hi Susan – Unless I’m wrong, the biggest reason SCD is going to “skew” the results down is because SCD is a treatment for SIBO. So the results of the test would be lower than if you were eating a higher carbohydrate SAD. Sometimes just like we talked about in the podcast more than SCD is needed to attack the bacteria if you want faster results. Also, if you do go off SCD for a few days you don’t just lose all the work you’ve been doing.
Thanks, Steven–you are right re. SCD being a treatment and results probably being lower if you are on it. I didn’t want to chance it, so I did go off of SCD, and, due to delaying the test for various reasons, I will be off of it for 1 1/2 weeks total…at that point, I think many benefits I had gained from my 3 weeks ON SCD will have been lost. I plan to re-start the intro after the test…meaning all meals that day…and go from there.
Thanks so much!
Hey Susan – I was thinking about this the other night. It’s sort of like a double positive if your on SCD and still have a positive SIBO test. And if your getting results from SCD, and the test is negative that is still a positive for SIBO in my opinion (because it’s a treatment for it). Things to think about.
Some of the gains may be lost, but the skills and experience of getting started won’t be. It will make it easier and faster for you to get your gains back because you’ve already been through it once.
Hope you can share your results here!
Thank you so much for this webcast. I learned so much that may help explain what is going on with me–belching and abdominal pain which got worse after being on an antibiotic for strep. I made an appointment with my doctor to discuss this.
Thanks again,
Ruth
@ Ruth – Thanks! Great work making the appointment, let us know how that goes.
Jordan
I have a question about betaine Hcl. I have reflux, problems digesting, LPR, and am also really, really sensitive to just about everything that I put in my body. I’ve tried betaine HCl aftermeals a few times now and have noticed that I am getting a sweat and some pain in the stomach. Not all the time does this happen. When it does, it seems to take some time to develop and I am not sure if it’s due to the betaine HCl. I also have pain in my right side which may be a gallbladder problem.
I guess I wonder if I should stop with the betaine HCl? I have so many symptoms that suggest I need it. Besides the LPR and other reflux issues, I was diagnosed with a gastrointestional motility disorder, i’ve had outbreaks of acne around the mouth and on the back.
I have not started the SCD Intro. I’ve given a couple attempts but have been easing into it. The broth took some time to get used to (it was provoking a neuro-reaction) and I broke the diet a couple of times (since I wasn’t technically on it) when I had sugar cravings.
Anyway, any advice on continuing the betaine HCl? Also, do you know if the SCD diet can help with liver or gallbladder dysfunction?
Thanks,
Bryan
@ Bryan
HCL will generally cause a burning or warming sensation below the belly button (in the stomach) if you take too much. Also, the amount varies depending on how much protein you’re eating with meals. So for example if you’re eating some fruit and a salad or something… you don’t really want to take any Betaine HCL or it will cause burning.
But if you’re eating a steak, you’re going to need some. Something like Salmon is somewhere between steak and fruit/veggies. So you have to find your sweet spot for the different amounts of protein that you’re eating.
Also, the only way to really know if you’re a good candidate is two fold:
1) Get a “Heidelberg Test” to get accurate readings on your stomach acid levels
2) Get a stomach scope to make sure you don’t have any ulcers or gastric bleeding that HCL will aggravate
Ultimately, it’s up to you… but I would say that getting on full SCD is going to help more than getting a handle on your HCL
Let us know how it goes,
Jordan
WOW!! I sure learned a lot, but still I know so very little but this has given me hope to keep pressing forward. This interview with Dr. Siebecker was great, and I noticed from her site that she’s from Oregon too! Thank you so much Jordan and Steve for wanting to share your knowledge for better health with us.
Thanks @Pam!
My doctor put me on antibiotics ( trimethoprim ) for two months. He didn;t say to carry on keeping off wheat and dairy ( which help) and he now says that my food sensitivities are a seperate issue. He wants me to take something he tells me is a chemical resin which he says has no side effects. It binds to stop me going to the so much. ( i can go up to 9 times in the morning at the worst). What dose this resin do and how does it fit into my trying to get symptom and possible sibo free? I don’t feel I understand what he is doing and why he is asking me to try this.
I am 66 and had explosive bowels for years. Last February after 8 months of increasing pain in my stomach I finally went to the Dr. Three days later I was in surgery, had a bowel reconstruction and was diagnosised with Crohn’s. I am now on Azathioprine.
My syptoms are less severe than I would have expected or have heard of from others with the diesease. About the only thing I can pinpoint is diarhea if I eat raw veggies or firm meats.
One of the things that I question is the reports of weight loss because my experince is just the opposite. I had steadily gained weight over the past several years. I went on a low-carb program 6 months prior to my diagnosis and had lost 15 pounds and another 8 right after surgery. I have steadily put weight back on and now am 10 over my lowest, after surgery weight. If I am not careful I will continue to gain weightm which I do not want to do. Is this unusual?
@ Terry – I’m not sure anything on this site is usual
. If your looking to stop weight gain, the first thing to check is how many calories are you eating on avg daily basis? Even small amounts over normal, done consistently will add up to big weight gain over several months.
Try to get up and walk 30 minutes a day, and track your calories for 10 days. You should notice some patterns, if your still confused report back what you find and we will help you out!
Thank you so much for the podcast! It was rather rewarding as a Celiac suffering from SIBO and Candida to get such a great wealth of information! I’m so very grateful for the notes as without the money for proper healthcare I rely on sources like this for continued treatment on the quest for better health!
Best. Podcast. Ever.
I’ve heard of SIBO before, but never in such detail. The kicker for me was when she said the key symptom is bloating – which is my main symptom, and the one that has puzzled me for years. Gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free etc etc never completely addressed the issue. I can’t thank you enough for having her on as a guest – I took copious notes!
It’s pretty obvious to me now that SIBO has been my problem, as the only times I have ever been bloat-free have been when I tried a zero-carb (so just meat and fat) way of eating, and when I tried SCD. Now I know what to do, but more importantly (for me) WHY I need to do it… back to SCD I go!
I’d be interested to hear from Dr. Siebecker (or anyone) if SIBO has an effect on weight (gain or loss). I notice that when my gut is acting up (even when I am eating ‘well’), I tend to put on weight… 5-8lbs suddenly. I wonder if it is actual weight gain, or an inflammation-related thing?
Again, thanks so much for having her on – hope she’ll return!
Good interview, gentleman
I am doing a Low Residue menu within the SCD because of a recent flare and it seems to be helping.
Thanks Carol – great to hear from you! Glad low residue is helping
Jordan
I was diagnosed with SIBO about 2.5 years ago. At that time, my GI put me on a 10 day courseof Xifaxan, presumably the cadillac of antibiotics for this condition. After 6 days, I had to discontinue it because of severe side effects. Then I went on the SCD diet, which has helped the nausea and stomach pain. However, what remains to this day is my inability to eat almost any vegetables, no fruits, no dairy, no homemade yogurt, no fish. This leaves me with chicken, some cuts of beef, no pork, almond butter, some baked goods with almond flour, sometimes well-cooked carrots. Every time I try to add in a new “legal” food, I feel sick. I take daily GI Health acidophilus. After 2.5 years, don’t you think I should be able to eat a more variety of foods?
Hi @Pam -
I’m highly suspicious that you could have a bacterial infection or parasite adding fuel to the fire.
Next time you see your new Doctor, I’d highly recommend you get tested for a parasite/bacterial infection. If you have one, you’ll have to treat it before you can make anymore progress on SCD or otherwise.
This is the only stool test we recommend because it’s so accurate. It’s a Metametrix ecology stool test. It will test for a whole range of yeasts, parasites and bacteria infections.
http://www.metametrix.com/test-menu/profiles/gastrointestinal-function/gi-effects-microbial-ecology
I hope that you stay in touch and let us know how you’re doing.
I believe in you!
Jordan
Thanks for having her on the show! I’m definitely going to ask my doctor for the hydrogen test
Thanks for the informative podcast! I have chronic bloating that doesn’t go away even on a completely SCD-compliant, dairy-free, grain-free, fruit-free, starch-free, nightshade-free diet. I’m looking into SIBO as a possibility – obviously I have leaky gut. I already did the Metametrix GI Effects test, which found no pathogenic overgrowth, no parasites, & no yeasts. I did have an excess of Clostridia sporogenes (non-pathogenic).
One practitioner I consulted suggested that stool tests aren’t that great b/c they will miss overgrowth in the small intestine, detecting only large intestine overgrowth – any accuracy to this?