What is the Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) Package?
Clinical research indicates that treating Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) with antimicrobials alone is significantly less effective than combining medication with structured dietary modifications. Without integrating professional dietary support with antimicrobial treatment, SIBO is statistically more likely to recur.
The SIBO Package teaches a three-phase low-FODMAP dietary protocol that is implemented before, during, and after antimicrobial treatment.
Note: For people wanting to follow a SIBO diet with concurrent Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (hEDS), Mast Cell Activation Syndrome (MCAS) with or without Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), please visit the Customized Services for hEDS, MCAS, and POTS page.
What is the Structure of Services in the SIBO Package?
The SIBO Package is made up of four separate services:
1. Overview of the SIBO Protocol: This session provides a clinical introduction to SIBO and the use of a three-phase implementation of a low-FODMAP diet before, during, and after antimicrobial treatment. You will receive a two-page handout outlining the roadmap that will coordinate the dietary components with your medical treatment plan.
2. Phase One – Pre-Treatment Stage (Partial Elimination Stage): This stage ideally occurs a month before beginning antibiotics or antimicrobials to prepare the digestive environment and does not involve an elimination of all FODMAP foods, because bacteria must be metabolically active and fermenting some carbohydrate for antibiotics or antimicrobials to be maximally effective. Inclusion of partially hydrolyzed guar gum (PHGG) allows for the bacterial activity needed to ensure that when antimicrobial treatment begins, it is more likely to be successful.
NOTE: For those who have already started antimicrobial or antibiotic medication, this phase can be implemented immediately, before transitioning to Phase Two for the last two weeks of antimicrobial treatment.
3. Phase Two – Active Treatment Diet (Total Elimination Stage): This stage occurs during the four-week (or 6-week) course of prescribed antimicrobials or antibiotics and involves knowing the amounts of foods that can be eaten within each category, and those foods that should be avoided.
4. Phase Three – Post-Treatment Diet (Reintroduction Stage): This phase focuses on the reintroduction of specific FODMAP groups, while continuing to limit ones that could be problematic. It also teaches how to gradually liberalize the diet, providing a sustainable way to eat while reducing the risk of SIBO recurrence. NOTE: Professional dietary guidance prevents unnecessary long-term low-FODMAP restriction, which can negatively impact the gut microbiome by reducing good gut bacteria, including Bifidobacteria.
How Much Does the SIBO Package Cost?
The cost of the SIBO Package is $510 (GST exempt), and to make submitting to extended benefits easy, receipts are broken down into the four individual services:
- Overview of the SIBO Protocol $150
- Phase One – Pre-Treatment Diet (Partial Elimination Stage) $120
- Phase Two – Active Treatment Diet (Total Elimination Stage) $120
- Phase Three – Post-Treatment Diet (Reintroduction Stage) $120
Questions About Booking, Billing, or Extended Benefits?
On our FAQ page, you’ll find answers to questions about booking, billing and payment options, appointment confirmations, extended benefits claims, and much more. If you have any questions that are not answered there, you can contact us through the form at the bottom of the FAQ page.
How to Get Started?
Get Started with the SIBO Package
The first step is to visit our Book an Appointment tab by clicking the button below. There you will have the choice to either complete the Intake and Service Option Form online and send it to us directly from our web page, or to download the form, complete it on your computer, and email it back to us.
Have questions before booking? Visit the FAQ page for answers to common questions about how soon you can get started, extended benefits, and billing. If you still have questions, you can contact us through the form at the bottom of the FAQ page.
Want to dive into the research?
Before we meet, you might find these articles of interest.
Questions and Answers
Q: Is SIBO a real thing?
A: Yes! Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is an increase in types of bacteria in the small intestine that are normally only found in the large intestine (colon).
Q: How is SIBO diagnosed?
A: Since gases like hydrogen and methane are produced by bacteria in the small intestine as by-products of incompletely absorbed carbohydrates, a Glucose or Lactulose Breath Test will detect whether SIBO is present.
Q: How is SIBO treated?
A: The most successful approach in treating SIBO so that it minimizes the likelihood of it coming back is using both diet and antimicrobials/antibiotics at the same time. Dietary changes are made before taking the antimicrobials/antibiotics, during the time they are taken, and then a gradual liberalization of the diet afterwards. I provide the “diet” side, and either a doctor or a naturopath provides the medication side.
Begin Your SIBO Package
Dietary changes make SIBO treatment more effective.
I can help you implement a three-phase strategy to support antimicrobial treatment provided by your doctor or naturopath.
