by E. Rohrbaugh

JOURNAL OF NATURAL HEALING

By Rosalind E. Rohrbaugh

Vanquishing SIBO with Herbal Medicine

22 YEARS OLD. FIVE FEET, ZERO INCHES. 77 POUNDS.

That's the lowest my scale’s ever read. The first time I saw that number, I was on a Publix scale at the beginning of summer 2020. That night, I hardly finished a single, plain, baked chicken tender with a small, microwaved yam cut open on the side, one of the few meals my stomach could tolerate. I had become a creature of little to no appetite. As each day progressed, any attempts to find physical comfort were disrupted by excruciating stomach pain and bloating. Nausea had me dizzy all day. Each early morning would break and send me up out of bed to be sick all day again.

The weight loss and the symptoms had been gradual, with a strange pain starting at the top of my stomach around the beginning of 2017. I was at my standard petite size of 100 pounds at that time. The nurse at my primary care office waved it off as a minor case of gastritis and prescribed Zantac. After a month on the drug with no improvement, but instead, progression — a new symptom of

Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth is a real condition, a monster that ravages the body. I’m thankful I took charge of finding help for myself.

lower stomach pain had begun — I decided it was time to visit my first gastroenterologist. This was in the middle of 2017.

I never did meet the doctor, except when it was time for my dueling endoscopy and colonoscopy. “Just to see if we can confirm anything,” they explained, after I dropped the bombshell that I did indeed have a father with ulcerative colitis. After the endoscopy and the colonoscopy came back clear, I discovered there was yet another hurdle to clear — a capsule endoscopy. A week later, I was back in that same room, swallowing a little robot pill that would spend the next eight hours photographing my insides. Two weeks later, they told me the only explanation was Crohn's due to ulcerations they had detected.

“Isn't there any more testing we should do first?” I questioned.

The nurse insisted there was no need; I did have a family history after all. Their recommendation was steroids, but I wasn't feeling entirely convinced. So, I sought a second opinion.

When I arrived at the new doctor, the scale was now reading 90 pounds — 10 pounds gone in just under a couple months. “This might not be Crohn's disease,” the second gastroenterologist said, as she stared down with a scowl at the pill camera's photography. She complained of poor image quality. So, she ordered new tests — none I’d been given before — and all of which returned clean. My new GI concluded after two months of labs it was simply a case of IBS. “Try and up your calorie intake and take some peppermint capsules.”

Skin and Oral Care Products Handcrafted in Beverly, MA

What you put ON your body should be safe enough to go IN your body

madesimpleskincare.com

Margo Roman, DVM on MICROBIOME RESTORATIVE THERAPY

Main Street Animal Services of Hopkinton (MASH) provides Microbiome Restorative Therapy (MBRT) to restore the microbiome of our patients. MASH (www.mashvet.com) opened its doors in 1983, and in 2012, Dr. Margo Roman developed and added MBRT to the treatment options we offer. We have carefully screened, organically cared for, nurtured and loved our donors for 27 years — 5 generations. We love our dogs and cats! There is a real need for members of the veterinary profession to provide microbiome support to their patients. Pet parents need to have access to this therapy. You can read more about MBRT in a recent peer reviewed paper published in the IVC Journal Innovative Veterinary Care, Jan 2020 at https://ivcjournal.com/behavioral-changes-microbiome-restoration/?utm_ At MASH, we are using MBRT for an array of medical conditions, which results in our patients getting back on the road to health. Owners understand why this internal garden that supports 80% of their pet’s immune system is so important. For acute and chronic GI issues, IBD, chronic giardia, allergies, liver and kidney failure, autoimmune issues, overuse of antibiotics, viral/bacterial infections, Lyme, cancer and even behavioral issues, introducing a new diverse well balanced microbiome from proven super donors is the key to making MBRT successful. Incorporating the gut building support of digestive enzymes, pre- and probiotics, nutraceuticals and a diet free from chemicals, preservatives, glyphosate and other toxic products is also really important. The other part of the MBRT success is the addition of medical ozone to reduce the biofilm, which allows the new microbes to join the gut flora in a healthier balance. Ozone also stimulates the mitochondria of all cells including stem cells. Medical ozone is another key to reducing inflammation and pain, then activating the immune system through its oxidation. Medical ozone is even killing viruses, bacterial overgrowth, Lyme and other blood and tissue invaders. Cancer does not thrive in high levels of oxygen and medical ozone floods the body with oxygen. Cancer grows in a high CO2 environment, and adding ozone therapy to cancer therapies is very valuable in keeping the healthy tissues more vital. At Main Street Animal Services of Hopkinton (MASH), Massachusetts, www.mashvet.com, our doctors and staff are ready to help your animals with these cutting edge therapies. We also use acupuncture, homeopathy, laser, hyperbaric oxygen, Ultraviolet Blood Therapy (UVBI), PEMF, and herbal medicine, as well as lab diagnostics, preventative care with titers and vaccines if needed, dental cleanings, surgery and support for fresh organic raw diets, and even plant-based sustainable diets.

With that, she sent me home. A month later the scale was at 84 pounds, with vomiting every morning. Upon reporting it to my GI, she recommended an iron level check. Three weeks passed, and I was back in her office. “Low iron anemia” was the term. “But you're just borderline. We'll do another pair of scopes to see if there’s an ulcer.” With that they scheduled me, and I did indeed have ulcers in a more visible spot, albeit small and scattered. “I'm still not convinced it's Crohn's based on that,” my GI explained as I shook off the sedation from the procedure. “I have to wonder if it’s SIBO,” she said, stunning me briefly. SIBO. The acronym was foreign to me, and the full name offered no further recognition. Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth.

My SIBO Diagnosis

research things on my own. I typed “SIBO” into my search bar three days after I watched the Publix scale read 77 pounds. I canceled my follow-ups and read as much as I could about the condition that I was growing more and more confident had plagued me these past several years. According to the Mayo Clinic, “SIBO occurs when there is an abnormal increase in the overall bacterial population of the small intestine.” It can have a variety of causes, from heavy aspirin and antibiotic use to structural abnormalities and poor motility in cells. Sometimes, it occurs without clear reason at all. The symptoms include bloating, weight loss, nausea, and vomiting. The National University of Natural Medicine adds that SIBO also leads to iron deficiencies. The Crohn's and Colitis Foundation claims that infectious and bacterial

“Never heard of it,” I admitted. conditions of the small intestine can mimic Crohn’s flares in individuals

“Many haven't,” she nodded, and she was more than correct. Barbara Bolen, with inactive Crohn's disease, as well as mimic the symptoms of Crohn’s in PhD, writing on Verywell Health states that, “SIBO is those who do not have Crohn’s at all. When it comes thought to potentially cause most IBS cases in the United to treatment, antibiotic therapy is considered the gold States.” Yet, many doctors aren’t educated enough to Herbal therapy uses standard, lasting from two to six weeks. However, it recognize SIBO as a condition. One of the most significant is also acknowledged that most SIBO patients should shortcomings of SIBO acknowledgment is the difficulty in a tea of ground thyme, expect a relapse within nine months, which means diagnosing it. The primary method of doing so is to perform another two to six weeks of antibiotic therapy. a hydrogen breath test (HBT) to measure the gas levels in oregano, allicin, and Armed with this information, I returned to my GI one's gut after drinking a sugary, lactose concoction, and and politely demanded another round of antibiotic collecting various breath samples into a plastic bag over 3-4 berberine consumed treatment. I was on the medication for six weeks total, hours in a surgical setting. However, these tests only have a 65-70% accuracy. multiple times a day for and they were the most miserable weeks of my life. Most SIBO patients are not aware of a challenging symptom Luckily, the test diagnosed me with ease. At my followup appointment to go over the results, I finally imagined several months. According called a die-off period, as your body kills off both harmful and good bacteria from your gut. By the time this ordeal ending. According to my GI, SIBO only had one treatment — antibiotics — so I took the prescription. to the NIH, "herbals my six hellish weeks were up, my vomiting had stopped, and my bloating had gone down to nearly nothing. I was Unfortunately, even a 14-day run did not produce a single also appear to be as finally cured! For three weeks. symptom change for me. My SIBO soon returned with ruthless vengeance. I was "Well, you seem less bloated. I'd say it worked," she effective as triple antibiotic gaining no weight. I struggled to focus on school or even insisted in response. "Just try and not think so much about on tasks I enjoyed. Some days began to feel as if they’d be it. Please also be aware this gastroenterology office is therapy for SIBO..." better off not being lived at all if this was all there was. closing, so we won’t be having a follow up. You’ll get your My GI still pushed treatment with Humira, though we records in the mail." I felt floored by her rapid, apathetic still had no definitive diagnosis of Crohn’s. I continued to tone, though her morbid disregard for my condition and her insistence to close refuse and went back to my research, where I discovered online blogs and Reddit the case now made sense. She was unwilling to admit that my condition was not threads of people claiming to be in the same hell. Massacred by the side effects of ending alongside her employment. repeated antibiotic therapy, some finally had given up and said they were simply

This was towards the middle of 2019, and I was down to 81 pounds. As I resigned to live with their SIBO. began searching for a third GI, Crohn's was put back on the table, so I had a third coloscopy. I was barely out of sedation once again before being told SIBO Herbal Therapy Rescue there was no doubt it was Crohn's, although the biopsy came back acute, not But then, I found it. It was a National Center for Biotechnology chronic. All we had were those tiny ulcers and the symptoms as evidence, no Information study in partnership with the U.S. National Library of pathological presence. Medicine National Institutes of Health. “Herbal Therapy is Equivalent

“It's not a perfect science,” he said when I questioned it, and explained that to Rifaximin (Xifaxan) for the Treatment of Small Intestinal Bacteria IBDs can present differently for everyone. He insisted I give up my denial. I had Overgrowth.” I watched the title for the longest time as if I expected it to Crohn's, albeit mild Crohn’s. change. My eyes felt like they would pop clean out as I read the results of

After six unsuccessful months on a sour, powdered, prescription medical the tiny study of 104 patients that showed that “herbals also appear to be as food drink, and repeated recommendations to “just give it more time,” the scale effective as triple antibiotic therapy for SIBO rescue therapy for Rifaximin was reading 79 pounds. non-responders.”

“Let’s start Humira,” my doctor suggested, a biologic for the treatment of The next day I started searching for an herbalist I could talk to. I was rapidly Crohn’s. It was at this moment the prospect of SIBO floated back into my mind. growing discouraged until a small one-doctor practice appeared on my Google The doctor scoffed at the very mention of the acronym. page, located 15 minutes away. I called nervously. A week later, I was sitting in

“If it is SIBO, it’s from the Crohn’s and you were already treated for SIBO.” a small, quiet room that smelled of lavender and a hint of rose, painted with

“But maybe I still have it…” green pastel walls. Across from me on the other side of the desk the doctor sat,

“If you still have it,” he cut me off, “it’s from the Crohn’s. If you treat the blonde hair in a tight tail, the shape of her eyes indicating a soft smile beneath Crohn’s, you treat the SIBO.” her mask.

I refused the Humira, and realizing I was losing this GI’s support, began to “So, tell me about what's been going on,” she invited, and did I ever. I poured

the last few years of symptoms, doctors, antibiotics, and even the nagging Crohn's label over her desktop in a wave. I told her I wasn't sure how much longer I could go on this way. “I'm spent,” I said.

“Understandably,” she replied. “But I believe I can help you.” So, with hesitant hope, I watched as she began to lay out the plan. Herbal therapy uses a tea of ground thyme, oregano, allicin, and berberine consumed multiple times a day for several months. There was only one catch: the program was going to cost $1200, and was not insurance reimbursable.

This number initially overwhelmed me as I questioned how I could manage such a cost. But then I began to measure the difference in cost between the Western diagnostic medicine I had already undergone and this herbal treatment. According to MDsave, the average cost of a colonoscopy without insurance is $2,611, and I’d already had three, not to mention all other tests, office visits and prescriptions. My insurance premiums run $270 monthly, not including out-of-pocket co-pays, which for some people can run into the thousands. The cost of herbalism is worlds beneath what Western healthcare demands. I committed to coming up with the fee.

For the first six weeks, I wondered if I'd just flushed my savings away for what amounted to some excellent quality tea. Finally, I noticed results starting to occur! With each passing week, my symptoms diminished bit by bit. My calorie intake rose to between 1800-2000 a day by the end of month four. At this point, I decreased my herb consumption from three times a day to just once to prevent that all too familiar element of SIBO — the high risk of relapse. 23 years old. Five feet, zero inches. 87 pounds.

That's what the scale read at my annual wellness exam with my primary care provider at the end of 2021. Ten pounds gained since my worst moment. I found a fourth gastroenterologist, one who acknowledges that I don't have Crohn's. In fact, even with my family history, I only have an 8% additional chance of developing inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), a number not that significant, and yet a label that was used against me to gain proper and compassionate treatment. I wondered why there was such determination to label me with a disease I did not have, and to prescribe pharmaceuticals without enough evidence to confidently make a Crohn’s diagnosis.

As I began to search for answers to this question, what I found was shocking. In 2018, The Chicago Tribune reported on a California lawsuit filed against the makers of Humira, claiming the company had paid for doctors’ meals, drinks, and travel just to prescribe their drug — the same one my 3rd gastroenterologist had pushed so aggressively. Further, nurses claimed they were encouraged to do door-to-door visits peddling this pharmaceutical, and downplaying the chances of deadly infections and cancers that can come from its long-term use, sometimes not disclosing these risks at all. Bottom line, these doctors made money when they prescribed the drug to their patients.

I’m grateful for the second chance that herbalism gave me. It is a true injustice that more sufferers from SIBO are not educated on this option, and are simply given repeated antibiotic treatment with no long-term improvement. It is an even greater injustice that in our society of Western medicine, treatments such as herbalism aren’t even considered an option by mainstream healthcare. If they were, more people could be aware of these treatments as safe and effective.

SIBO is a monster that ravages the body and refuses to let go without intervention. More disturbing, it is a prevalent condition, and yet a thoroughly neglected one in the medical community. But now I know there are options and solutions. I’m thankful I took charge of finding help for myself. Now, all there is left to do is continue to heal.

Rosalind E. Rohrbaugh is an undergraduate student at the University of Central Florida currently pursuing a B.A in English Creative Writing and a minor in Writing and Rhetoric. She adores reading scary stories, taking her chihuahua on stroller rides, and watching horror movies.