SIBO, your Gut and all those Lyme Symptoms!
Lyme disease is often referred to as the “Great Imitator” and can mimic the symptoms of Fibromyalgia, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, MS, ALS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, as well as more than some 350 other diseases. Lyme disease is not the only “imitator” in medicine. Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth Syndrome (SIBO) may be an underlying culprit to many or all your lingering symptoms.
SIBO is a condition where bacteria that normally live in your large intestines take up residence in the small intestines. The metabolic byproducts of SIBO activity change bowel movements lead to diarrhea and/or constipation. SIBO may also cause pain locally in the intestines and throughout the body’s muscles and joints. I have also seen it be a driving force behind lower back pains, inguinal pains, migraines, and as a major contributing factor towards menstrual issues; often causing poor liver conjugation of hormones leading to PMS, PCOS, and fibroids.
Whether you had SIBO before you got Lyme disease or developed SIBO during Lyme treatments, for many people struggling to rebound from Lyme disease the best place to look towards is within. That is within your small intestines. SIBO is easily tested through a breath test you can do in the convince of your own home. It is a conventional diagnosis, that often does not get diagnosed.
Dr. Kirschling will provide an overview of SIBO, how to test for it, common treatment approaches, and how its presence confuses the treatment picture in persistent Lyme disease.
Link to a blog titled: Do you have Lyme or SIBO
Dr. Meaghan Kirschling has both an allopathic and alternative medical background, receiving a Doctor of Chiropractic from Northwestern Health Sciences University, a B.S. in Nursing and Exercise Science from Valparaiso University, a Masters of Nutrition from the University of Connecticut Bridgeport, and a Masters of Nursing from the University of Cincinnati. Dr. Kirschling treats SIBO and Lyme disease patients as part of a team of integrative practitioners at Natural Medicine of Stillwater.
