Medicines

It is well known that there are medications that affect or disrupt the normal intestinal flora. These are mainly antibiotics and antacids. However, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and steroids also adversely affect the intestinal flora.

Antibiotics

Unfortunately, antibiotics cannot differentiate between “bad” bacteria  and “good” bacteria. Instead, antibiotics destroy everything that gets in their way. When antibiotics kill bacteria in the gut, it disrupts the sensitive ecosystem, causing intestinal dysbiosis or bacterial imbalances. If the number of good bacteria in the gut decreases, the bad bacteria can multiply uncontrollably. When taking antibiotics, the use of probiotics is also very important, but the most reliable protection is provided by probiotics consisting of soil bacteria, because they cannot multiply in the small intestine.

After taking an antibiotic treatment, it is worth taking a soil probiotic for at least 2 weeks, but this is not the end. Good bacteria need to be restored too. If someone has undergone a strong course of antibiotics, they should also take a wide range of probiotic preparations.

Antacids

Although antacids help to suppress the symptoms of reflux, the first protective barrier neutralizes the stomach acid, which is responsible for killing ingested bacteria or pathogens that can reach the small intestine and multiply there, causing symptoms or SIBO. If you take an antacid in the long run, unfortunately you have to reckon with the fact that decreased stomach acid may not kill all the ingested pathogens, so your intestinal system is not completely guarded against intruders.

The health consequences of SIBO can range from chronic indigestion to autoimmune conditions. It cannot be stressed enough that there is no healthy body without a healthy gut. We talk about a healthy intestinal system if the intestinal microbiome is healthy …. but first you need to know what is an intestinal microbiome and intestinal mucosa?

Intestinal Microbiome

The microbiome appears to significantly impact both the immune system and host metabolism. The gut microbiome contains tens of trillion microorganisms. The gut microbiome plays a very important role in your health by helping control digestion and benefiting your immune system and many other aspects of health. An imbalance of unhealthy and healthy microbes in the intestines may contribute to weight gain, high blood sugar, high cholesterol and other disorders.

Your microbiome starts to develop before you are born. If a mother receives an antibiotic during pregnancy, it can have a lasting effect on the fetal gut microbiome. The child inherits the mother’s microbiome and if it is not healthy then neither the child’s microbiome will be healthy. The child’s microbiome is also affected by the method of birth (caesarean section) and breastfeeding.

Intestinal mucosa

The two main functions of the gastrointestinal mucosa are concerned with digestion and absorption of dietary nutrients and as a defence against many noxious dietary sub- stances and bacteria. As food passes through the small intestine, nutrients get trapped in the intestinal wall, from where the nutrients enter the bloodstream through the ducts between the intestinal cells, which open and close.

The cells that make up our intestinal wall are lined with mucous membranes that trap toxins and pathogens so that they cannot enter the bloodstream. There are also special proteins inside this mucosa, called secretory IgA immunoglobulins, antibodies that the immune system produces to fight viruses, bacteria and other infections. They are the first line of defense in the intestinal tract.

When the secretory IgA recognizes the pathogen passing through the small intestine, it marks it to indicate to the immune system that it needs to be cleared, so the mucus traps the pathogen and clears it from the intestinal tract.

Formation of Leaky Gut Syndrome

In fact, the intestinal mucosa damaged by SIBO does not pick up pathogens due to inflammation, the channel between intestinal cells remains open, allowing pathogens and toxins to enter the bloodstream, causing inflammation in other parts of the body, in addition, food sensitivities and allergies develop. This means that if SIBO is left untreated for a long time, autoimmune processes can start.

Leakage in the gut can also be caused by gluten, as gluten triggers the production of zonulin in the gut. Zonulin is a protein in the small intestine that regulates the opening and closing of the channel between intestinal cells. When zonulin is elevated, it opens the nodes and when it falls down the level closes the nodes. This protein is activated by gluten, which elevates zonulin and opens nodes in the channels between intestinal cells.

While many suspect celiac disease as the cause of their problems, in reality, SIBO is often present.

SIBO and Autoimmunity

When the gut leaks, things like toxins, microbes, undigested food particles can get into the bloodstream from the intestines. Your immune system identifies these “alien invaders” as pathogens and attacks them, often attacking the surrounding tissues as well. This constant influx of pathogens puts the immune system into increased alertness. As the intestinal system leaks, your immune system constantly sends out a wave of inflammation and it soon becomes stressful, weakens, becomes confused, and starts firing less accurately. The immune system turns against the body.

What kind of autoimmune disease develops depends on which body tissue is attacked by the immune system. If rheumatoid arthritis attacks, arthritis or arthritis can develop. In psoriasis or scleroderma, the skin is attacked. Hashimoto’s and Graves ’diseases are also autoimmune thyroid conditions.

It is important to treat the underlying dysbiosis that has already become leaking into your body in order to repair the damage and overcome your autoimmune disease. Lack of treatment leads to further damage and the development of other autoimmune diseases. Once an autoimmune disease has developed, another is three times more likely to develop another.

If you have SIBO and / or leaking bowel disease and are still diagnosed with autoimmune disease, start treating your SIBO and leaking bowel syndrome immediately. If you read on, you will also get advice on this.

Vitamin and mineral deficiency

SIBO can also lead to vitamin and mineral deficiencies. In particular, SIBO can interfere with the absorption of nutrients. Absorption disorders occur for a variety of reasons, including changes in the mucous membranes and bile salts. Malabsorption usually leads to nutrient deficiencies such as B12 deficiency, which can cause fatigue, anemia, diarrhea and headaches. However, the absorption disorder caused by SIBO can also prevent the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K as well as iron.

SKIN PROBLEMS

Your skin is the largest organ in your body and is full of nerves that transmit important information about your environment by sensing pain, texture, and temperature. Your skin is made up of three layers: the epidermis, the dermis and the hypodermis. The epidermis, which is the outermost layer, is the outer line of defense. In the second layer of skin, the dermis, there are nerve endings that send signals to the brain to know that something is itchy, sore, hot, cold, and so on.

The hypodermis, which is the innermost layer, contains blood vessels that are connected to the other blood vessels in the body. In the case of Sibo, if it passes through the intestines, toxins and pathogens enter the bloodstream and circulate in the body. Rash, painful pre-oral dermatitis, rosacea, and other skin problems often occur due to the permeable bowel. If you have stubborn skin symptoms, go to a gastroenterologist or SIBO test first rather than to a dermatologist.

HISTAMINE INTOLERANCE

Histamine intolerance almost always indicates that something is wrong inside. Many people with histamine intolerance often refer to their SIBO symptoms as food intolerance.
The professional view is that SIBO is the leading cause in the development of histamine intolerance. In many cases, when SIBO is treated and becomes asymptomatic, symptoms of histamine intolerance remain but there is no acceptable position on this yet.

The point is that the immune system reacts to foreign substances entering the bloodstream as “invaders,” so it produces histamine to neutralize intruders and triggers inflammatory. Certain species of bacteria, including L. casei and L. bul garicus, have been shown to enhance histamine production. Because of this, if you suspect you have SIBO, don’t start taking probiotics blindly because the oil could be on fire. Recommendation for probiotics can be found in the “Treatment of SIBO” article.

In case of inflammation of the gut, the amount of the DAO enzyme produced in the gut, which is responsible for breaking down histamine, is reduced. This in turn results in elevated levels of histamine in the blood. As you consume more and more histamine-rich or DAO-blocking foods, your DAO level will not be enough to control your histamine levels, so you will eventually develop intolerance.

If you have or suspect histamine intolerance, you may also want to read the “Histamine Intolerance” article, or the “Treatment of histamine intolerance/MCAS