Sibu

An article intended for practitioners of Chinese medicine:

I want to write a few words about SIBO here because it is a diagnosis that is becoming increasingly common in the gastroenterology world and there are quite a few patients who come for treatment with it.

SIBO is a relatively new diagnosis and is translated from English - SIBO - which stands for Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.

What SIBO means is that there is an overgrowth of bacteria in the small intestine (usually most bacteria are found in the large intestine).

When they started diagnosing people with SIBO, there was a feeling that they had finally discovered what causes a large portion of the digestive problems that are diagnosed as sensitive bowel, because the symptoms of sensitive bowel and SIBO are very similar.

People who came in with complaints of diarrhea, abdominal bloating, gas, and abdominal discomfort were sent for a SIB test, came out positive, and felt that there was finally a reason for their complaints.

Unfortunately, I also see how enthusiasm wanes over time. The treatment offered for the cause is antibiotics, but from what I see in many cases, it does not resolve the symptoms in the long term, and in the end, quite a few patients continue to live with the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome and search for the right treatment for them.

A treatment that I like in Sibo and see beautiful results in is Dr. Tan's treatment that balances the BL, SI meridians (and here is the connection to Sibo) along with balancing the LIV, LU meridians. Dr. Tan has two other treatments that balance the BL and SI meridians with other meridians, but I want to focus on the treatment on the four meridians: BL, SI, LIV, LU, which I think is suitable for people with a diagnosis of Sibo and Chinese involvement of the LIV. The acupuncture points in this treatment will be:

On one side: SI3, SI8, LIV3, LIV8

On the other side: LU8, LU11, BL64, BL67

(There is of course a long explanation for choosing the points but I won't go into it right now)

The most important thing I have to say about Sibo is that treating Sibo is very similar to treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome, so even if you don't agree with the treatment I suggested here, I recommend that you do a Chinese diagnosis like you know how to do in the context of digestive problems and treat as you know how.

Good luck :)

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