Bacteria that belong in the colon migrate upward into the small intestine, where they ferment food before the body can absorb it. The result is bloating, gas, and pain that standard GI workups often label as IBS.
Symptoms overlap almost entirely with irritable bowel syndrome — bloating that worsens through the day, gas, abdominal distension, irregular stools, and food reactions that seem to multiply over time.
Standard bloodwork and endoscopy do not detect it. Without breath testing and a microbiome-level assessment, patients are frequently told their results are normal and sent home with symptom management.
Dr. Kellman treats SIBO as a microbiome disorder rather than an isolated infection. Testing identifies the overgrowth and the conditions that permitted it — impaired motility, low stomach acid, prior antibiotic exposure, or structural factors.
Treatment addresses the overgrowth and then rebuilds the terrain so it does not return, combining targeted antimicrobial herbs and pharmaceuticals with motility support and microbiome restoration.
IBS is a description of symptoms. SIBO is a measurable cause of those symptoms — bacteria growing where they should not. A significant share of patients carrying an IBS diagnosis test positive for SIBO, which is why Dr. Kellman tests rather than assumes.
Because the underlying reason the overgrowth was able to establish itself was never addressed. Killing the bacteria without correcting motility, digestive secretions, and microbiome balance leaves the same conditions in place. Recurrence is a sign of incomplete treatment, not treatment failure.