SIBO Specialization

Lasting Relief from SIBO, SIFO and IMO

Are you experiencing persistent bloating, gas, or abdominal pain and discomfort?

Have you been diagnosed with IBS but suspect there might be more to it?

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO), Small Intestinal Fungal Overgrowth (SIFO), and Intestinal Methanogen Overgrowth (IMO) are often underlying causes of chronic digestive issues.

At VEXA, we provide comprehensive interventions to repair your gut, relieve your SIBO symptoms, and prevent relapse.

Not many physicians/GPs know this, but recent reliable studies have shown that up to 37.5% of IBS cases are actually SIBO. In fact, roughly 60% of IBS-D cases (IBS with predominant diarrhea) are SIBO.

So what does this mean for you?

If you’ve been diagnosed with IBS by a physician/GP, you may actually have SIBO.

So what is SIBO?

SIBO is an umbrella term that is often used for three distinct conditions:

Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

an excess of bacteria in the small intestine

Small Intestinal Fungal Overgrowth (SIFO)

an excess of fungi in the small intestine

Intestinal Methanogen Overgrowth (IMO)

an excess of methanogenic archaea in the small intestine and colon

We know much less about SIFO than we do about SIBO and IMO but researchers are quickly trying to make up for that.

SIBO symptoms vary, but can include:

  • Diarrhea
  • Constipation

  • Diarrhea and constipation

  • Bloating

  • “Food Baby” – excessive bloating that can give the appearance of pregnancy

  • Abdominal/stomach pain

  • Abdominal cramping
  • Indigestion

  • Nausea

If you’ve experienced any of these chronically or have been diagnosed with IBS but suspect your condition is a bit different than “run-of-the-mill” IBS, you’ve come to the right place.

Hi, I’m Andreea

I’m a Registered Dietitian specializing in gut health and longevity, with a Master’s Degree in Molecular Biology.

A while ago I founded VEXA to empower others to improve longevity using diet and lifestyle—but discovered in the process that most people can’t even digest properly.

What good are longevity therapies and supplements if you can’t absorb them adequately? What good is any therapy if you don’t even have the foundation of gut health, on which all the other pillars are built upon?

In my journey as a healthcare professional, I’ve witnessed firsthand the profound impact that gut health has on every aspect of people’s lives. From digestion to immunity, from mood to hormones to metabolism—gut health influences it all.

IBS and SIBO, in particular, are two conditions close to my heart, as so many people I love have struggled with them. My motivation to find solutions for the seemingly chronic nature of these conditions have led me to years of distilling research and applying what I learned.

I’d love the opportunity to help you through your journey in healing from SIBO and preventing relapse.

What You Get

Precision Nutrition Plans

Tailored nutrition plans based on your unique needs in your journey towards healing IBS.

Expert Guidance & Support

Personalized support and guidance from a registered dietitian specializing in longevity, gut and metabolic health.

Cutting-Edge Research

Evidence-based strategies grounded in the latest scientific research on digestive health.

Detailed Interventions

Comprehensive intervention plans, covering all aspects of your health, including physical, mental, and emotional.

SIBO: A Condition of Excess Microbes?

My Master’s Degree in Molecular Biology has given me a unique opportunity to understand the microbiome like very few in my profession do—and to understand microbial overgrowth in its complexity.

Based on my analysis of the latest research, SIBO is not an issue of microbial overgrowth. The excess bacteria/archea/fungi are a consequence of the root causes of SIBO.

I’ve studied all possible root causes of SIBO and have even made a Free PDF detailing these causes, so you can explore them on your own. Feel free to download it; it’s a zero-cost resource that will hopefully help you understand more about what you’re going through and why it’s happened.

That being said, there is usually an interplay of one or more of these underlying causes, and understanding how to treat each of them in an optimal layered approach is key.

If you’d like the guidance of a Registered Dietitian specializing in SIBO, SIFO and IMO, I’d be happy to help!

SIBO Breath Testing

I want to be very transparent about SIBO breath testing. When patients ask me if they should take a SIBO breath test, I could say, “Yes, it’s necessary to do so,” but in reality, most commercially available SIBO breath tests are not very reliable.

In my view (and that of many others in the field) the only accurate SIBO breath test currently available is Trio-Smart, which analyzes all three gases involved in SIBO: hydrogen, methane, and hydrogen sulfide. Other commercially available breath tests only test for hydrogen and methane.

The two main limitations of Trio-Smart are its price ($349) and that it’s only available in the US.

Hydrogen/methane SIBO breath tests, as I mentioned, are intrinsically unreliable.

Glucose-based breath tests, for example, have a 40% sensitivity (which means 60% of people taking this test would receive a false negative diagnosis), and lactulose testing has a 44% specificity (which means 56% of people would be receive a false positive diagnosis).

However, I wouldn’t completely rule them out; there are clinical instances in which it would be worth taking these risks and doing a test anyway, as long as we interpret the results with caution and account for symptoms.

So do I offer breath testing? Yes.

Do I use it often with my SIBO patients? No, not really, for the reasons explained above.

My Comprehensive SIBO Treatment Approach

Dietary Interventions

Customized meal plans designed to reduce microbial fermentation and meet your specific health needs.

Supplemental Interventions

Evidence-based supplements to reduce small intestinal microbial load, support gut health and manage inflammation.

Behavioral Interventions

Lifestyle and behavioral strategies to enhance your overall well-being and manage stress.

Unsure if you have IBS or SIBO?

That’s okay! Many people find themselves in the same situation.

Perhaps you’ve had an episode of food poisoning, and your gut has never been the same since.

Or maybe you’ve been stressed for a while, and now your gut is acting up.

You might have read about SIBO online, but your physician diagnosed you with IBS. Which one do you have?

If you’re confused, don’t worry. The two conditions are closely related, and I make it my mission to treat both.

Book a consultation today to find out which condition you have and how best to treat it.

FAQ

I treat SIBO using a functional approach, combining nutrition, herbal antimicrobials, supplements, behavioral strategies, and comprehensive testing to address the root causes of SIBO and achieve lasting relief.

Additionally, I’m not bound to any one diet.

For SBO, I have used Low FODMAP, the Low Fermentation Diet (Dr. Pimentel), the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD), the Bi-Phasic Diet, Combination FODMAP/SCD (Allison Siebecker), etc.

Results vary, but many patients start to notice improvements in their symptoms within a few weeks to months of starting my intervention protocols, depending on the severity of the condition and whether it was caused by a food poisoning event or not.

This varies from person to person, but a minimum of two consultations (the initial consultation and a follow-up) would normally be required in order for me to create an adequate and informed intervention plan.

I can appreciate that you’ve gone through a lot; SIBO is like a freight train, it hits you hard when you least expect.

But don’t worry, part of the collection of your medical history happens before our consultation.

Once you book the appointment, you will be required to fill a detailed nutrition onboarding form (online), which will help me come into the consultation prepared to simply ask targeted questions and get to the bottom of your issues and/or request further testing, if appropriate.

Yes, my practice has transitioned to fully online, recognizing this is most convenient for everyone.

Yes, absolutely. I’m happy to work with you from “across the pond” and am fully happy to suggest supplements you can easily find in the US and recommend US-based SIBO breath testing.

Yes, absolutely. My services are vegan/vegetarian/plant-based-friendly and I’m happy to help you regain your gut health using balanced and delicious plant-based dishes.

100% Telehealth

Our services are delivered via telehealth so you can access them whenever and wherever you are

Food Tracker Apps

We work with several food tracking apps that can support you in accurately tracking what you eat to build accountability.

Connected Devices

We leverage data from a multitude of connected devices, from smartwatches, smart rings, CGMs, temperature sensors, smart scales, smart bottles, etc. – to measure your vitals and progress.