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Intestinal Methanogen Overgrowth (IMO)

I have taken numerous breath tests with different practitioners over the past 8 or 9 years, with somewhat varied results. I have worked with Functional Medicine Dietitians, GI doctors, and Naturopaths. I know that SIBO breath tests get a bad wrap and many practitioners, especially GI Clinic practitioners do not put much stock in them. There is controversy as to what the substrate or solution to test with should be. Some MD say that Glucose is the best thing to use, but in my opinion, the MD who do the most research on the subject has recommend the use of Lactulose. The research shows that this travels through the entire length of the small bowel and thus can detect SIBO all the way to the distal small bowel. There is also controversy over how to interpret the breath tests. I have mostly relied on my practitioners to read the tests and give me their recommendations.

In most cases, my completed breath tests indicated Methane SIBO. Also, since my primary symptom is constipation, this condition is also known as SIBO-C or Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth with Constipation.

One Naturopath that I worked with pointed out that it actually looked like I had what he called a “Methane Bloom” of excess methane in my colon that persisted even after the SIBO had been resolved. My SIBO breath test cleared with a round of herbal antibiotics combined with pharmaceutical antibiotics in tandem gave me a clean breath test. However, 2 weeks later, my symptoms had returned. I wanted to talk on here about something I have recently read about y read about a new phrase called Intestinal Methanogen Overgrowth (IMO). Apparently this differs from actual SIBO in that it does not cause Diarrhea and definitely results in slowed gut motility. The bacteria is typically M. Smithii is actually not a bacteria, but archaea

I am going to be researching and learning more about IMO and will write more about this in the future.