If your tummy is often bloated, noisy, uncomfortable or leaving you foggy and tired, you don’t have to accept that as “normal.” Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) is a common, treatable reason for these symptoms — and at Thrive Therapies we offer accessible testing and clear treatment options tailored to you.

What is SIBO — simply put
SIBO happens when too many microbes live in the small intestine. The small bowel should be relatively low in bacteria so nutrients can be absorbed. When bacteria overgrow, the lining and microvilli can be disrupted, causing bloating, gas, abdominal pain, diarrhoea or constipation, brain fog, low energy and nutrient issues. Sometimes symptoms are obvious — sometimes they’re subtle. That’s why testing helps us know for sure.

How we test (non‑invasive)
We use breath testing — a simple, non‑invasive test that measures gases (hydrogen, methane, sometimes hydrogen sulfide) in your breath after you ingest a small test sugar. The pattern and timing of gas rises tell us whether abnormal bacterial activity is present and give clues about the type. One comprehensive option we offer:

• Fructose + Lactulose breath test — $565.  This combo can help us uncover if SIBO is present with a 96% accuracy and gives a broad view of small‑bowel activity.

Real treatment options — personalised for you
Good news: SIBO is often treatable. At Thrive we don’t do one‑size‑fits‑all. We create a plan that suits your history, symptoms and goals. Typical pieces of a personalised plan include:

• Therapeutic diet (short term): targeted diets such as a FODMAP‑reduced phase, bi‑phasic diets, low‑sulfur plans, or an elemental diet in selected cases — used to calm symptoms while treatment works.
• Targeted antimicrobials: herbal protocols (chosen to match methane, hydrogen or hydrogen sulfide patterns) and, when appropriate, prescription antibiotics. Herbs we use are selected carefully and used for defined periods to protect your wider microbiome.
• Microbiome rebuilding: phased use of probiotics and prebiotics (examples: Saccharomyces boulardii for die‑off and permeability, Lactobacillus plantarum 299v, PHGG for methane patterns). We start low and slow — your tolerance guides the pace.
• Motility & digestive support: ginger, prokinetics (herbal or prescription), digestive enzymes, and lifestyle tools to improve gut movement and reduce relapse risk.
• Lifestyle & nervous‑system tools: breath work, vagus‑nerve support, stress management, sleep and gentle movement — these are essential for lasting change.

You are unique — so is your plan
Every client receives an individualised pathway: we test to understand your pattern, then layer diet, antimicrobials, probiotics and motility work in the order and timing that fits you. No shame, no quick fixes — just practical steps that respect your life and goals.

Next step
If you’d like to explore testing or want to talk about a personalised treatment plan, book a consult and we’ll discuss the best test and the treatment options for you. We offer the Fructose + Lactulose breath test ($565) as a comprehensive starting point — and we’ll tailor everything that follows to your unique needs.