Hi Friends,
Could your GUT be causing your BRAIN FOG? Absolutely!
It becomes apparent when we look at those suffering from cirrhosis (end stage liver disease). They often get a neuropsychiatric complication called hepatic encephalopathy, characterized by disorientation, confusion, slurred speech, and personality changes. What’s interesting is cirrhotic patients almost universally also suffer from Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) and when they are treated for this with an antibiotic called Rifaximin, their brain symptoms and encephalopathy clears up!
When I was an Internal Medicine resident at Northwestern in Chicago, I rotated through the liver transplant unit and treated a lot of disoriented cirrhotic patients with Rifaximin!
The GUT-BRAIN Connection is unmistakable to me now that I treat so many patients with SIBO in my practice. So often patients report their brain fog clears up after the SIBO treatment and they notice improved mental sharpness.
Of course, in cirrhosis, the level of dysbiosis (bacterial imbalance) is more extreme, and bad bacteria convert urea (from protein) to ammonia. Because of the liver failure, the ammonia builds up, causing the brain symptoms. By killing off the bad bacteria with Rifaximin, ammonia levels go down, and the hepatic encephalopathy improves!
The great news is SIBO is treatable with herbal antimicrobials like Berberine Pro, Oregano Oil, and Allicidin. These herbal treatments not only clear SIBO, they also work for SIFO (Small Intestine Fungal Overgrowth), Dysbiosis, and Candida. They have anti-inflammatory benefits as well. Once the bloating and IBS symptoms have resolved, we see improvement in brain fog and anxiety!
A healthy GUT is essential to a healthy BRAIN.
For anyone suffering from bloating or IBS, please check out my video on SIBO above. Please share it with a friend or family member who may find it helpful.
Best wishes,
Rajsree Nambudripad, MD
Dr. Rajsree is a caring and compassionate physician, who is board-certified in both Internal Medicine and Integrative/Holistic medicine. She is passionate about helping patients optimize their health through a preventative approach involving healthy lifestyle, dietary changes, targeted nutritional supplementation, and optimizing hormones. Her practice is unique in the personalized attention she devotes to each and every patient.