Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) can be a challenging condition to manage. Many people are exploring natural therapies to alleviate their symptoms and promote gut health. Abdominal massage techniques offer a unique approach to support the body’s healing process.

In this article, we will explore the benefits of a natural SIBO treatment protocol. We will explore how abdominal massage can enhance gut motility and address underlying digestive issues. Join me as I explore practical strategies for treating SIBO.


As an abdominal massage therapist, I work in partnership with Naturopathic and Functional Medicine Physicians who are helping people recover from small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) using abdominal massage and Visceral Manipulation™. Physicians typically address SIBO through a variety of herbal, antibiotic, and nutritional protocols. Honestly, it’s a mysterious condition, and researchers in the field are continually learning more; as a result, I’ve seen the protocols evolve over the years. 

As a practitioner trained in abdominal massage therapies, my role is to help improve gut motility, reduce restrictions, and enhance intestinal sphincter function through manual therapy. Slow motility can lead to SIBO, a difficult recovery, and SIBO relapses. It seems evident that slow motility would cause constipation, but it’s important to note that slow motility in the small intestine can also cause loose stools. For instance, if the small intestine’s motility is slow, bacteria build up, resulting in inflammation, nerve irritation, and possible fluid accumulation. By the time everything reaches the large intestine, there is too much fluid for the body to reabsorb, resulting in diarrhea.

I sometimes find dysfunction with the ileocecal valve (IC Valve) in clients who have SIBO. The IC Valve connects the small intestine to the Cecum (the first part of the large intestine). Peristalsis of the small and large intestine should keep things flowing in the right direction. The IC Valve also plays a role in maintaining contents from the cecum from flowing back into the small intestine. Dysfunction in the IC valve can allow bacteria to migrate from the large intestine to the small intestine, where they are not typically found. There are specific Visceral Manipulation™ techniques that improve the ileocecal valve function. These manual therapy techniques may include working with the ileocecal valve, cecum, and/or surrounding structures.

Practitioners trained in Visceral Manipulation™ may also work to improve the motility of the small and large intestines, as well as the liver or stomach. Low stomach acid is another cause of SIBO. Stomach acid is the body’s first defense. It is part of our immune response. It kills bacteria in our food before it reaches the small intestine. If stomach acid levels are low, harmful bacteria can reach the small intestine. So think twice before popping the antacids. We need acid! I wrote about how low stomach acid can actually CAUSE heartburn here.

A Visceral Manipulation practitioner doesn’t follow a single protocol when working with someone with SIBO (or anyone else). The body guides us. That’s why we start the session with a “listening” with our hands. Listening is a way the body guides us to lesions or restrictions in the body. Restrictions may be adhesions, but not always. I wrote about my approach to working with abdominal adhesions in this article.

Only the tissues know

No one area of the body works in isolation. Working with the belly can be like working with a ball of string. You pull on one area, and you feel it somewhere else. The intestines can indeed function in this manner. There may be a dysfunction at the upper sphincters, and once they’re corrected, the lower sphincters also correct. Or, if you improve the motility of one organ, you enhance the motility of the surrounding organs. They are all connected and snuggled up to each other. I’ve even had my students report relief of their back or neck pain after releasing tension in the belly using self-abdominal massage. In the Free The Belly course, I teach students how to release tension in their belly using listening hands while doing abdominal massage. The course is designed for abdominal restrictions and scars, but can also be applied when no scar is present, and can be helpful as an abdominal massage for SIBO.
In the Make Shift Happen course, you will learn specific self-abdominal massage techniques for improving large and small intestine motility, as well as herbal and dietary recommendations for better bowel movements. Abdominal massage is integral part of a natural SIBO Treatment plan.

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You may also be interested in:
SIBO Info: https://www.siboinfo.com/

Dr. Mariotti’s lecture (video) Neuorplasticity, the Gut, and the Role of Visceral Manipulation in the Osteopathic Practice

On June 6, 2019, Chris Kresser talks with Dr. Mark Pimentel, an expert in the microbiome, about SIBO and its connections to IBS, food poisoning, and autoimmunity.

To find a practitioner trained in Visceral Manipulation™, visit the Barral Institute’s website.

Abdominal massage alleviates functional diarrhea in immature rats via modulation of intestinal microbiota and tight junction protein

Author: Barbara Horsley has more than 26 years of experience as a licensed massage therapist. She specializes in abdominal massage and Visceral Manipulation™ and is an NCBTMB-approved educator. In addition to being certified in abdominal massage, she also studied biomechanics and restorative exercise. She is also a Certified Women’s Herbal Educator and a graduate of the IWHI Perimenopause & Menopause Certificate Program.