Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
https://www.byronherbalist.com.au/appointments/ to work with me
One of the questions I'm asked quite regularly is "How do you know if someone has hydrogen sulphide SIBO?" People often assume there must be one specific symptom that gives it away, or that a breath test simply confirms the diagnosis and the picture becomes obvious. But I rarely see it play out this way in the clinic.
Clinically hydrogen sulphide tends to present more as a pattern than a single symptom. There are certain symptoms that make me start suspecting this condition. It's not just bloating or diarrhoea in isolation. It's the combination of digestive symptoms, inflammatory symptoms, food reactions, skin issues, and often this feeling that the whole system has become far more reactive than it used to be.
One of the things that makes hydrogen sulphide particularly challenging is that the research is still emerging. We understand a reasonable amount about the potential effects of excess hydrogen sulphide on the gut lining and energy metabolism, but we don't yet have a perfect clinical picture that says, "This is exactly what every hydrogen sulphide patient looks like." So a lot of the work still comes back to pattern recognition and seeing enough cases over time to recognise when someone fits that picture.
In this video, I walk through the symptoms that make me become suspicious of hydrogen sulphide. We discuss the more typical digestive symptoms, the importance of rotten egg smelling gas, why some people seem to present with a much more inflammatory picture than classic IBS, and why certain food reactions can sometimes point us further in this direction.
As always, none of these symptoms can diagnose hydrogen sulphide on their own. They simply help build a clinical picture and guide the next steps. More importantly, they often help explain why some people continue to struggle despite trying low FODMAP diets, probiotics, or conventional SIBO treatments without long-term success.
Then successful treatment and symptom improvements tells us we're on the right track.
https://www.byronherbalist.com.au/appointments/ to work with me
One of the questions I'm asked quite regularly is "How do you know if someone has hydrogen sulphide SIBO?" People often assume there must be one specific symptom that gives it away, or that a breath test simply confirms the diagnosis and the picture becomes obvious. But I rarely see it play out this way in the clinic.
Clinically hydrogen sulphide tends to present more as a pattern than a single symptom. There are certain symptoms that make me start suspecting this condition. It's not just bloating or diarrhoea in isolation. It's the combination of digestive symptoms, inflammatory symptoms, food reactions, skin issues, and often this feeling that the whole system has become far more reactive than it used to be.
One of the things that makes hydrogen sulphide particularly challenging is that the research is still emerging. We understand a reasonable amount about the potential effects of excess hydrogen sulphide on the gut lining and energy metabolism, but we don't yet have a perfect clinical picture that says, "This is exactly what every hydrogen sulphide patient looks like." So a lot of the work still comes back to pattern recognition and seeing enough cases over time to recognise when someone fits that picture.
In this video, I walk through the symptoms that make me become suspicious of hydrogen sulphide. We discuss the more typical digestive symptoms, the importance of rotten egg smelling gas, why some people seem to present with a much more inflammatory picture than classic IBS, and why certain food reactions can sometimes point us further in this direction.
As always, none of these symptoms can diagnose hydrogen sulphide on their own. They simply help build a clinical picture and guide the next steps. More importantly, they often help explain why some people continue to struggle despite trying low FODMAP diets, probiotics, or conventional SIBO treatments without long-term success.
Then successful treatment and symptom improvements tells us we're on the right track.
