Digestive Problems
The phrase "digestive problems" can include a whole raft of different health complaints. Your digestive tract goes right through your body, from your mouth to your anus, and trouble can flare up anywhere along its length. Let's start at the top:
In the area around the mouth we have a number of potential complaints. Here are just a few of the more common ones:
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Cracking in the corner of the mouth, usually on both sides, is
known as cheilosis and may indicate certain nutritional deficiencies.
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- gingivitis (gum inflammation)
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- oral candidiasis (also called oral thrush)
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Okay, let's travel a bit further down, through the throat, along the oesophagus (gullet) and into the stomach. Some of the more common complaints along this stretch are:
- heartburn
- acid reflux
- indigestion
These three often seem to go together and are responsible for the nation's vast consumption of antacid pills. It's considered by many nutritional therapists that excess stomach acid is one of the most over-diagnosed conditions out there, partly because the symptoms of excess acid and those caused by insufficient acid are so similar. This is unfortunate because long term use of antacids and acid reducing medicines may cause damage to the stomach lining which is difficult to repair.
Now, beyond the stomach, we're into the intestines. Most of the common troubles here occur in the lower part, the large intestine (the bowel), including the colon.
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Some people think that having a bowel motion once or twice a week is normal - it is not - anything less than once a day means you are constipated. Do something about it! (you can start by drinking a bit more water).
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- irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
Classically the symptoms of IBS are alternating constipation and diarrhoea but it may manifest as almost any combination of constipation, diarrhoea, abdominal pain and bloating.
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- inflammatory bowel (Crohn's Disease and ulcerative colitis)
These are serious conditions but nutritional therapy may be of help in their treatment. An inflammatory bowel disease screening test is available which may be useful in monitoring disease progress and treatment.
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- diverticulosis and diverticulitis
Diverticulosis is when small pockets protrude out from the inner lining of the colon, usually as a result of chronic constipation. Diverticulitis is when these pockets become inflamed or infected.
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There are a large number of microorganisms (single cell protozoa or larger worms) that can get into your gut and wreak havoc with your digestive health. They are affecting more and more people nowadays as travel to faraway places becomes more commonplace however they can also be picked up right here in Britain. The symptoms they cause are many and varied and can often be misinterpreted as IBS. A simple stool test is available to test for and identify any parasite you may have picked up. Once identified their eradication is usually straight-forward.
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Every one of the problems listed on this page can be caused, partly or wholly, by a poor diet and lifestyle. The sole exception perhaps is parasite infections though even there, if your body is in tip-top condition it should be able to fight off many parasitic invaders.
