5 Common Foods that Can Cause Constipation
Constipation affects up to 1 in 3 American adults. Older adults and women are at greatest risk. Constipation is usually characterized as.
Constipation affects up to 1 in 3 American adults. Older adults and women are at greatest risk. Constipation is usually characterized as.
When you find blood in your stool, it’s a cause for concern – but not panic. While the presence of blackness in your stool, a streak of red upon wiping after a bowel movement, or blood detected in a test ordered at our office can signal something serious is going on in your digestive tract, it doesn’t always.
Most common in people older than 50, a hiatal hernia affects up to 60% of people older than 60. It’s a condition that occurs when the upper part of your stomach pushes through the hiatus and into your chest. The hiatus is a small opening in the diaphragm muscle through which your esophagus passes on its way to the stomach.
Swallowing seems automatic, but it actually involves about 50 pairs of muscles and multiple nerves. You have to take a bite, chew and prepare the food for swallowing, and then move it to the stomach.
Dysphagia affects between 300,000 and 700,000 people in the United States. The condition, characterized by difficulty swallowing, significantly impacts daily life. It can also lead to serious complications like malnutrition, dehydration, and aspiration pneumonia.
If you have irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), you probably live with abdominal pain, gas and bloating, chronic or recurrent diarrhea, constipation, or an uncomfortable mixture of these. IBS can affect anyone, even children, but is more common in women.
In most cases, rectal bleeding is not a sign of something serious -- but that doesn’t mean you should ignore the symptoms. While the most common cause of rectal bleeding is hemorrhoids, in some cases rectal bleeding is the indication of a serious disease such as colon cancer.
At least 15 million people in the United States experience daily heartburn, and many of these people have gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This chronic condition can lead to esophageal damage, not to mention the discomfort and unpleasantness of burning sensations around your chest and upper belly.
Constipation can happen due to dietary changes, medications, or age, but usually these bouts are temporary and you resume a normal bathroom routine within a few days or weeks. However, some cases of constipation persist for a month or longer and interfere with your comfort and quality of life.
Blood in your stool, in the toilet, or on the toilet paper can be concerning. In most cases, the blood is a result of a non life-threatening problem, such as anal fissures or hemorrhoids.
