Everyone has diarrhea at one time or another and everyone has their own idea of exactly what diarrhea is. Is it one liquid stool each day? Is it several soft, semiformed stools each day? Or is it frequent, watery stools throughout the day and even the night? Stool is made up mostly of water. For …
Crohn’s disease is a chronic, recurrent inflammatory disease of the intestinal tract. The intestinal tract has four major parts: the esophagus, or food tube; the stomach, where food is churned and digested; the long, small bowel, where nutrients, calories, and vitamins are absorbed; and the colon and rectum, where water is absorbed and stool is …
Constipation can be defined as infrequent or hard pellet stools, or difficulty in evacuating stool. Passing one or more soft, bulky stools every day is a desirable goal. While troublesome, constipation is not usually a serious disorder. However, there may be other underlying problems causing constipation and, therefore, testing is often recommended. What Causes Constipation? …
Cancer of the colon is a major health problem in the United States. It ranks as a leading form of cancer, along with lung and breast cancer. Importantly, colon cancer is also one of the most curable forms of cancer. When detected early, more than 90 percent of patients can be cured. More importantly, it …
Celiac Disease (CD) is a disease of the lining of the small intestine. This part of the bowel lies between the stomach and colon or large bowel. It is about 20 feet long and is where nutrients, calories, vitamins and minerals are absorbed into the blood. The inside lining of the small bowel has tiny, …
As my colleague, Dr. Sean Sheehan, discussed in this recent article, gastroenterologists use endoscopy to inspect the swallowing tract, diagnose, and even treat certain swallowing disorders. Thanks to advancements in endoscopy, endoscopic technology, and advanced training, new minimally invasive endoscopic procedures are available to patients, where once only surgery was an option. One place where these …
Most of us have experienced the occasional discomfort from feeling as though our food or drink has “gone down the wrong pipe.” Difficulty swallowing, also called dysphagia, is often caused by eating too fast, or not chewing food well enough. This kind of occasional trouble swallowing isn’t a cause for concern. However, as swallowing is a …
Ulcerative colitis is an inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that causes long-lasting inflammation and ulcers (sores) in your digestive tract. Ulcerative colitis affects the innermost lining of your large intestine (colon) and rectum. Symptoms usually develop over time, rather than suddenly. Ulcerative colitis can be debilitating and can sometimes lead to life-threatening complications. While it has no …
March is “Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.” Awareness can save lives. No one wants to have a colonoscopy, but since they’ve been encouraged, the death rate from colorectal cancer has dropped. Once the second leading cause of cancer deaths in this country, it’s dropped to third. With more people knowing the value of colonoscopy, more lives …
[This piece was written by Joseph Choma, MD, Gastroenterologist/Advanced Endoscopist, with Albany Gastroenterology Consultants and St. Peter’s Hospital Advanced Endoscopy and Hepatobiliary Center.] While colorectal cancer remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States, tremendous progress has been made in recent years. In fact, newly diagnosed cases and deaths due to colorectal cancer are on …
New Treatments Mean More Options in Battle Against Colorectal Cancer Read More »
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