Symptoms of Digestive Health
Digestive symptoms are one of the most common reasons a person visits their doctor or local emergency department. Common symptoms include the following:
- Constipation
- Diarrhea
- Heartburn/Reflux (GERD)
- Indigestion
- Abdominal Pain
- Bloating/Distension
- Excessive Flatus
- Nausea
- Food intolerances
Understanding Functional Digestive (GI) Disorders
Many digestive symptoms are caused by functional digestive disorders. This means the gastrointestinal tract looks normal (without pathology), but it doesn’t work properly. An example of a functional disorder is IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). Where as, an example of an underlying pathology/disease would be Inflammatory Bowel Disease, such as Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s Disease. When you are experiencing functional symptoms, it can be challenging to understand why. The symptoms listed above can result from actual pathology, structural issues, or most often can result from a functional disorder. It’s imperative to understand what the underlying cause and/ or contributing factors are in order to properly diagnose and treat. Our doctors utilize a variety of functional laboratory testing to understand the cause of your symptoms.
Please read our pages on IBS and SIBO for more information regarding those two very common functional disorders, as they account for an overwhelming majority of cases.
Improve Your Digestive Health Today
It often takes a multi-factorial approach to improve overall digestive health and address underlying conditions. These often include dietary modifications, nutritional supplementation, stress management, and lifestyle factors. Our doctors specialize in identifying and treating the underlying cause(s) of your digestive symptoms. Our clinic has the ability to run multiple functional medical tests, which could pinpoint what is causing your symptoms. These often include breath testing, DNA based comprehensive stool testing, food sensitivity testing, bloodwork, and more. After an examination and testing, we can determine what treatments are best. Call or email our office to schedule an appointment for a comprehensive diagnostic work up regarding your digestive symptoms.
