Check your medicine cabinet, briefcase, purse, glove compartment, or pocket. How many of these prescriptionand nonprescription remedies do you own? When heartburn strikes, is your first impulse to pop a pill or chew a mint instead of thinking about what brought the episode on? How much money are you spending on medicine? How much time has your physician spent teaching you that you may not need to take any medication at all?
Are Digestive Disorders a Necessary Consequence of Today's Life?
Far too many people accept heartburn, gas, bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and abdominal pain as normal. They chew rolls of mint-flavored antacid tablets, drink thick chalky elixirs to coat their stomachs, or pop the latest indigestion-relieving wonder drugs as appetizers before downing heavy, spicy, or fattening meals and still consider themselves in relatively good health. I'd like to argue that they are mistaken.In this chapter, we'll take a look at the symptoms and causes of some of the most common types of gastrointestinal disorders, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) that consistently send millions of Americans to the doctor and drugstore. (Note: Gastroesophageal reflux disease is often just referred to as heartburn, because heartburn is the disease's most common symptom. Sometimes the condition is also called "acid indigestion.")
A staggering number of Americans -- sixty to seventy million, or one in four -- are affected by gastrointestinal diseases. In fact, heartburn, gas, bloating, diarrhea, and constipation are the most common causes for visits to primary care physicians. I'll explain how each of these digestive tract conditions can be influenced by physical, nutritional, psychological, and social factors, and in the following chapters I'll provide practical tips for combating them.
Factors That Can Affect Your Digestive Tract
Physical FactorsCertain physical characteristics of people who suffer from common GI disorders can affect the disease. For instance,in a person with irritable bowel syndrome, the lining of the intestine is extrasensitive to a variety of stimuli, more so than in other people. So, for example, when the persons abdomen becomes distended (swollen) from eating gas-producing foods like cabbage and broccoli, it may cause tremendous pain and discomfort, whereas in a person who does not have the sensitivity, the same amount of distention will not cause any significant pain or discomfort.
Another physical factor that causes a digestive condition is infection with a bacteria called H. pylori, which causes some people to suffer from peptic ulcers. Still another is a weakened muscle called the lower esophageal sphincter (or LES), located between the stomach and the esophagus -- the food pipe. This weakened muscle allows stomach acid to back up toward the throat, causing heartburn or acid indigestion. Even gravity contributes to heartburn in many people who lie down or recline too soon after eating a large meal.
The Effects of Smoking
Smoking produces both overt and hidden deleterious effects on the gastrointestinal tract. When you inhale smoke, a lot of it gets into your gastrointestinal tract. This will manifest itself as a sensation of gassiness, bloating, rumbling, gurgling, and even cramping. More importantly, smoking can be associated with seriousinjury to the gastrointestinal tract. For example, nicotine stimulates acid production, therefore, it promotes acid reflux, as well as worsening peptic ulcer disease. Smoking is clearly associated with an increased risk of cancer of the esophagus and cancer of the stomach. The mechanism by which smoking invites the development of cancer isn't completely understood, but the association remains strong.
Copyright © 2000 The Philip Lief Group, Inc., and Gary Gitnick, M.D.
