Gastroenterologists are specialists in diagnosing and treating disorders of your digestive system. This includes the entire digestive system from top to bottom. Digestion is an incredibly lengthy process involving a number of highly complex organs all working together to process our food, extract and store nutrients, and finally dispose of waste products. Each piece of the system can become disturbed in a manner that may require a trip to a specialist in order to understand why certain symptoms are occurring, in addition to treatment for alleviating any discomfort.
Have you ever considered that perhaps the pain and discomfort www.stuartakermanmd.com you feel in your stomach could be your digestive system telling you that something is wrong? Remember the days when your mother reminded you to slow down and eat better in order to stay healthy? When she said if you keep up your stressful life you’re going to wind up with an ulcer? So what exactly is an ulcer and how do you get one? Ulcers are open sores found in the esophagus, the stomach, and the upper portion of the small intestine. It was once commonly believed that ulcers were the result of consuming diets high in fat and living an extremely fast-paced, stressful lifestyle.
Doctors now know through years of research and study over time that diet and lifestyle have little to do with developing ulcers. Ulcers are now known to occur as a result of some type of bacterial infection or perhaps as a result of using certain medications. The acid produced in our stomach as part of the digestion process can often trigger the sharp burning pain commonly associated with ulcers. It is this reaction of stomach acid that contributes to the mistaken idea that food choices caused ulcers. The pain is actually a result of the stomach acid coming into contact with the open sore. Remember how it burned when mom put “monkey blood” on your cuts as a child? This is the same kind of reaction. The acids of the stomach come into contact with the open wound of the ulcer and cause an extreme burning sensation. If you think you have any signs or symptoms that could indicate a problem such as an ulcer, then you should see your regular family physician to see if you need a referral to a gastroenterologist.
The gastroenterologist will evaluate, diagnose, and recommend treatment for your stomach pains. Ulcers are manageable and do heal. But first, you have to know they are there. See the gastroenterologists in the Houston area today.