DIARRHEA
WHAT IS IT? Diarrhea is the passage of many loose or watery stools. It’s not a disease in itself, but rather a common symptom of illness in both children and adults. Many things can throw your...
View ArticleDIVERTICULAR DISEASE
WHAT IS IT? Diverticular disease affects the walls of your large intestine, or colon. It takes two forms-diverticulosis and diverticulitis. You have diverticulosis when small pouches called diverticula...
View ArticleGALLSTONES
WHAT IS IT? Gallstones are hard lumps that form in the gallbladder, a small, pear-shaped organ under your liver that stores a digestive juice called bile. Gallstones can be as small as a grain of sand...
View ArticleGOUT
WHAT IS IT? Gout is a form of arthritis that comes on quickly and causes intense pain and swelling in a joint. It can affect any joint but usually shows up in the big toe, hand, ankle, or knee. Each...
View ArticleHEARTBURN
WHAT IS IT? Heartburn has nothing to do with your heart. Instead, it’s a problem with your stomach and esophagus-the tube that carries food from your throat to your stomach. When stomach acid leaks up,...
View ArticleHEMORRHOIDS
WHAT IS IT? Hemorrhoids-swollen veins inside or outside the anus-often called “varicose veins of the anus and rectum”-are one of the most common health problems. Fifty to 75 percent of all Americans...
View ArticleINFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE
WHAT IS IT? Inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, is a general term for chronic diseases that cause the intestines to become inflamed. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the most common forms of...
View ArticleIRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME
WHAT IS IT? Irritable bowel syndrome-IBS-shows up in a number of ways that may include gas, bloating, and cramps or pain in your stomach or abdomen. Sometimes you’ll also have changes in bowel...
View ArticleOVERWEIGHT
WHAT IS IT? Through most of human history, being fat was good: When food was scarce, anyone with ample body fat had energy reserves stored up for lean times. Now things are different. We know that if...
View ArticleULCERS AND GASTRITIS
WHAT IS IT? In your stomach, gastric juices break down the food you swallow and kill bacteria that come with it. These juices consist mostly of acids and enzymes (proteins that speed up chemical...
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