Left side abdominal pain may arise from the internal organs of the abdomen, namely the gastrointestinal and urinary tract, chest, upper pelvic organ, abdominal wall muscles, bones (ribs, spine, pelvis), vessels, nerves or skin. It can be difficult to isolate the exact cause of left sided abdominal pain. The presence of >> Read More ...
What is the abdomen? The abdomen (most likely derived from the Latin word abdodere = to conceal, to hide; possibly in the sense that whatever was eaten is hidden) is a body cavity lying between the chest and pelvis, limited by the diaphragm above and continuing into the pelvic cavity below. The abdomen is also referred to >> Read More ...
What is and is not a Food Allergy? A food allergy (Gk. allon = different, strange; ergon= activity) is an exaggerated reaction of the immune system to certain food substances otherwise not harmful for the man. These substances, when triggering an allergy, are called allergens. Practically any food may contain substances >> Read More ...
About Runner’s Diarrhea Runner’s diarrhea is frequent, loose and often watery stool that may occur during or after a long distance run, workout, occasional run, or fast walk (1). It is also commonly referred to as runner’s trots. The exact cause of runner’s diarrhea is not known although there are >> Read More ...
Diarrhea is the leading cause of death in children around the globe. While this is often linked to a lack of clean drinking water and unavailability of medical care in most developing nations, diarrhea can also lead to death even in developed countries. Infants, young children and the elderly are at the greatest risk. >> Read More ...
Introduction to Diagnosis of Bowel Problems Evaluation of a patient with a bowel disease begins with careful history and physical examination. Subsequent investigation is indicated in selected cases only. Some patients have normal findings on diagnostic testing, so a diagnosis of a functional bowel problem or IBS is >> Read More ...
What Are Intestinal Parasites? The term parasite refers to organisms that infest another organism where it lives and feeds. Some of these parasites are microscopic and not visible to the naked eye whereas other parasites are relatively large. Human intestinal parasites are either one-cell organisms or intestinal worms >> Read More ...
What is food poisoning? Food poisoning is a common acute condition where food or water contaminated with infectious agents causes inflammation of the gut. These infectious agents may be viruses, bacteria, protozoa or their toxins. Unlike with the ‘stomach flu’ (viral gastroenteritis) which is caused by viruses, >> Read More ...
Most of us do not consider any link between eating and diarrhea unless we have a common diarrheal illness like the stomach flu (viral gastroenteritis). Howevever, for some people diarrhea after eating can be an almost daily occurrence. There are several possible reasons for this eating and diarrhea link. Some of these >> Read More ...
Most cases of diarrhea are acute. This means it arises suddenly, is intense and lasts for only a short period of time. Typically with diarrhea this is just a few days and in many instances the diarrhea resolves on its own without any medical treatment. Sometimes it may persist for weeks and still be considered as acute. It >> Read More ...
