When something’s wrong with your digestive system, it can cast a large net over your life, thanks to unpleasant symptoms like heartburn, nausea, stomach cramps, diarrhea, or constipation.
If these side effects happen occasionally, you weather the digestive storm and wait to get to the other side. But if you’re having ongoing gastrointestinal (GI) issues, it’s time to get some answers.
Well, you’ve come to the right place. Here at HealthFirst, Dr. Jonathan Singer has extensive experience helping patients to get to the bottom of tough-to-pindown issues like digestive disorders, which sometimes stem from autoimmune illnesses.
In the following, we take a look at 5 potential culprits behind your digestive distress and how we can help.
One of the most common digestive disorders is GERD, also called acid reflux, which affects about 20% of Americans. GERD isn’t an autoimmune issue, but a functional one in which the sphincter that prevents stomach acids from rising up your throat weakens. As a result, you can experience heartburn and stomach upset. Over time, repeated exposure to stomach acid might damage the lining of your esophagus.
This category includes Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Together, these conditions affect nearly 2.4 million Americans. As the name implies, when you have IBD, your lower digestive tract is inflamed, which can lead to abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea.
Both Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are autoimmune disorders, which means they’re rooted in a malfunction in your body’s immune system.
This condition refers to a collection of ongoing symptoms that include abdominal pain and changes in your bowel movements. These changes might fluctuate between constipation and diarrhea.
This is a chronic autoimmune disorder that’s triggered by gluten, and it can lead to damage in your small intestine as well as poor absorption of nutrients. Celiac disease affects about 2 million people in the United States and about 1% of the world’s population.
With this condition, small pouches form in your colon. If food gets trapped in the pouches, inflammation and infection can ensue, which can lead to abdominal pain, bloating, constipation, and/or diarrhea.
If you’re tired of dealing with digestive issues, we want you to come see us for an evaluation. Once Dr. Singer identifies the underlying problem, he helps you to control the symptoms and live a better life that isn’t overshadowed by unpleasant GI symptoms.
Some of the ways we can tackle digestive disorders include:
Dr. Singer believes in finding long-term solutions that don't simply mask the symptoms, but that provide meaningful relief.
To get on the road to digestive relief, we invite you to contact one of our offices in Greenwood Village, Colorado, or Cheyenne, Wyoming, to schedule an appointment.
