The digestive system consists of the Alimentary Canal and various other organs of the body whose function is to support the digestive system.

The Alimentary Canal consists of the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine (also called the colon and bowel), rectum, and anus. Amongst the organs whose function is to support the digestive system are the gallbladder, liver, and pancreas.

We can therefore define digestive system disorders as being any medical condition or health complaint that afflicts the mouth, throat, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine (also called the colon and bowel), rectum, anus, gallbladder, liver, and/or pancreas.

Because there are so many parts of the body are included in this list, there are a very large number of digestive system disorders that can be included in this list.

Each organ of the digestive system and each section of the Alimentary Canal has specific and important roles to play in the digestion of the material we ingest. The loss of function of any of the sections of the Alimentary Canal or any of the support organs can cause serious health issues and complications, and even death.

Digestive system disorders may be classified into the following eight main categories:

Hemorrhoids And Bowel Disorders

Celiac Disease And Other Intestinal Disorders

Colon Cancer And Other Digestive Cancers

Esophagus Disorders

Gallbladder And Pancreas Disorders

Hernia

Liver Disease

Stomach Disorders

Please click on the appropriate link for more detailed information on each particular digestive system disorder.

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A range of techniques can help you to reduce your risk of developing a Digestive System Disorder. These techniques fall into the following broad categories:

• Dietary, Exercise, and Life Style Guidelines
• Self Care Techniques

Both of these categories are discussed below.

Dietary, Exercise, and Life Style Guidelines

A person can reduce their risks of developing a range of Digestive System Disorders, and add many more years of healthy, active time to their life span, by:

• Avoiding and taking precautions against disease, such as being properly vaccinated and seeking early diagnosis and treatment if you suspect health problems.

• Eating a healthy, high fiber diet including lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, while avoiding processed foods, fast foods, and foods that are high in salt, sugar, and/or fat.

• Avoiding health hazards, such as smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, and drug abuse. Smoking also increases acid reflux and reduces saliva production. Saliva helps protect your Esophagus from Stomach acid.

• Maintaining a positive mental attitude and keep active, especially during your retirement.

• Ensuring that you get enough quality sleep each night.

• Taking steps to reduce the stress in your life. Digestion slows during periods of stress, and this can cause or exacerbate digestive system disorders, such as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, meditation, and yoga, can help may help reduce stress.

• Incorporating at least 30 minutes of physical activity into your daily routine.

• Maintaining a healthy body weight. Slimming down helps reduce the pressure on your Stomach, and this act alone can help relieve a range of Digestive System Disorders.

Self Care Techniques

In addition to the above dietary, exercise, and lifestyle guidelines, a range of self care techniques can also help you maintain a healthy digestive system.

The following self care techniques can help you reduce your risk of developing a range of digestive system disorders:

• Eat Small Meals – eat small meals regularly throughout the day, rather than a single large meal. Large meals can stretch and bloat your stomach, causing enormous stress on your digestive system.

• Avoid Problem Foods – avoid or moderate your consumption of alcohol, caffeinated drinks, chocolate, spicy foods, acidic foods (such as citrus fruits and tomato-based foods), onions, peppermint, and spearmint, all of which can inflame parts of the digestive tract and also increase production of stomach acid, leading to irritation and/or inflammation of parts of the digestive tract.

• Limit fatty foods – fatty foods relax the lower esophageal sphincter and slow stomach emptying, which increases the amount of time that acid can back up into your esophagus.

• Eating Habits – sit up after you eat, and wait at least three hours before going to bed or taking a nap to allow food to progress from the stomach to the small intestine.

• Avoid exercise immediately after eating, especially avoid strenuous or high impact activity. Try to wait at least two to three hours before you engage in any strenuous activity. Low-impact exercise, such as walking, is fine.

• Elevate the head of your bed even by just 6 inches, as this can gravity to prevent Stomach acid from moving up into your Esophagus as you sleep. A foam wedge under the mattress can also do the required elevation. However, don’t try to use extra pillows, as this will place more pressure on your abdomen.

• Avoid tight fitting clothes such as belts, pants, and so on because they put pressure on your Stomach and restrict digestion.

• Avoid certain medications (if possible) which may cause or exacerbate heart burn and gastric reflux, such as:

o Alendronate
o Calcium channel blockers
o Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen sodium
o Quinidine
o Sedatives and tranquilizers
o Tetracycline (antibiotic)
o Theophylline

• Avoid Trauma – avoid activities and sports that may cause damage to your body, especially your abdominal area in the case of Digestive System Disorders, or else wear suitable protective clothing to prevent damage and injuries.

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A stomach ulcer – which is actually a peptic ulcer – is an open sore that develops on the inside lining of your stomach. Peptic ulcers can actually occur in a number of different locations. In the stomach, a peptic ulcer is known as a gastric ulcer, in the duodenum it is called a duodenal ulcer, and in the esophagus it is a esophageal ulcer.

Stomach ulcers are fairly common, affecting around 4 million Americans a year.

Causes of Stomach Ulcers

There was a time when people used to believe that they could get ulcers from living lives that were too stressful or that an ulcer was caused by something that they were eating. The truth of the matter is that most stomach ulcers and duodenal ulcers are caused not by not stress or diet but in fact a bacterial infection or some medications. Esophageal ulcers are normally related to the reflux of stomach acid

Research shows that 80% of gastric ulcers and 90% of duodenal ulcers are caused by infection with a corkscrew-shaped bacterium called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori). H. pylori lives and multiplies within the mucous layer that covers and protects the tissues that line both the stomach and the small intestine.

It is quite often the case that H. pylori exists without causing any problems, however sometimes it can disrupt the mucous layer and inflame the lining of either the stomach or the duodenum, producing an ulcer

Other factors that play a role in the development of ulcers of the stomach and duodenal include smoking, caffeine ingestion, drinking alcohol to excess, emotional stress (which increases the pain of ulcers but does not cause them), and also the regular use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin.

Stomach Ulcer Symptoms

Some people have a stomach ulcer and not have any symptoms.

Usually when a person has an ulcer they will feel a gnawing or burning sensation in the abdomen between the navel and the breastbone. They will usually find that these sensations happen between meals or in the early hours of the morning. They may feel these sensations for a few minutes or it is possible that the sensations may last for a few hours.

Other symptoms of a peptic ulcer include belching, feeling tired and weak, nausea, loss of weight, and also poor appetite.

Complications

The most common complication that is experienced is gastrointestinal bleeding. This happens when the ulcer erodes one of the blood vessels and can be life-threatening.

Another extremely serious complication is perforation, or a hole in the gastro-intestinal wall. When this happens the content of the stomach or intestines spill into the abdominal cavity.

Individuals with these types of ulcers can experience complications that include: bleeding of the ulcer, perforation of the ulcer, a narrowing or obstruction at the end of the stomach, where the duodenum is attached, caused by swelling and scarring from the ulcer.

Diagnosis

There are several tests used to make the diagnosis including an upper GI, endoscopy, and blood, breath and stomach tissue tests.

Ulcers can be diagnosed by having an upper GI (gastrointestinal) series, which are x-rays of the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum. These x-rays are used to help pinpoint where the ulcer is located. The patient is asked to swallow a chalky liquid called barium in order for the ulcer to show up on the x-rays.

Another diagnostic test is called an endoscopy. This is where a small flexible instrument with a camera at the end is inserted through the mouth of the patient and into the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum in order for the doctor to view the entire upper GI tract.

Treatment

Treatment for a peptic ulcer may be a combination of medications and antibiotics and in rare cases,surgery.

Your doctor will determine the correct treatment for you depending upon the size and location of the ulcer. Other factors that will determine your treatment include your age and state of your overall health, your medical history, and your tolerance for medications, procedures and therapies.

You may be advised to make some lifestyle changes including avoiding or limiting any foods that are irritating to your symptoms, and if you smoke you will be advised to stop. Smoking has been shown to delay the healing of ulcers.

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It is reported that as many as 50 million American children and adults suffer from lactose intolerance. It is such a common digestive disorder that 75% of African-Americans and Native Americans are lactose intolerant, as are 90% of Asian Americans.

Lactose intolerance is where digestive diseases or injury to the small intestine render the body unable to digest lactase, which is a sugar in milk products.

Amongst the symptoms that the individual with lactose intolerance may have are bloating, cramping, gas, diarrhea, and also nausea. The extent to which the symptoms are felt depends on how much milk products have been consumed.

Testing For Lactose Intolerance

A doctor may diagnose lactose intolerance by performing diagnostic tests on an outpatient basis. These tests are usually performed at a hospital laboratory, in a clinic, or at the doctor’s office.

Tests:

Lactose tolerance test – this is when the absorption of lactose is measured. The patient has to fast before the test and then drink a liquid that contains lactose. Several blood tests are taken over a two hour period of time. The glucose (blood sugar) level is measured. This test measures how well the person’s body digests lactose.

The hydrogen breath test is when the patient drinks a lactose heavy drink, and the patient’s breath is then analyzed at regular intervals in order to measure the hydrogen in the breath. Bacteria ferment undigested lactose in the colon, which then results in gases being produced including hydrogen. High levels of hydrogen in the breath are an indication of lactose not being properly digested by the system.

Once diagnosed, the doctor will discuss treatment with the patient. The treatment should improve the body’s ability to handle lactose by proper diet or by adding lactase enzymes to the diet. Children should be under the care of a doctor because of the vital need for milk products for healthy growth.

Sometimes lactose is found in unlikely foods because it is added to prepared foods such as bread and other baked goods, instant potatoes, processed breakfast cereals, soups, breakfast drinks, margarine, lunch meats (not kosher ones), salad dressings, candies and other snack items, and mixes such as those for pancakes, biscuits and cookies.

You also have to be very careful about non-dairy products such as coffee creamer and whipped toppings because they could be made with ingredients that are derived from milk, and can therefore also contain lactose.

Labels can be deceptive as they may not say “milk” but still contain milk products, so always be sure to carefully read labels when buying products and look for the following words:

Curds

Dry milk solids

Milk by-products

Nonfat dry milk powder

Whey

People who are lactose intolerant can receive the calcium that their bodies need by eating non-dairy foods such as green vegetables, fish such as salmon and sardines that have soft bones , and also yogurt, which is an excellent way to receive calcium. Yogurt has active cultures that actually produce some of the lactase enzymes required for proper digestion.

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Colorectal cancer is a digestive disorder that is found in the cells of the colon and rectum (large intestine). As it is possible for cancerous tumors that are found in the colon and rectum to spread to other parts of the body, it is vitally important to catch colorectal cancer early. Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the USA, however thanks to advanced screening procedures and polyp removal the number of new cases of colorectal cancer is decreasing.

Symptoms to look for include:

Bowel habit changes from what you normally experience

Bleeding from the rectum or seeing blood in your stools.

Cramping or a gnawing stomach pain

Vomiting

Weakness or fatigue

Jaundice (yellowish coloring to your skin or sclera of the eye)

The symptoms of this type of cancer can mimic other less serious conditions and diseases such as infections, hemorrhoids, and inflammatory bowel disease. Catching colorectal cancer early means there is a very good chance for a cure. An individual may not experience any symptoms and still have colorectal cancer.

Risk Factors

Colorectal cancer can affect people of any age, but the majority of people who have colorectal cancer are over the age of 50.

Those who eat diets which are high in fat and calories and low in fiber are more likely to contract this cancer.

Individuals who have polyps (benign growths) such as those in people over 50 are common leading symptoms for colorectal cancer.

Those people who have a family history of colorectal cancer, ovarian cancer, uterine or breast cancers all have a slightly increased risk compared with the population at large. Other people with an increased risk of this disease are those with ulcerative colitis.

Individuals who are at an increased risk for colorectal cancer should receive genetic testing, or early tests from the doctor’s office so that they can catch it early if possible.

Many colon cancers can be avoided by proper diet and exercise including:

Diet and exercise by eating more fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains and by avoiding high-fat, low-fiber foods, plus by getting enough exercise.

Drug therapy using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ASA, estrogen replacement therapy for women who are post-menopausal can also reduce the risk for colorectal cancer.

Screenings can also help to prevent colorectal cancer at appropriate ages. Catching this cancer early is the single most important thing individuals can do if they are in the high-risk group.

Even people who do not have risk factors or symptoms of colorectal disease should still receive screenings such as digital rectal examination, signoidoscopy, colonoscopy and also the barium enema with air contrast.

Treatment

If you are diagnosed with colorectal cancer the treatment you receive will depend on your age, your overall health at the time, the extent of the disease, your tolerance for medications, what the doctor suspects will be the expectation for the course of the disease, and of course your own input and preferences. Treatment also depends on the stage of the cancer tumor, if it has spread and how far it has spread by the time it is caught.

Amongst the treatments your doctor may suggest are colon surgery, radiation treatment and chemotherapy.

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The organs and other body parts that constitute the digestive system have the common goal of turning what we eat and drink into nutrients that the body can use in one of two ways – either to grow cells that are needed for the purpose of bodily functions, or alternatively to use as energy to fuel those bodily functions. When functioning properly, the digestive system either breaks down the molecules of food and drink into smaller molecules, or it carries it to another part of the digestive system. Once the molecules are small enough for the body to be used to build cells or fuel the body, the digestive system (and the parts that aid the digestive system) then carry it to the cells of the body that use what the digestive system has been digesting.

There are six steps involved in accomplishing the task that the digestive system does. All of these six steps require movement through the system and a wave-like movement called peristalsis accomplishes the movement. Muscles that propel the food and liquid along the digestive tract accomplish peristalsis. Here are the six steps that are taken during the whole process of digesting what we eat and drink:

Step 1

The process begins when the body smells or tastes food and drink and salivates because of hunger or thirst as part of getting ready to eat or drink. We put the food and drink into our mouth and the first movement (swallowing) occurs. This first movement is a voluntary movement. It is voluntary because we decide to swallow, it is a conscious act on our part to do the swallowing. Once this first act of movement (swallowing) is accomplished all the other movements along the digestive tract are not involuntary. Involuntary means that the body automatically does it without our having to make the decision for the movement to happen. Our nerves control this involuntary movement action.

Step 2

The second step happens in the esophagus, which is what connects the throat and the stomach. The stomach is the first organ in the involuntary process that is under the control of our nerves. The esophagus moves what we eat and drink from the back of our throat to the entrance of our stomach.

Step 3

The third step involves the ring like valve that closes the passage between the two organs (esophagus and stomach). When the food gets near to the ring, the muscles around the ring relax and allow food to pass from the esophagus into the stomach.

Step 4
This is when the food enters the stomach, and completes the three tasks of the stomach. The three tasks that the stomach has to do with the food are to store it, mix it, and then empty it.

At the top of the stomach is the large muscle that relaxes in order to accept the large volumes of food and liquid that we take in each day. This is also where the stomach stores the food and liquid right after it accepts the material.

At this point the lower part of the stomach gets into the action, by mixing the food, liquid, and digestive juices that are produced by the stomach. This mixing action is accomplished by muscle action.

The last task of the stomach is to empty the contents of the stomach into the small intestine.

Step 5

This stage is where the food is digested into smaller molecules while it is in the small intestine . It dissolves the molecules of food by the juices of the pancreas, liver, and intestine, and then mixes the contents of the intestine and pushes them forward to allow for further digestion.

Step 6

The final step in the digestion process is where the nutrients from all of the digested material need to be absorbed by the walls of the intestine. The parts of the material that are not to be used as nutrients for the growth of cells or energy for the body are called “wastes”. The waste products are made up of not only the unused parts of what has been digested, but also of food parts that are known as “fiber”, older cells that have been shed by the mucosa. All of these waste products are now moved into the colon. Once in the colon the waste products remain for approximately one to two days until muscles move them along to be expelled as a bowel movement out your anus.

The end result of any of the tasks of the digestive system not functioning properly is a digestive system disorder. This could either be because of a congenital issue or because of some kind of illness that has affected the digestive process.

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