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Digestion
Learn about digestion
If you've ever had an upset stomach or a case of heartburn, you know how painful digestive problems can be. But the digestive system is made up of more than just the stomach. Other organs, like the small intestine and the colon, are also part of the digestive system. A problem with any of these organs can lead to pain or other serious problems. Our topics can help you deal with digestion problems and give you tips on how to keep your digestive system healthy.
Get the information you need in our digestion topics, such as:
- Abdominal Fullness or Bloating
- Abdominal Gas and Colic
- Abdominal Pain Causes
- Abdominal Pain, Age 11 and Younger
- Abdominal Pain, Age 12 and Older
- Acid reducers
- Acupressure Bands for Motion Sickness
- Adjustable Gastric Banding Surgery
- Anal Cancer
- Anal Fissure
- Anal Fissures: Botox Injections
- Anal Fissures: Internal Anal Sphincterotomy
- Anal Fissures: Nifedipine and Diltiazem
- Anal Fissures: Nitroglycerin Ointment
- Anal Fistulas and Crohn's Disease
- Anthrax
- Antianxiety Medicines for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Antidepressants for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Antidiarrheal Medicines for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Antidiarrheals for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Appendicitis
- Ascites and Cirrhosis
- Asthma and GERD
- Basic Metabolic Panel
- Biliopancreatic Diversion and Biliopancreatic Diversion With Duodenal Switch
- Bowel Movements in Babies
- Bowel Obstruction
- Bowel Obstruction: Stent Treatment
- Bowel Resection
- Bowel Resection for Colorectal Cancer
- Campylobacteriosis
- Cancer: Home Treatment for Diarrhea
- Cardiac Cachexia
- Caregiving: Using a Bedside Commode (Toilet)
- Causes of Bleeding in the Digestive Tract
- Celiac Disease
- Celiac Disease Complications
- Cholecystitis
- Cholera Vaccine: What You Need to Know
- Chronic Constipation
- Chronic Pancreatitis: Pain Management
- Cirrhosis
- Cirrhosis Complications: Encephalopathy
- Cirrhosis Complications: Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis
- Cirrhosis Complications: Variceal Bleeding
- Cirrhosis: Beta-Blockers for Portal Hypertension and Varices
- Cirrhosis: Sodium and Ascites
- Cirrhosis: Surgical Shunts for Portal Hypertension
- Cirrhosis: Vasoconstrictor Medicines for Variceal Bleeding
- Cleaning Up Diarrhea
- Clostridium Difficile Colitis
- Colon Cancer Genetic Testing
- Colon Cancer: What Raises Your Risk
- Colon Polyps
- Colorectal Cancer
- Colorectal Cancer Screening
- Colorectal Cancer, Metastatic or Recurrent
- Colostomy for Colorectal Cancer
- Common Types of Hernias
- Complications of Gallstones
- Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
- Constipation, Age 11 and Younger
- Constipation, Age 12 and Older
- Constipation: Keeping Your Bowels Healthy
- Crohn's Disease
- Crohn's Disease: Problems Outside the Digestive Tract
- Crohn's Disease: When Surgery Is Needed
- Cystic Fibrosis: Getting Enough Calories and Nutrients
- Dementia: Bladder and Bowel Problems
- Dengue Fever
- Diabetes: How to Prepare for a Colonoscopy
- Diarrhea, Age 11 and Younger
- Diarrhea, Age 12 and Older
- Difficulty Swallowing (Dysphagia)
- Diverticular Bleeding
- Diverticular Disease: Severe Bleeding
- Diverticulitis
- Diverticulosis
- Dyspepsia
- E. Coli Infection From Food or Water
- E. Coli Infection From Food or Water: Blood and Kidney Problems
- Endoscopic Treatment for Variceal Bleeding Caused by Cirrhosis
- Environmental Illness
- Eosinophilic Esophagitis
- Esophageal Spasm
- Esophagitis
- Feeding Your Premature Infant
- Femoral Hernia
- Following a Low-Fiber Diet
- Food Poisoning and Safe Food Handling
- Fructose or Sorbitol Intolerance
- Fulminant Hepatitis
- Fundoplication Surgery for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- Gallstone Symptoms: When Surgery Is Needed
- Gallstones
- Gallstones Without Symptoms: When Surgery Is Needed
- Gas (Flatus)
- Gas, Bloating, and Burping
- Gastric Sleeve Surgery
- Gastritis
- Gastroenteritis in Adults and Older Children
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
- Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) During Pregnancy
- Gastroesophageal Reflux in Babies and Children
- Gastroparesis
- GERD: Esophageal Erosion and Ulcers
- Getting Enough Fiber
- Giardiasis
- Ginger for Motion Sickness
- Gluten-Free Diet for Celiac Disease
- Groin Problems and Injuries
- Heartburn
- Heartburn: Changing Your Eating Habits
- Heartburn: Reducing Pressure on Your Stomach
- Helicobacter Pylori Bacteria
- HELLP Syndrome and Preeclampsia
- Helping Your Teen Follow a Gluten-Free Diet
- Hemorrhoidectomy for Hemorrhoids
- Hemorrhoids
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis A and Undercooked Shellfish
- Hepatitis A Vaccine: What You Need to Know
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis B and C: Risk of Liver Cancer
- Hepatitis B Treatment Recommendations
- Hepatitis B Vaccine: What You Need to Know
- Hepatitis B Viral DNA
- Hepatitis B: How to Avoid Spreading the Virus
- Hepatitis B: Postvaccination Test for Immunity
- Hepatitis C
- Hepatitis C Genotypes
- Hepatitis C Home Test
- Hepatitis C: Your Risk for Cirrhosis
- Hepatitis D
- Hepatitis E
- Hepatitis Immunoglobulin (HBIG)
- Hepatitis Panel
- Hiatal Hernia
- Hiatal Hernia and GERD
- Hiccups
- Hidden Gluten
- Hirschsprung's Disease
- How Cystic Fibrosis Affects Digestion and the Pancreas
- Ileoanal Anastomosis for Ulcerative Colitis
- Incision of External Hemorrhoids
- Infant Formulas
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Cancer Risk
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease During Pregnancy
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Enteral or Total Parenteral Nutrition
- Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Rare Complications
- Infrared Photocoagulation for Hemorrhoids
- Inguinal Hernia
- Intestinal Transplant for Crohn's Disease
- Intraoperative Cholangiogram
- Intussusception
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Bile Acid Binding Medicines
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Criteria for Diagnosis
- Lactose Intolerance
- Laparoscopic Gallbladder Surgery for Gallstones
- Laparoscopic Surgery
- Laxatives
- Liposuction
- Listeriosis
- Lithotripsy for Gallstones
- Liver Function Panel
- Liver Resection
- Liver Transplant for Hepatitis B
- Living With an Ostomy
- Living With More Than One Health Problem
- Lung Transplant for Cystic Fibrosis
- Magnetic Resonance Cholangiogram
- Malabsorption Syndrome
- Malabsorption Syndrome
- Marine Toxins
- Medical History for Hepatitis C
- Medicines That Can Cause Constipation
- Medicines That Can Cause Pancreatitis
- Mild, Moderate, or Severe Diarrhea
- Milk Sugar Tolerance
- Monitoring During Anesthesia
- Motion Sickness
- Nausea and Vomiting, Age 11 and Younger
- Necrotizing Enterocolitis
- Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH)
- Nonprescription Medicines for Peptic Ulcers
- Noroviruses (Norwalk Viruses)
- Object Stuck in a Child's Airway
- Object Stuck in the Throat
- Open Gallbladder Surgery for Gallstones
- Open Inguinal Hernia Repair (Herniorrhaphy, Hernioplasty)
- Organ Transplant
- Pain Management
- Pancreatic Cancer
- Pancreatitis
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse
- Peptic Ulcer Disease
- Peptic Ulcers and Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs
- Physical Exam for Hepatitis C
- Pinworms
- Postcholecystectomy Syndrome
- Postoperative Problems
- Pregnancy: Changes in Bowel Habits
- Pregnancy: Hemorrhoids and Constipation
- Prevent Giardia When Traveling
- Primary Biliary Cholangitis (PBC)
- Probiotics
- Proctocolectomy and Ileostomy for Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- Protect Yourself From Hepatitis A When Traveling
- Psychotherapy for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
- Pushing a Rectal Prolapse Into Place
- Pyloric Stenosis
- Questions About Inguinal Hernia Surgery
- Rectal Problems
- Rectal Prolapse
- Rectal Prolapse in Adults
- Rectal Prolapse in Children
- Rectal Prolapse Surgery
- Recurrent Abdominal Pain (RAP)
- Repair of Rectocele or Enterocele
- Rotavirus
- Rotavirus Vaccine: What You Need to Know
- Roux-En-Y Gastric Bypass
- Rubber Band Ligation for Hemorrhoids
- Salmonellosis
- Scleroderma
- Shigellosis
- Spitting Up
- Staph Food Poisoning
- Stroke: Bladder and Bowel Problems
- Swallowed Air
- Swallowed Button Disc Battery, Magnet, or Object With Lead
- Swallowed or Inhaled Objects
- Syphilis: Gummata
- Technetium-Labeled Red Blood Cell Bleeding Scan
- Tips for Swallowing Medicines
- Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunt (TIPS) for Cirrhosis
- Transparent Tape Test for Pinworms
- Travel Health
- Traveler's Diarrhea
- Treating a Twisting Bowel Obstruction
- Treating Nausea and Vomiting From Chemotherapy
- Types of Peptic Ulcers
- Types of Ulcerative Colitis
- Ulcerative Colitis
- Ulcerative Colitis: Problems Outside the Digestive Tract
- Ulcerative Colitis: When Surgery Is Needed
- Video Capsule Endoscopy
- Viral Hepatitis
- Virtual Colonoscopy
- Vitamin B12 Deficiency Anemia
- Weaning
- Weight-Loss Medicines
- Weight-Loss Surgery
- What the Liver Does
- Whipple Surgery for Pancreatic Cancer
- Zollinger-Ellison Syndrome and Peptic Ulcer
- Abdominal Ultrasound
- Abdominal X-Ray
- Alanine Aminotransferase (ALT)
- Alkaline Phosphatase
- Ammonia
- Amylase
- Aspartate Aminotransferase (AST)
- Barium Enema
- Bilirubin
- Bowel Transit Time
- Carcinoembryonic Antigen (CEA)
- Celiac Disease Antibodies
- Chloride (Cl)
- Clostridium Difficile Toxins
- Colonoscopy
- Computed Tomography (CT) Scan of the Body
- Digital Rectal Examination (DRE)
- D-Xylose Absorption Test
- Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatogram (ERCP)
- Esophagus Tests
- Gallbladder Scan
- Gastrin
- Helicobacter Pylori Tests
- Hepatitis A Virus Test
- Hepatitis B Virus Tests
- Hepatitis C Virus Tests
- Laparoscopy
- Lipase
- Liver and Spleen Scan
- Liver Biopsy
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)
- Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Abdomen
- Paracentesis
- Potassium (K) in Blood
- Potassium (K) in Urine
- Prealbumin Blood Test
- Sigmoidoscopy (Anoscopy, Proctoscopy)
- Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)
- Sodium (Na) in Blood
- Stool Analysis
- Stool Culture
- Stool Tests for Colorectal Cancer
- Total Serum Protein
- Upper Gastrointestinal (UGI) Series
- Upper Gastrointestinal Endoscopy
- Advance Care Planning: Should I Have Artificial Hydration and Nutrition?
- Colorectal Cancer: Which Screening Test Should I Have?
- Gallstones: Should I Have Gallbladder Surgery?
- GERD: Which Treatment Should I Use?
- Hemorrhoids: Which Treatment Should I Use?
- Hepatitis B: Should I Be Tested?
- Hepatitis B: Should I Take Antiviral Medicine for Chronic Hepatitis B?
- Inguinal Hernia: Should I Have Surgery Now, or Should I Wait?
- Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Should I Have Tests for IBS Symptoms?
- Pelvic Organ Prolapse: Should I Have Surgery?
- Ulcerative Colitis: Should I Have Surgery?
- Umbilical Hernia: Should I Have Surgery?
- Umbilical Hernia: Should My Child Have Surgery?
Current as of: October 9, 2017
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review: Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine & Martin J. Gabica, MD - Family Medicine
