Pay attention to your digestive health!

• According to the World Gastroenterology Organisation, a third of the world’s population has some kind of digestive symptom, the most common being bloating and constipation.

Santo Domingo, May 2022.- 29 May is World Digestive Health Day, launched in 2005 by the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO) to raise public awareness of the prevention and treatment of digestive diseases.

Irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, and stomach, peptic or gastric ulcers are some of the diseases that affect the digestive system.

Irritable bowel syndrome could affect how often a person goes to the toilet and how long it takes to have a bowel movement.

The colorectal surgeon at Cleveland Clinic, Mihael Valente, explains how food is processed and how often you should have a bowel movement.

“If you have a proper diet with good fibre and enough water intake, your bowel movements should be very short,” says Dr. Valente.

He stresses that “five minutes should be the maximum time you spend on the toilet”.

Stomach ulcers are another disease that damages the proper functioning of the digestive system. They have various causes, including stress.

The main triggers of stomach ulcers, also known as peptic ulcers or gastric ulcers, are:

• Helicobacter pylori infection caused by a common gut bacterium.
• Overuse of over-the-counter painkillers known as NSAIDs, short for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.

Now, that doesn’t mean stress is completely off the hook. While it may not be the main culprit behind stomach ulcers, it definitely qualifies as an accomplice.

“While stress may not cause a stomach ulcer, it certainly doesn’t help,” says gastroenterologist Christine Lee.

• Learning to better manage the stressors in your life can help you be a healthier, happier and more productive person.
• Other diseases related to digestive health are those of the liver, pancreas and gallbladder.
• These organs, which are part of the digestive system, help the body digest food.
• Digestion is important for turning food into the nutrients the body uses for energy, growth and cell repair.

Statistics

• According to the World Gastroenterology Organisation (WGO), a third of the world’s population has some kind of digestive symptom, the most common being bloating and constipation. These symptoms can occur even without any structural or functional abnormality in the digestive system.
• Cleveland Clinic’s Digestive Disease and Surgery Institute (DDSI) provides patients with the most advanced level of medical and surgical care, focused mainly on the safe and proven treatment of disorders related to the gastrointestinal tract.
• Of the leading digestive disease centres in the United States, DDSI is the first of its kind to bring all specialists together in a single, fully integrated care model aimed at optimising the patient experience.

 

 

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