Dr. Robert Lichtenstein, DC, CNS
Functional Nutritionist NY
Natural Healing with Scientific Nutrition
(718) 719-5878
Digestive disorders can cause discomfort and embarrassment and require careful meal planning. Some conditions cause irritation and annoyance, and others can become life-threatening. Many of these ailments have similar symptoms. Distinguishing the exact cause of a problem may rely on an expert diagnosis and reliable digestive disorder treatments to improve their health and quality of life.
People tend to overlook minor digestive disorders as insignificant, and that can be the case, but minor symptoms lasting beyond a few days should be brought to the attention of your healthcare practitioner. Hepatitis, Cirrhosis, Pancreatitis, and some forms of Cancer can all show their first warning signs with digestive symptoms that are easy to overlook.
Dr. Robert Lichtenstein practices Functional Medicine and specializes in finding the cause of your symptoms. Trying to solve your disorder with an over-the-counter solution is an example of treating the symptom, not the cause.
GERD and acid reflux have the same symptoms and causes, but GERD is a chronic condition. Acid reflux causes people to experience heartburn less often than GERD. However, the digestive concern can still cause discomfort and require dietary changes and treatment to prevent it from becoming more severe.
A medical diagnosis of diarrhea is when people experience loose, watery stools at least three times a day. Acute diarrhea comes and goes and is associated with frequent issues like stomach viruses or overindulging. More concerning is chronic diarrhea that happens for days or weeks at a time with only occasional short breaks.
These events become dangerous because they can cause severe dehydration and malnutrition. In addition, chronic cases often accompany stress-related illnesses, food allergies, and intolerances, among other health issues.
Severe abdominal pain, bloating, and irregularity are signs of diverticulosis. The disease occurs when the walls of the colon develop small pouches along the inner lining. The growths can cause pain as waste material moves through, increase intestinal inflammation, and weaken the colon wall. Doctors do not know the exact cause of diverticulosis. People treated for the condition have an elevated risk of reoccurrence. Digestive disorder remedies that focus on natural solutions like diet modification to reduce inflammation can provide relief.
Most people will eventually develop fatty liver disease, but many will not realize they have the problem. The disease occurs when the liver has too high a fat content. About 30 percent of people with the condition will gradually worsen, and some develop cirrhosis, resulting in death. However, people can often prevent or reverse fatty liver disease with dietary changes managed by a qualified healthcare practitioner.
Food allergies are immune system disorders that can often cause excessive digestive problems. Some people experience only mild reactions that trigger gas, bloating, and diarrhea. Minor allergies can become more severe if not managed properly and can develop into life-threatening reactions. Many allergy-like responses to food may stop if issues with the digestive system, like chronic inflammation and microbiome imbalances, improve.
People with food allergies can have reactions to a single bite of the problem food or even less. Food intolerances enable people to have lesser amounts of items without physical responses. Some intolerances happen because of an inability to digest specific foods quickly enough to prevent digestive problems. Others occur when the individual has an allergy to a minor ingredient in the food (an additive or preservative) rather than the main food item.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) occurs when the food in the stomach reenters the esophagus. The reentry occurs when the esophageal sphincter does not close properly. People with GERD experience heartburn as the initial symptom, but the problem can happen several times a week or daily.
Chronic heartburn caused by GERD can develop into uncomfortable health concerns like difficulty swallowing and a constant dry cough. In addition, the damage to the esophagus from untreated GERD can cause enough damage to increase cancer risk.
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) causes abdominal pain, cramping, and irregularity. Individual cases can vary. Some people experience bouts of diarrhea, some constipation, and others have alternating sessions. IBS may begin from stress, food intolerances, and more. Most medical professionals do not know what causes the condition, and no medical tests exist to determine when someone has IBS. A diagnosis often relies on testing to rule out other digestive disorders.
Lactose intolerance is a digestive disorder. Some people struggle to digest lactose, a sugar found in dairy products, including milk. The result can mean gas, bloating, and diarrhea. How much lactose people with the condition can tolerate varies.
Lactose intolerance differs from milk allergies as any allergy is a disorder of the immune system.
Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) can cause malnutrition if not corrected. It is when the bacteria colony in the small intestine becomes overpopulated, and the bowels cannot function correctly. The problem may begin because of a decrease in acid production, chronic use of antibiotics, and many other triggers. If left untreated, the bacteria will prevent the body from absorbing nutrients efficiently through the intestine walls, and malnutrition can occur.
Ulcerative Colitis (UC) causes inflammation of the large intestine. It is an inflammatory disease that affects nearly one million Americans. The condition causes the interior lining of the intestine to become inflamed. The condition can cause many painful symptoms and damage the intestine. Remission is when people experience no symptoms of UC. These breaks can last for several months and restart without warning.
The diagnosis and treatment of digestive disorders allow people to adapt their diets to improve their health and comfort. Dr. Robert Lichtenstein offers a unique approach that can enable patients to take control of the process. The doctor is a Board-Certified Nutritional Specialist (CNS) and Chiropractor who uses nutritional changes, diet modifications, and supplementation to strengthen immune systems and improve digestion.
Dr. Lichtenstein survived stage-4 cancer twice with these methods and now shares them with others. So, take control of your health and schedule a free telehealth consultation today.
Additional References
Nutritional and herbal programs are not intended as a primary therapy for any disease because they have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This website and the patients services offered here are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. They are intended to provide nutritional and herbal support for normal body physiology and repair.