A gastroenterologist is a doctor who treats disorders of the digestive system. It is a field of medicine practiced throughout the United States. Understanding what it is is important not only to the decision for patients to see gastroenterologists, but for those who wish to become doctors.
Study
Medical students who want to be gastroenterologists have a variety of places to study. One of the more well-known places is at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Albany. Future doctors have several avenues to further their studies, including this institution, which offers graduate and undergraduate courses in biomedical science. SUNY-Albany is also affiliated with the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health. It is for this reason that there is a hotbed of gastroenterologists in Albany.
Diseases and Conditions
Of all the systems in the body, it seems that most things go wrong inside the gut. Many conditions present as bloating, nausea, gas or general discomfort and indigestion. It might take true detective work on the part of the physician to find the reasons behind them. This vagueness is because the digestive symptom is so complex that when one part of the system goes wrong it affects the entire system to some extent.
Among many things that go wrong inside the digestive system are irritable bowel syndrome, a nonspecific condition that can cause nausea, gas, heartburn, colicky pains, fatigue and bloating. Another problem is gastric erosion, a mild ulceration of the stomach that might be caused by substances that irritate the stomach, like alcohol, aspirin and certain drugs. Though gastric erosion can be fairly easily treated and isn't cancerous or contagious, its symptoms are alarming. The patient vomits blood or has blood in the stool.
Large intestine polyps are also a concern of a gastroenterologist. These too, are easily removed during a colonoscopy. The doctor will also concern him or herself with the treatment of colon cancer. Diverticular diseases are also a concern. Diverticulae are saclike lesions in the wall of the large intestine. Diverticulitis happens when they become inflamed. Other diseases and disorders are celiac disease, Crohn's disease, parasitic infections, and ulcers.
Treatment
One of the tools a doctor might use is the comprehensive digestive stool analysis, which is not one test but many that can determine how a patient's digestive process is operating by analyzing the stool. This test can uncover many chronic or acute illnesses of the digestive system.
Though the doctor may prescribe drugs or, as a last resort, surgery, a gastroenterologist will probably stress a lifestyle change. This may involve helping the patient lower their stress levels, removing foods they may be allergic to, emphasizing exercise and a high fiber diet of fruits and vegetables and getting them to cut out harmful habits like smoking or drinking too much alcohol.
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