Whenever we get a new patient at Westchester Health over the age of 45, one of the first questions we ask is, “Have you had a colonoscopy?” If the answer is no, we then explain what a colonoscopy screening test is, what it’s looking for, and why it’s so important.
Do you often have a dull or burning pain in your stomach that lasts anywhere from a few minutes to several hours? Does the pain seem to flare up when your stomach is empty? Have you been taking Advil, Aleve or aspirin for a long time? If your answer to these questions is yes, you might have a peptic (stomach) ulcer.
Do you typically get heartburn after eating fried or spicy food, drinking acidic beverages such as coffee, tea or soda, or eating too fast? This might be more than acid reflux. It could actually be GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Here at Westchester Health, many of our adult patients drink, some of them heavily. In these cases, we do our best to warn them of the dangers of heavy drinking over a long period of time, explain how this can damage many of their vital organs and threaten their life, and refer them to support groups and/or treatment facilities.
Does your child regularly get a stomach ache after eating bread, pasta, or pizza? Does he/she often have diarrhea, joint pain or prolonged fatigue? If your child is a girl, did her period start really late? All of these are symptoms that might point to celiac disease. To get the facts, check out this blog by Natasha Mendez, MD, Pediatric Gastroenterologist with our Westchester Health Pediatrics group.
Does your child have frequent headaches, skin rashes, stomach aches, is not gaining weight and/or is frequently tired? He or she may have celiac disease, an immune disorder caused by an intolerance to gluten. To find answers, read this informative blog by Mason Gomberg, MD, a pediatrician in our Westchester Health Pediatrics group.
Even though the thought of having a parasite is pretty unpleasant, parasites are far more common than you might think. We actually see quite a few cases of them here at Westchester Health. Not restricted to underdeveloped countries, parasites exist around the world and can afflict anyone of any race, gender or socioeconomic status. They can cause a myriad of symptoms, only a few of which affect the digestive tract, but the good news is that yes, they are treatable.
A colonoscopy is a diagnostic screening exam that a physician, usually a gastroenterologist, uses to look inside your large intestine for colon polyps or possible signs of colorectal cancer. How often you should be screened depends on the specific test, your age and your risk for colon cancer.
You probably know that obesity can have an adverse effect on the heart, increasing the risk of heart disease, heart attacks and stroke. But what you may not know is that being seriously overweight can also lead to a serious liver condition called nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, or NAFLD, which occurs when fat builds up in the liver. Alarmingly, this condition is now the most common cause of chronic liver disease in the U.S., far surpassing alcohol-related liver disease. In addition, NAFLD is now one of the leading reasons for liver transplant in the U.S.
Many of my patients with gallstones do not have symptoms and often do not even know they have them until the stones block the ducts of the biliary tract (a gallbladder attack), causing extreme pain that needs immediate medical attention. Gallbladder attacks often follow heavy meals, and they usually occur in the evening or during the night.