Irritable Bowel Syndrome Center - Taunton, MA
Taunton Gastroenterologist Doctors for Irritable Bowel SyndromeType of Physician: Gastroenterologist What is a Gastroenterologist? A subspecialty certification by the Board of Internal Medicine; practitioners focus on the stomach, intestines, colon, liver, and gallbladder (digestive organs). The gastroenterologist treats conditions such as abdominal pain, ulcers, diarrhea, cancer, and jaundice and they consult with surgeons when abdominal operations are indicated. Specialty: Gastroenterology Common Name: GI Doctor Gastroenterologist Doctors in Taunton * Gastrointestinal Specialists  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Robert A Sepersky MD  Signature Healthcare Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates  Truesdale Clinic Southcoast Physicians Services  Truesdale Clinic Southcoast Physicians Services  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Sidney W Rosen MD  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Prima Care Gastroenterology PC  Signature Healthcare Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates  Signature Healthcare Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates  Signature Healthcare Bridgewater Goddard Park Medical Associates  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Hawthorn Medical Associates  Rheumatology & Gastroenterology Associates  Rheumatology & Gastroenterology Associates  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Rheumatology & Gastroenterology Associates  Gastrointestinal Specialists  Caritas Medical Practice Corp  Attleboro Gastroenterology  Attleboro Gastroenterology  Attleboro Gastroenterology  Attleboro Gastroenterology  Southcoast Physicians Services  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  South Suburban Gastroenterology  Harbor Medical  Digestive Disease Associates  Digestive Disease Associates  Harbor Medical & Associates  Harbor Medical & Associates  Robert F Kelliher MD  Mohammad Farivar MD  Southwestern Gastroenterological Associates PC  Associates In Internal Medicine  Granite Medical Group  Granite Medical Group  Arthur J Esswein MD  Plymouth Carver Primary Care PC  George L Barrett MD  South Shore Internal Medicine  South Shore Internal Medicine  Eric Cohen MD  Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates  Van Ritter MD  Thomas J Kenney Jr. MD Inc  Thomas J Kenney Jr. MD Inc  VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury  Pham Medical Associates  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Gastroenterology Associates at Faulkner  Harvard Vanguard Gastroenterology  VA Boston Healthcare System  VA Boston Healthcare System  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Boston University Medical Group  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  BMC Gastroenterology  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  BMC Gastroenterology  BMC Gastroenterology  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Blackwell Medical Associates  Blackwell Medical Associates  BMC Gastroenterology  Blackwell Medical Associates  BMC Gastroenterology  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  BMC Gastroenterology  BMC Gastroenterology  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  Boston University Medical Group  Brigham & Women's Hospital Gastroenterology and Hepatology Associates  BMC Gastroenterology  BMC Gastroenterology  Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Liver Center  Beth Israel Deaconess Gastroenterology Taunton, MassachusettsUpcoming Local Events2012-06-10
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Irritable Bowel SyndromeRead the Irritable Bowel Syndrome article » What is irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)?Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common ailments of the bowel (intestines) and affects an estimated 15% of persons in the US. The term, irritable bowel, is not a particularly accurate one since it implies that the bowel is responding irritably to normal stimuli, and this may or may not be the case. The several names for IBS, including spastic colon, spastic colitis, and mucous colitis, attest to the difficulty of getting a descriptive handle on the ailment. Moreover, each of the other names is itself as problematic as the term IBS. IBS is best described as a functional disease. The concept of functional disease is particularly useful when discussing diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. The concept applies to the muscular organs of the gastrointestinal tract; the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, gallbladder, and colon. What is meant by the term, functional, is that either the muscles of the organs or the nerves that control the organs are not working normally, and, as a result, the organs do not function normally. The nerves that control the organs include not only the nerves that lie within the muscles of the organs but also the nerves of the spinal cord and brain to which they connect. Some gastrointestinal diseases can be seen and diagnosed with the naked eye, such as ulcers of the stomach when visualized with certain methods. Thus, ulcers can be seen at surgery, on X-rays, and at endoscopy. Other diseases cannot be seen with the naked eye but can be seen and diagnosed with the microscope. For example, celiac disease and collagenous colitis are diagnosed by microscopic examination of biopsies of the small intestine and colon, respectively. In contrast, gastrointestinal functional diseases cannot be seen with the naked eye or with the microscope. In some instances, the abnormal function can be demonstrated by tests, for example... Recommended Reading Related to Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)What is a fecal occult blood test?Fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) is testing that is performed on samples of stool in order to detect occult blood (blood that is not visible to the naked eye) in otherwise normal-colored stool. Fecal occult blood usually is a result of slow (often intermittent) bleeding from inside the upper or lower gastrointestinal tract. The slow bleed does not change the color of the stool or result in visible bright red blood, and hence the blood is found only by testing the stool for blood in the laboratory. Occult bleeding has many of the same causes as other forms of more rapid gastrointestinal bleeding such as rectal bleeding (passage of red blood and/or blood clots rectally) and melena (black tarry stool as a result of bleeding from the upper intestines such as ulcers). Please read the Rectal Bleeding article for a more detailed explanation of different patterns of gastrointestinal bleeding. Why is fecal occult blood testi...Other Related Irritable Bowel Syndrome ArticlesEmergency Contact for Taunton
Nearby Taunton Hospitals *Morton Hospital & Medical Center Taunton State Hospital New Bedford Rehabilitation Hospital Charlton Memorial Hospital Saint Anne's Hospital Sturdy Memorial Hospital Boston VA Healthcare System Brockton St Luke's Hospital Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital Arbour-Fuller Hospital Bradley Hospital Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island Caritas Good Samaritan Medical Center Kindred Specialty Hospital Stoughton Butler Hospital Tobey Hospital The Miriam Hospital Hasbro Children's Hospital Rhode Island Hospital Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island Southern New England Rehabilitation Center St Joseph Health Services Providence VA Medical Center Roger Williams Medical Center New England Sinai Hospital & Rehabilitation Center Our Lady of Fatima Hospital Jordan Hospital Kindred Specialty Hospital Braintree Pembroke Hospital Eleanor Slater Hospital Pastore Center South Shore Hospital Massachusetts Hospital School Kent Hospital Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital Caritas Norwood Hospital Landmark Medical Center Rehabilitation Hospital of Rhode Island Westwood Lodge Hospital Milton Hospital Newport Hospital Quincy Medical Center Falmouth Hospital Caritas Carney Hospital VA Boston Healthcare System West Roxbury Campus Rehabilitation Hospital of the Cape & Islands Massachusetts Mental Health Center Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital Needham Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for the Aged Lemuel Shattuck Hospital Bournewood Hospital Faulkner Hospital Milford Regional Medical Center Arbour Hospital Radius Specialty Hospital Boston VA Boston Healthcare System Jamaica Plain Campus Kindred Specialty Hospital Natick MetroWest Medical Center Leonard Morse Hospital New England Baptist Hospital Boston Medical Center Brigham & Women's Hospital Children's Hospital Boston Dana Farber Cancer Institute Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Tufts New England Medical Center Kindred Hospital Boston Arbour HRI Hospital Newton Wellesley Hospital Caritas St Elizabeth's Medical Center Franciscan Hospital for Children Featured Articles*Provider Directory Terms of Use: The WebMD 'Provider Directory' is provided by WebMD for use by the general public as a quick reference of information about Providers. The Provider Directory is not intended as a tool for verifying the credentials, qualifications, or abilities of any Provider contained therein. Inclusion in the Provider Directory does not imply recommendation or endorsement nor does omission in the Provider Directory imply WebMD disapproval. |
Suggested Reading on Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) by Our Doctors
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Related Diseases & Conditions
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Constipation
- Constipation is defined medically as fewer than three stools per week and severe constipation as less than one stool per week. Constipation usually is caused by the slow movement of stool through the colon. There are many causes of constipation including medications, poor bowel habits, low fiber diets, abuse of laxatives, hormonal disorders, and diseases primarily of other parts of the body that also affect the colon.
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Fibromyalgia
- Fibromyalgia, formerly known as fibrositis, causes chronic pain, stiffness, and tenderness of muscles, tendons, and joints without detectable inflammation. Fibromyalgia patients have an unusually low pain threshold. Symptoms of fibromyalgia include fatigue, abnormal sleep, mental/emotional disturbances, abdominal pain, migraine and tension headaches, and irritable bladder. Treatment of fibromyalgia involves patient education, medication, exercise, and stress reduction.
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Intestinal Gas
- Gas or "intestinal gas" means different things to different people. Everyone has gas and eliminates it by belching or farting (passing it through the rectum).
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Diarrhea
- Diarrhea is a change is the frequency and looseness of bowel movements. Cramping, abdominal pain, and the sensation of rectal urgency are all symptoms of diarrhea. Absorbents and anti-motility medications are used to treat diarrhea.
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Abdominal Pain
- Abdominal pain is pain in the belly and can be acute or chronic. Causes include inflammation, distention of an organ, and loss of the blood supply to an organ. Abdominal pain can reflect a major problem with one of the organs in the abdomen such as the appendix, gallbladder, large and small intestine, pancreas, liver, colon, duodenum, and spleen.
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Lactose Intolerance
- In lactose intolerance, the digestive system cannot digest lactose (the main sugar in milk). Symptoms of lactose intolerance include diarrhea, flatulence, abdominal pain, abdominal bloating, abdominal distention, and nausea. There are several tests to diagnose lactose intolerance. Treatment is generally made with dietary changes, supplements, and adaptation to small amounts of milk.
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Indigestion (Dyspepsia, Upset Stomach)
- Dyspepsia (indigestion) is a functional disease in which the gastrointestinal organs, primarily the stomach and first part of the small intestine, function abnormally. It is a chronic disease in which the symptoms fluctuate infrequency and intensity. Symptoms of dyspepsia include upper abdominal pain, belching, nausea, vomiting, abdominal bloating, early satiety, and abdominal distention (swelling). These symptoms are most often provoked by eating.
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The Digestive System
- Digestion is the complex process of turning food you eat into the energy you need to survive. The digestive process also involves creating waste to be eliminated, and is made of a series of muscles that coordinate the movement of food.
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Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth
- Small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) refers to a condition in which abnormally large numbers of bacteria (at least 100,000 bacteria per ml of fluid) are present in the small intestine and the types of bacteria in the small intestine resemble more the bacteria of the colon than the small intestine. There are many conditions associated with small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, to include: diabetes, scleroderma, Crohn's disease, and others. There is a striking similarity between the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome and SIBO. It has been theorized that SIBO may be responsible for the symptoms of at least some patients with irritable bowel syndrome. Symptoms of SIBO include: excess gas, abdominal bloating, diarrhea, and abdominal pain.
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Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Triggers and Prevention
- Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a functional disease that can affect the quality of those who suffer from this condition. Individuals with IBS can make lifestyle changes that may modify or control the number and severity of episodes. Certain foods, medications, and hormone levels may trigger IBS episodes. Learn how to prevent the number and severity of IBS episodes of diarrhea and constipation.
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