Melanosis Coli Center - Thousand Oaks, CA
Thousand Oaks Gastroenterologist Doctors for Melanosis ColiType 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 Thousand Oaks * Gregory Johnson MD  Paul D Sanders MD  Bonaventure Eng MD  Steven A Kind MD  Sharam Daneshgar MD  Advanced Gastroenterology Inc  Hector Cabellero MD  Valley Gastro Group  Valley Gastro Group  Valley Gastro Group  Valley Gastro Group  Ventura County Gastroenterology Medical Group Inc  Ventura County Gastroenterology Medical Group Inc  Ventura County Gastroenterology Medical Group Inc  Ventura County Gastroenterology Medical Group Inc  Ventura County Gastroenterology Medical Group Inc  Moe Amadpour MD  Mysore R Nagaraja MD  Island View Gastroenterology Associates  Island View Gastroenterology Associates  Island View Gastroenterology Associates  Island View Gastroenterology Associates  Island View Gastroenterology Associates  R Chitayat MD & Calin Arimie MD  R Chitayat MD & Calin Arimie MD  Paul O Gulsrud MD  Cecilio M Cabansag MD  Constante Abaya MD  Drs Fagen Hepps & Madievsky  Drs Fagen Hepps & Madievsky  Drs Fagen Hepps & Madievsky  Amerian Getzug Klasky & Kam  Amerian Getzug Klasky & Kam  Gourdji & Jacobs MDs  Gourdji & Jacobs MDs  Amerian Getzug Klasky & Kam  Amerian Getzug Klasky & Kam  Marcos B Fleiderman MD  Gustavo A Machicado MD  Richard K Gordon MD  Piyush Jogani MD  Gustavo A Machicado MD  Mark F Tsai MD  Richard D Garrett MD  Island View Gastroenterology Associates  Kaiser Permanente Buenaventura Medical Group  Carl I Blau MD  Santa Clarita Gastroenterology  Santa Clarita Gastroenterology  Doctor House Call  Digestive Health Consultants  Digestive Health Consultants  Digestive Health Consultants  Digestive Health Consultants  Digestive Health Consultants  Federal Medical Clinic  Facey Medical Group Valencia II  Valencia Gastroenterology Inc  Valencia Gastroenterology Inc  Efrat Z Lobel MD APC Female Gastroenterologist  Star Weight Control  Medical Group Of Encino  Maria S Umali MD  Gnana Desigan MD  Drs Buch & Shiffman  Nagaraj M Chetty MD  Drs Buch & Shiffman  Akasha Center for Integrative Medicine  Facey Medical Foundation Mission Hills  UCLA Santa Monica Specialists  UCLA Santa Monica Specialists  UCLA Santa Monica Specialists  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  Southern California Medical Gastroenterology Group  N Robert Elson MD  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  Sean C Lai MD  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  Shahrad Shamsi MD  Hertz Frankel Katkov Wishingrad & Lam MDs  HeathCare Partners Medical Group  Marvin Derezin MD  Marvin Derezin MD  UCLA Medical Group Gastroenterology  Capsule Endoscopy Services UCLA  Kirsten Tillisch MD  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center  UCLA Digestive Disease Center Thousand Oaks, CaliforniaUpcoming Local Events2012-06-02
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Melanosis ColiRead the Melanosis Coli article » What is melanosis coli?Melanosis coli is a condition usually associated with chronic laxative use in which dark pigment is deposited in the lamina propria (one of the lining layers) of the large intestine (colon). The pigment deposition results in a characteristic dark brown to black discoloration of the lining of the large intestine. This condition is sometimes called pseudomelanosis coli because the pigment deposits consist of a pigment known as lipofuscin and do not contain melanin as implied by the term "melanosis." Lipofuscin is a cellular pigment that forms when cells are destroyed, often called "wear and tear" pigment that can be found throughout the body. The dark color of the intestinal lining may be uniform or patterned, and the discoloration may be slight or very pronounced. The intensity and pattern of the discoloration may even vary among different sites in the colon of a patient. The condition may also be reversed upon discontinuation of laxative use. In some cases, the wall of the colon appears normal to the eye, but microscopic evaluation of biopsies by a pathologist reveals areas of pigment in the colon's lining. The pigment in melanosis coli does not accumulate in polyps or tumors of the large intestine.
What are the symptoms of melanosis coli?Melanosis coli does not cause symptoms. What causes melanosis coli?Melanosis coli usually results from chronic use of laxatives of the anthranoid group. Some examples of anthranoid laxatives are senna and rhubarb derivatives. Many of these laxatives have been in use for hundreds of years. In 1997, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) banned the use of the popular anthranoid laxative phenolphthalein due to fears that it might be carcinogenic (cancer-causing). Animal studies had shown that extremely high doses of phenolphthalein led to tumors in animals, but it has nev... Recommended Reading Related to Melanosis ColiConstipation facts
Other Related Melanosis Coli ArticlesEmergency Contact for Thousand Oaks
Nearby Thousand Oaks Hospitals *Los Robles Hospital & Medical Center St John's Pleasant Valley Hospital Simi Valley Hospital Motion Picture & Television Hospital West Hills Hospital & Medical Center St John's Regional Medical Center Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center Northridge Hospital Medical Center Tarzana Regional Medical Center Ventura County Medical Center Community Memorial Hospital Encino Hospital Medical Center Aurora Vista Del Mar Hospital Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital Valley Presbyterian Hospital Mission Community Hospital Hollywood Community Hospital of Van Nuys Sherman Oaks Hospital Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center Saint John's Health Center Kaiser Permanente Panorama City Medical Center Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center UCLA Neuropsychiatric Hospital Olive View UCLA Medical Center Ojai Valley Community Hospital Pacifica Hospital of the Valley Marina Del Rey Hospital Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Brotman Medical Center Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles Medical Center Miracle Mile Medical Center Olympia Medical Center Kindred Hospital Los Angeles Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center VA Greater Los Angeles HealthCare System Hollywood Community Hospital Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles Medical Center Childrens Hospital Los Angeles Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center Los Angeles Metropolitan Medical Center 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. |
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Related Diseases & Conditions
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Colon Cancer
- Colon cancer is a malignancy that arises from the inner lining of the colon. Most, if not all, of these cancers develop from colonic polyps. Removal of these precancerous polyps can prevent colon cancer.
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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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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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Colon Polyps
- A colon polyp is a benign tumor of the large intestine. Benign polyps do not invade nearby tissue or spread to other parts of the body. Benign polyps can easily be removed during colonoscopy and are not life threatening. If benign polyps are not removed from the large intestine, they can become malignant over time.
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Laxatives for Constipation
- Laxatives for treatment of constipation include over-the-counter preparations such as bulk-forming laxatives, stool softeners, lubricant laxatives, stimulant laxatives, saline laxatives, enemas and suppositories. Some over-the-counter laxatives are not recommended for patients with specific diseases or conditions. Some laxatives may have negative adverse effects if taken over long periods of time.
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Colon Cancer Prevention
- Colo-rectal cancer is both curable and preventable if it is detected early and completely removed before the cancerous cells metastasize to other parts of the body. Colonoscopy and flexible sigmoidoscopy (along with digital rectal examination and stool occult blood testing) are both effective at preventing colo-rectal cancers and detecting early colo-rectal cancers.
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Colon Cancer
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