Dr. Vivian Ebrahim
Today is Dress in Blue Day! March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month! Colorectal cancer is preventable, treatable and beatable. The key is regular screenings — starting earlier than you might think. Start screening at age 45 if you are at average risk. If you are at increased risk, you may need to be screened earlier or more often – talk … Read more
Fiber—you know it’s good for you. But if you’re like many Americans, you don’t get enough. In fact, most of us get about half the recommended amount of fiber each day. Dietary fiber is found in the plants you eat, including fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. It’s sometimes called bulk or roughage. You’ve probably heard that it can help with … Read more
“Trust your gut” may sound like wishful thinking if you live with symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), an ongoing health condition that causes pain, constipation, diarrhea and/or gas. But your doctor can work with you to create a plan to relieve your symptoms and help you trust your gut again. IBS is a disorder of the brain-gut interaction. It’s … Read more
Feasting with family is part of many holiday celebrations. Here are some tips to help prevent food poisoning, or foodborne illness, during the holidays. Keep foods separated. Keep meat, chicken, turkey, seafood, and eggs separate from all other foods at the grocery store and in the refrigerator. Prevent juices from meat, chicken, turkey, and seafood from dripping or leaking onto … Read more
The gut-brain connection is no joke. It can link anxiety to stomach problems and vice versa. Have you ever had a “gut-wrenching” experience? Do certain situations make you “feel nauseous”? Have you ever felt “butterflies” in your stomach? We use these expressions for a reason. The gastrointestinal tract is sensitive to emotion. Anger, anxiety, sadness, elation — all of these … Read more
Many people with gallstones do not have any symptoms. However, if a large stone blocks a tube or duct that drains the gallbladder, you may have a cramping pain in the middle to right upper abdomen. This is known as biliary colic. The pain goes away if the stone passes into the first part of the small intestine. Biliary colic … Read more
What is the “stomach flu”? People commonly call viral gastroenteritis “stomach flu,” but the term is not medically correct. Flu viruses do not cause viral gastroenteritis. Stomach flu is a viral infection that affects the stomach and small intestine. It is also called viral gastroenteritis. The illness is usually brief, lasting 1 to 3 days. Many different viruses can cause … Read more
As people age, it’s common to develop small pouches in the colon wall, called diverticula. Many people spend their lives without ever noticing a problem, but when the diverticula become infected problems result. Diverticulitis is when those little diverticula become infected. What are the symptoms of diverticular disease? Symptoms of diverticular disease depend on whether diverticula—pouches in the wall of … Read more
Digestive problems and stomach upsets can be prevented, relieved and even banished by simple lifestyle changes. Beat stress to ease tummy troubles! You may have noticed a feeling of unease in your stomach during times of stress. That’s because anxiety and worry can upset the delicate balance of digestion. In some people, stress slows down digestion, causing bloating, pain and constipation, while in … Read more
You feel something rising in your throat. It burns and tastes acidic. Now you feel it behind your breastbone. Is it heartburn? Is it GERD? Is it acid reflux? Are they all the same? We’ve compiled a simple overview to help you navigate this often tricky area of digestive conditions. Acid reflux: The cause Acid reflux is when the contents … Read more