Digestion

Stomach ache · abdominal pain

⚠️ Belly pain that keeps getting worse and won't ease, or comes with vomiting blood, black or bloody stools, a persistent high fever, vomiting so much you can't keep water down, or severe pain with a positive pregnancy test — go to the emergency department now; so does upper-belly pain with sweating or breathlessness, which can be the heart. Pain with unexplained weight loss, or pain or diarrhea that wakes you at night, needs a doctor soon.

• Acute diarrheaCramps with sudden diarrhea: rehydrate first, and know when to see a doctorDiarrhea is the gut releasing more water than it takes back; most clears up on its own, and the danger is the water and salt lost with it, especially…Organ conditions · Gut & liver5 stations
• Functional dyspepsiaUpper-belly pain or burning, or fullness after a few bites, with a normal scope: possibly functional dyspepsiaA normal endoscopy, yet you fill up after a few bites or your upper belly hurts: usually the stomach is working wrongly, not imagined trouble. About 1…Organ conditions · Gut & liver6 stations
• Gas and bloatingMostly bloating and trapped gas, with a swelling bellyFeeling bloated and a belly that actually swells are two different things; people who always feel bloated often have no more gas than others, they…Organ conditions · Gut & liver6 stations
• GERDBurning behind the breastbone or in the pit of the stomach, worse lying down after meals, can be refluxHeartburn and acid regurgitation are stomach acid washing back up into the esophagus.Organ conditions · Gut & liver4 stations
• H. pylori · a cause of cancer you can clearRecurring upper-belly discomfort is worth one question: have you been tested for H. pylori?Stomach acid kills almost every bacterium swallowed with food.Organ conditions · Gut & liver6 stations
• Irritable Bowel SyndromeLower-belly pain eased by a bowel movement, with stools that swing loose and hard, can be IBSIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a long-running condition in which the belly hurts again and again and bowel habits change along with it: the pain…Organ conditions · Gut & liver5 stations
• Foodborne Illness · what actually hurts people in the kitchenCramps and diarrhea within hours to a day or two of eating something suspectThe same meal can floor you by two opposite mechanisms: sometimes live bacteria get into the gut and keep multiplying; sometimes the bacteria died…Organ conditions · Gut & liver6 stations
• ConstipationCrampy ache with several days of hard, effortful stoolsConstipation is more than a few days without a bowel movement.Organ conditions · Gut & liver6 stations
• Menstrual Cycle · Period CareLower-belly pain around each period, and where it comes fromThe menstrual cycle is not the uterus acting alone.Body Systems · Structure & reproduction6 stations

Upper-belly fullness · stomach pain · full after a few bites

⚠️ Trouble swallowing, unexplained weight loss or repeated vomiting — don't treat it as ordinary indigestion; see a doctor soon. Vomiting blood or black stools is bleeding in the gut: go to the emergency department the same day. Crushing chest pain with sweating or breathlessness can be the heart — go to the emergency department now.

• Functional dyspepsiaA normal scope yet full after a few bites, or pain after meals: often a fundus that won't relax or a stomach too sensitive to stretchA normal endoscopy, yet you fill up after a few bites or your upper belly hurts: usually the stomach is working wrongly, not imagined trouble. About 1…Organ conditions · Gut & liver6 stations
• Digestive SystemStart with what the stomach normally does: hold, grind, release in batchesStomach acid (hydrochloric acid) is the strongest acid in the body: on an empty stomach, gastric juice sits at about pH 1.5–2.0, more acidic than…Body Systems · Digestion, metabolism & excretion7 stations
• H. pylori · a cause of cancer you can clearFor recurring upper-belly pain, a test for H. pylori is a common first stepStomach acid kills almost every bacterium swallowed with food.Organ conditions · Gut & liver6 stations
• GERDIf it is mostly heartburn and sour regurgitation, reflux fits betterHeartburn and acid regurgitation are stomach acid washing back up into the esophagus.Organ conditions · Gut & liver4 stations

Gas & bloating · a swollen belly

⚠️ Bloating with blood in the stool, unexplained weight loss, anemia or a persistent fever; bloating or pain that won't go away or worsens at night, or a lump in the belly; bloating or a change in bowel habits that first appears after 50; a family history of colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease; or a newly growing belly in a woman over 40 — see a doctor soon. Black stools or vomiting blood: go to the emergency department the same day. If you suddenly cannot pass any gas or stool, with severe belly pain and vomiting, go to the emergency department now.

• Gas and bloatingPeople who always feel bloated often have no more gas than others; a swelling belly is often the diaphragm pushing downFeeling bloated and a belly that actually swells are two different things; people who always feel bloated often have no more gas than others, they…Organ conditions · Gut & liver6 stations
• Carbs & FiberGut bacteria ferment fiber and make gas; adding fiber too fast is the classic causeCarbohydrate is not one thing, so asking whether it is good or bad in general gets you little.Macros · Nutrients7 stations
• Irritable Bowel SyndromeWhich foods ferment most, and how a low-FODMAP trial worksIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a long-running condition in which the belly hurts again and again and bowel habits change along with it: the pain…Organ conditions · Gut & liver5 stations
• Gut microbiome · your second genomeWhat your gut microbes ferment and what they makeSome of what you swallow is not yours to digest.Organ conditions · Gut & liver5 stations

Diarrhea

⚠️ Bloody or black stools, a persistent high fever, vomiting so much you can't keep water down, much less urine, a dry mouth, dizziness on standing, or diarrhea lasting more than 3 days — see a doctor; don't wait at home.

• Acute diarrheaWhat matters most is replacing water and salt; rehydration salts don't stop diarrhea, so keep going until it stopsDiarrhea is the gut releasing more water than it takes back; most clears up on its own, and the danger is the water and salt lost with it, especially…Organ conditions · Gut & liver5 stations
• Foodborne Illness · what actually hurts people in the kitchenAfter a bad meal: what you can do at home is mostly fluids, and when you must see a doctorThe same meal can floor you by two opposite mechanisms: sometimes live bacteria get into the gut and keep multiplying; sometimes the bacteria died…Organ conditions · Gut & liver6 stations
• Digestive SystemWhy oral rehydration salts can pull water back into the bodyStomach acid (hydrochloric acid) is the strongest acid in the body: on an empty stomach, gastric juice sits at about pH 1.5–2.0, more acidic than…Body Systems · Digestion, metabolism & excretion7 stations
• Irritable Bowel SyndromeRecurring diarrhea that tracks stress can be IBSIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a long-running condition in which the belly hurts again and again and bowel habits change along with it: the pain…Organ conditions · Gut & liver5 stations

Milk upsets my stomach

• Gas and bloatingMost adults with lactose intolerance can handle about a cup of milk at onceFeeling bloated and a belly that actually swells are two different things; people who always feel bloated often have no more gas than others, they…Organ conditions · Gut & liver6 stations
• MilkToo little of the enzyme that splits lactose; the unsplit lactose reaches the colon and bacteria ferment it — the milk isn't the problemBloating or diarrhea after drinking milk usually means the small intestine is short of the enzyme that splits lactose (lactase).Animal Foods · Dairy8 stations
• ProbioticsYogurt's fermenting cultures (not probiotic supplements) help people with lactose intolerance digest lactoseMost bottles on the shelf that say contains probiotics do not actually earn the name.Supplements · Inflammation & organs6 stations

Heartburn / acid reflux

⚠️ Trouble swallowing or unexplained weight loss — don't treat as ordinary heartburn; seek care promptly. Vomiting blood or black stools — go to the emergency department the same day. Crushing chest pain with sweating/breathlessness can be cardiac — go to the ER now.

• GERDStomach contents travel up and burn the esophagusHeartburn and acid regurgitation are stomach acid washing back up into the esophagus.Organ conditions · Gut & liver4 stations

Bloating · irregular bowel habits

⚠️ Blood in stool, diarrhea waking you at night, unexplained weight loss, anemia, or a family history of colorectal cancer need a doctor and colonoscopy — not ordinary IBS.

• Irritable Bowel SyndromeDisordered gut motility and sensing, with no visible structural diseaseIrritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a long-running condition in which the belly hurts again and again and bowel habits change along with it: the pain…Organ conditions · Gut & liver5 stations
• Gut microbiome · your second genomeHow the gut microbiome shapes digestion and moodSome of what you swallow is not yours to digest.Organ conditions · Gut & liver5 stations

Nausea and vomiting

⚠️ Sudden nausea with tight or heavy chest pain spreading to the arm, back, neck or jaw, or shortness of breath: call emergency services now. Vomiting blood or coffee-ground material, green vomit, a severe headache or tummy pain, a stiff neck, possible poisoning, blue or grey lips, severe breathlessness or confusion: emergency department now. Vomiting that won't stop, can't keep fluids down, or lasts over 2 days: contact a doctor the same day; for a vomiting baby under 1, or a young child who stops feeding or shows dehydration, get medical advice now.

• Digestive SystemNausea comes in through three doors and isn't always the stomach; prevent dehydration firstStomach acid (hydrochloric acid) is the strongest acid in the body: on an empty stomach, gastric juice sits at about pH 1.5–2.0, more acidic than…Body Systems · Digestion, metabolism & excretion7 stations
• Acute diarrheaHow to rehydrate when you're vomiting and have diarrhoeaDiarrhea is the gut releasing more water than it takes back; most clears up on its own, and the danger is the water and salt lost with it, especially…Organ conditions · Gut & liver5 stations

Piles, rectal bleeding, a sore bottom

⚠️ Bleeding that won't stop, a lot of blood or large clots, or severe pain: go to the emergency department now, and don't drive yourself. Painless rectal bleeding at any age: see a doctor soon, and especially get the bowel checked if you are over 50 or have dark blood, a change in bowel habits, weight loss or anemia. A very high temperature, feeling hot, cold, shivery and unwell, or pus from the piles: see a doctor soon.

• HemorrhoidsHemorrhoids are normal anal cushions that swelled and slipped; the typical sign is painless bright red bleedingEveryone has anal cushions that help seal the anus; when their supports loosen, they swell and slide down, and become hemorrhoids. The typical sign is…Organ conditions · Gut & liver5 stations
• HemorrhoidsBlood color can't tell piles from a bowel problem; get it seen at any age, especially over 50Everyone has anal cushions that help seal the anus; when their supports loosen, they swell and slide down, and become hemorrhoids. The typical sign is…Organ conditions · Gut & liver5 stations
• ConstipationConstipation and long straining are the main forces pushing the cushions downConstipation is more than a few days without a bowel movement.Organ conditions · Gut & liver6 stations