Hello subscriber,
Your digestive system may seem easy to understand: You put food in your mouth. Your digestive organs break down the food. Nutrients in the food are absorbed in your intestines, and the rest is eliminated as waste. Sounds pretty simple, doesn't it?
In fact, the human digestive system is incredibly complex. It acts both as food transporter and food processor, requiring the efficient function of many different organs to transform what you eat and drink into a mixture that fuels good health. Sometimes, things can go wrong, or the process doesn't work as well as it should.
Mayo Clinic on Digestive Health, Fourth Edition, covers signs and symptoms, causes, diagnostic procedures, and treatment options for the most common digestive conditions, as well as preventive actions to consider. Perhaps you've experienced temporary discomfort from heartburn, diarrhea, constipation, nausea or excess gas and are trying to determine what may be triggering your symptoms. Maybe you're dealing with a common condition such as gastroesophageal reflux disease, peptic ulcers or gallstones and you want information on treatment. If you have a long-term condition, such as Crohn's disease or celiac disease, you may be seeking coping skills.
In the last decade, we've seen tremendous advancements in understanding, early recognition and treatment of many digestive conditions. As an example, today we have a much better understanding of the important role your gut plays — specifically, the bacteria that reside within it — in maintaining your overall health. We're also seeing a connection between the health of your gut and that of other systems within your body. All of this has led to a lot of speculation and misinformation surrounding what to eat — and what not to eat — for good gut health.
This book addresses a wide range of topics, providing a context for what it takes to keep your digestive system healthy and how to respond when disease occurs. Too often, people wait too long before seeking help from their doctors. In general, the earlier you address a problem, the easier it is to prevent it from becoming serious.
Sincerely,
Dr. Sahil Khanna Medical Editor-in-Chief | 
