Digestive Conditions
Relief from digestive conditions in Manhattan, New York, and Stamford, Connecticut
Millions of people suffer from digestive problems, ranging from minor to life-threatening. A bit of indigestion after Thanksgiving dinner might be perfectly normal. However, frequent, chronic, severe, or unusual digestive symptoms can signal GI (gastrointestinal) problems. The caring, skilled doctors at the New York Center for Integrative Health in New York, New York, offer diagnosis and treatment to help you find relief.
What is the Digestive System?
Digestion involves much more than the stomach. All organs involved in consuming food, extracting nutrients, and disposing of waste comprise the digestive system. The digestive system includes the mouth, throat, esophagus, large and small intestines, rectum, and anus. These organs are connected, forming a long, winding tube, collectively known as the GI (gastrointestinal) tract.
What are Digestive System Diseases and Disorders?
There are many different types of digestive problems. Some of the most common include:
- GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease) – Occasional heartburn after a spicy meal might not be cause for concern. However, recurring heartburn is often a sign of weakened muscles in the esophagus, which allow stomach acid to leak into the upper portion of the digestive tract.
- Gastritis – This is an inflammation of the stomach lining, which can cause pain and nausea.
- PUD (peptic ulcer disease) – This is an open sore in the stomach or intestinal lining, with symptoms similar to those of gastritis.
- Gastroenteritis – Also known as stomach flu, this is a type of infection that affects portions of the GI tract.
- Celiac disease – A type of autoimmune disease, celiac can cause diarrhea, bloating, and pain, often triggered by gluten/wheat consumption. Celiac disease, if left untreated for long periods, can damage the small intestine.
- IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) –Long-term inflammation of the digestive tract might lead to a diagnosis of conditions like Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s Disease.
- IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) –IBS is a common condition affecting millions of Americans. People with IBS may experience constipation, diarrhea, bloating, and frequent abdominal pain.
- Constipation – Defined as the infrequent or difficult passage of stool, constipation is often caused by inadequate fiber or water consumption. However, it can also be a symptom of other digestive problems.
- Diverticulosis – This is a very common condition among older adults. It results when small pockets form on the walls of the digestive tract, which can cause pain, bloating, and constipation. When these pockets become inflamed, the condition is known as diverticulitis.
Treatments available for Irritable Bowel Syndrome - Dr. Robert Kachko
Dr. Robert Kachko here. I have put together a cutting-edge program to help people dealing with digestive disorders.
We specialize in patients suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). Irritable Bowel Syndrome can manifest in many different ways for different people.
Some people present with pain, bloating, or gas fluctuations between diarrhea and constipation and sensitivity to almost any food.
How can Irritable Bowel Syndrome be diagnosed?
The challenge with Irritable Bowel Syndrome is it can take years for people to get diagnosed. It is a diagnosis of exclusion.
It means we do a couple of testing based on gastrointestinal perspective, and if there are no other digestive disorders diagnosed, you might get a diagnosis of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.
What are the treatment options available for IBS?
At our practice, we take a completely different approach. While we help you rule out all those common digestive disorders, we will also do functional medicine testing.
This might include stool tests, breath tests, more comprehensive blood work to assess things like your microbiome, likelihood of having a condition called SIBO, which is small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
We will also test for any likelihood that you have inflammation, difficulty absorbing your food, or assimilating nutrients.
Why should someone visit NY Center For Integrative Health for IBS treatments?
We are an Integrative Medicine Clinic that combines the best from functional medicine and invests in conventional gastroenterology alongside naturopathic medicine and acupuncture.
This will give you the tools that you need to find relief both now and long into the future. Some of those ways might include IV therapy to replace the nutrients that you might be deficient in.
We might recommend prescription medications or botanical medicines to help you with your symptoms. We take a comprehensive approach that honors who you are as a person, treating you, your mind, body, and spirit.
Digestive disorders affect a large number of people throughout the world. Book a consultation with us today.
The importance of having a healthy digestive system - Dr. Robert Kachko
Hi, this is Dr. Robert Kachko. In our practice, we see a lot of patients with chronic digestive conditions.
Having worked with thousands of patients with digestive conditions, we understand that long term and whole-body health often starts in the digestive tract.
The nervous system, the immune system, and our body’s likelihood of being inflamed all correlate to the digestive system’s health.
How can the health of the digestive system be measured?
To understand the health of each person’s digestion, in addition to their symptoms, we can do truly comprehensive testing.
At the New York Center for Integrative Health, we do stool testing to assess the microbiome. We can do breath-testing to look for small intestinal bacterial overgrowth.
We also do stool testing to look for inflammation, absorption, and assimilation of essential nutrients, overgrowth of parasites, bacteria, viruses, etc.
What is included in a treatment plan for a healthy digestive system?
Once we have a thorough understanding of each individual’s digestive health, we can create a customized treatment plan.
When it comes to a customized treatment plan, we are always taking a holistic, integrative approach. Some of our patients will be recommended to receive IV nutrient therapy.
Other patients might do well with acupuncture, mind-body medicine, botanicals, targeted nutraceuticals, and sometimes pharmaceutical medications to help each individual in a personalized and precise way.
How are Digestive Conditions Treated?
At NYCIH, we take a comprehensive and holistic perspective when helping you resolve your digestive challenges. Assessment may include thorough intake and history, lab work, and stool testing. Based on our assessment, we develop a long-term treatment plan that combines the best of conventional and traditional approaches to medicine. In this truly integrative way, you receive unparalleled care that honors who you are and what you need now and into the future.
Contact our office today for a consultation.
Dr. Robert Kachko, Founder and Director of the NY Center for Integrative Health, is a pioneer in Naturopathic and Integrative Medicine and has developed an extensive bio-psychosocial methodology for people living with chronic diseases. As Immediate Past President of the American Association of Naturopathic Physicians, Dr. Kachko advocates for healthcare reform to allow everyone accesses to the kind of care our clinic provides.
