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The Symptoms of Bowel ProblemsThis article will help you understand the symptoms of bowel problems. I had Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis (diagnosis was uncertain) for years, so it's been an area of interest for me as a practitioner. Broadly, they are either local (eg a pain in a particular place in the body) or general (eg weight loss or weakness). The whole body is affected because bowel problems may prevent the body being adequately nourished or because it is reacting to the presence of large areas of inflammation, or other changes in th e bowel. I'll then go on to talk in more detail about the symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (ibs), inflammatory bowel disease (ibd), and other bowel conditions. Briefly for now: IBD is the general name given to a group of three conditions (Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis and non-specific proctocolitis). All have inflammation of the bowel lining as part of their picture - but they differ in other ways. I'll then describe some of what we know about alternative treatments for bowel conditions - through links to other pages. As ever, this information does not substitute for the advice and support of a qualified health practitioner ... if it helps a few people to scuttle off and get an early diagnosis; or to understand their bowel symptoms and their situation better ... I'll be happy. Background to the symptoms of bowel problems: the human bowel ... ... is picked out in red in this illustration. It is made up of the small bowel or small intestine and the large bowel or large intestine. Food enters the small bowel from the stomach to continue the process of digestion. So - problems in the small bowel can cause food to remain undigested (because nutrients aren't available to the body). Pains that come from the small bowel usually occur because the bowel wall is stretched by gas. They can feel indistinct and it can be difficult to identify a location. Large bowel - bigger structure. Contents enter bottom left, then it loops up, across and down to the rectum and anus. Background to the symptoms of bowel problems: the small bowel Partly digested food enters from the stomach in
an acid state - see top left of diagram (as you view it)Bile from the liver neutralizes the acid and digestion continues in an alkaline environment. The surface area of the inner lining is vast, so nutrients can be easily absorbed into the blood stream. Notice where the red color ends abruptly, bottom left. This is where the bowel contents pass from small to large bowel. One of the typical symptoms of bowel problems is felt here: the pain of Crohn's disease when it is located in the 'terminal ileum' (called terminal ileitis), ie the lower end of the small intestine. The word ending '-itis' in medicine means 'inflammation' - as in conjunctiv-itis and gastr-itis. B vitamins are absorbed here - Crohn's disease can cause problems with vitamin absorption. Background to the symptoms of bowel problems: the large bowelThe large bowel absorbs water from the feces, dries and compacts them and passes them into the rectum.Bowel contents pass from the cecum - bottom left of the picture. You'd feel any pain here in your lower right abdomen.  See the small, fine finger-like structure, pointing down? That's the appendix. Large bowel contents pass up the right side of the abdomen in the ascending colon; pass across the body in the transverse colon and down the descending colon. The lowest part of the colon is called the sigmoid - from its S-shape. The large bowel ends in the rectum, that stores and compacts the stools, which pass form there to the anus and then out of the body. OK - whistle-stop tour over ... but it's going to be helpful to know a bit about the 'geography' of your bowel - and what the different parts do - to understand the symptoms of bowel problems. I'm just going to list the possible symptoms of bowel problems here under two headings: local and general. Other pages are available on the symptoms of different bowel problems and bowel illnesses - the links follow down the page. Local symptoms of bowel problemsHere 'left' and 'right' refer to the person's own body - and NOT as viewed by an observer.
General symptoms of bowel problems
Ii will discuss these symptoms in greater detail in articles (currently being prepared) on ibd ... and herbal remedies and alternative treatments. If you sign up to the blog, you'll be informed about all new additions to the site. If you have a more specific question, like "What is ibs?" you can find out here about ibs symptoms.
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