How do you know if you have hemorrhoids?

Perhaps you're constipated, and lately, you've been spending a little more time in the bathroom. You've been pushing harder to have bowel movements, and eventually, you begin to notice droplets of blood in the toilet. You might have anal pain too. So what is going on?

Constipation is on the rise

Many of us are living in a sedentary world. We spend prolonged periods sitting in front of a computer screen at work or at home. Add in the ever-increasing stress, poor dietary choices, lack of fiber, inadequate fluid intake and lack of exercise, and you have the perfect storm for constipation. Unsurprisingly, an article in the American Journal of Gastroenterology found an increased number of emergency room visits for constipation between 2006-2011. To understand why this problem seems to be on the rise, let’s take a look at what constipation is and what you can do.

Be proactive about your pancreas: What you can do now to keep it in tip-top shape

If you are like most people, you probably think of the pancreas as the organ that produces insulin – the critical hormone necessary to prevent diabetes. But the pancreas has another important function and that is to produce digestive enzymes. Digestive enzymes are proteins that break up food into particles small enough to allow your body to digest it.

Colonics: Super detox or super dangerous?

Colonics have been surrounded with controversy over the years, with many celebrities endorsing the practice. But is this invasive process of detoxification as good for you as it seems? Sometimes called colonic irrigation or hydrotherapy, a colonic refers to the practice of placing a tube into the rectum; this tube is then attached to special equipment through which large amounts of water, sometimes mixed with herbs or other substances, are introduced into the colon (large intestine) for the purpose of removing waste matter.

Signs you may have leaky gut syndrome!

There is not a lot of credible information available about leaky gut syndrome. It is an odd description of a condition that seems to suggest that you might have holes in your intestines that cause it to leak. So let’s keep it simple and understand the theory behind what is referred to as a leaky gut.