NUTRITION ISSUES in GASTROENTEROLOGY, SERIES #20 Form

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Stress plays a big role in gastrointestinal diseases, period. I tell patients that the organ in the body that has the most nerve endings is the GI tract and not the brain and spinal cord. I think mostly I make the patient aware of stress as a contributing factor, period. I think that goes a long way. If a patient has an inordinate amount of stress in their life, then they may need to address that with the primary care doctor or perhaps even the psychiatrist that they may be seeing. In addition to stress, and recognizing that as a contributing factor, I also feel that diet plays a huge role in the cause of the patient's symptoms as well as the management of the patient's symptoms. So I really try to do things naturally. I try to address it more with diet in terms of fruits, vegetables, high fiber cereals, high fiber types of foods, in terms of management of a patient in opposed to certain herbs or supplements or spices. And use medications when appropriate, but try to do things more nat