Rectal bleeding is a frequent complaint with many athletes, particularly in runners, according to surveys cited by the Walter Reed Army Medical Center. It's often the result of something affecting the last few inches of your gastrointestinal...
According to Dr. Michael Bimbaum at InfertilityPhysician.com, 5 percent of women with endometriosis experience symptoms of intestinal involvement. Referred to as intestinal endometriosis, 70 percent of these cases involve the sigmoid colon and are...
Constipation is an unpleasant experience resulting in hard, infrequent stools. Constipation is defined as having three or fewer bowel movements a week. The stool is often dry and difficult to pass. The elderly, children and women are most likely...
Spastic colon, now known as irritable bowel syndrome, affects 58 million Americans and represents one of the most common complaints encountered by doctors, according to the Washington University School of Medicine Section of Colon-Rectal Surgery....
Hemorrhoids are small clusters of veins that abnormally swell with blood beneath the surface of the skin. There are two different types of hemorrhoids: internal hemorrhoids, which develop inside the rectum; and external hemorrhoids, which develop...
Alli is a diet pill designed to reduce the amount of fat absorbed in the body. A person using Alli may only consume 15g of fat per meal, and fat in excess of this amount may result in diarrhea or gas that leaves oily stains, says MedlinePlus. The...
Distance-running's well-studied benefits -- weight loss, a stronger set of legs, and a highly tuned cardiovascular system -- don't come cheap. Runners are well aware of the high stress placed on the leg muscles, joints, tendons and bones. Less...
Inflammatory bowel disease is the medical term for illnesses associated with chronic inflammation of the intestines. Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are the two types of inflammatory bowel disease. Both disorders involve damage to the colon...
Unfortunately, constipation is a common side effect of iron supplements. Not everyone has a bowel movement daily, but you are likely to have constipation if you pass fewer than three stools a week, if you pass hard stools, strain more than usual...
Ulcerative colitis is classified as an inflammatory bowel disease. Because the disease inflames the digestive tract, symptoms of the disease often include abdominal pain, diarrhea, cramping and rectal pain. According to the Crohn's and Colitis...
Rectal pressure during exercise can cause considerable discomfort and pain, and can interfere with the type and duration of workout. Feelings of pressure in the rectum may indicate a digestive problem, or may result after childbirth or a pelvic...
Alli is an over-the-counter, Food and Drug Administration-approved form of the prescription weight loss drug orlistat that is available in starter packs with literature and 60 to 90 pills or in refill packs of up to 240 pills. It is approved for...
Colorectal cancer occurs in the large intestine or rectum--the area where stool is stored until passed from the body. The American Cancer Society reports that nearly 147,000 people in the United States were diagnosed with colorectal cancer in...
Mucus is jelly-like fluid produced naturally by mucus membranes in the body. Mucus produced in the intestines moistens the insides of the intestine and allow for the smooth and unhindered passage of fecal matter. Mucus in the intestine also...
Diarrhea is the occurrence of loose, watery stools, and the symptom is caused by a variety of factors. According to the National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, diarrhea occurs when a person passes three or more loose stools in a...
Chlamydia is a disease caused by a bacteria called chlamydia trachomatis. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) explains that chlamydia is most often transmitted sexually. When chlamydia goes untreated it can increase a woman's risk of...
Mucus is a slimy, slippery fluid that acts as a lubricant and protects various structures in the body. There are a number of mucus-secreting cells in the body, but mucus is most prominent in the respiratory, genital and gastrointestinal tracts,...
An enlarged prostate, also classified as prostatitis and benign prostatic enlargement, is the infection or the inflammation of the prostate gland. About 50 percent of men will experience an enlarged prostate at some time in their lives. There is a...
You may have constipation if you do not have regular bowel movements, producing fewer than three BMs in a week. Other signs of constipation include straining and hard stools. In severe cases, you may have intense abdominal pain, rectal bleeding...
Diarrhea can be a symptom of any number of digestive ailments and inflammatory bowel diseases, including ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis occurs when ulcers (open sores) appear on the lining of your colon--and, in some people, the rectum....
Xenical, generically sold as orlistat, is a medication used to treat obesity. According to Drugs.com, it blocks fat from being absorbed by your body. Tell your doctor whether you have a history of gallstones, pancreatitis or liver disease because...
Obesity refers to a serious medical condition in which people accumulate a great deal of excess body fat. Obesity can lead to high blood pressure, sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes and depression. Therefore, weight loss is necessary to decrease the...
Pain when urinating is described by MedlinePlus as any sensation of pain, discomfort or burning. Pain during urination is a common symptom that is most often caused by an infection of one of the structures in the urinary tract, which includes the...
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "chlamydia is known as a 'silent' disease because about three quarters of infected women and about half of infected men have no symptoms." Statistics are different according to the...
Metastatic colorectal cancer is the cancer of the colon or the rectum, which has spread to other organs in the body. Fewer than 20 percent of patients diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer survive more than five years following the...
Konsyl is an over-the-counter laxative medication indicated to alleviate symptoms associated with constipation. This medication is administered orally and can be taken in liquid, powder, granule, tablet or chewable tablet form. Konsyl side effects...
Amoebic dysentery, also known as amebiasis, is an infection that predominately affects the intestinal tract. This infection is caused by exposure to a parasite called Entamoeba histolytica, which is prominent in foreign countries that have poor...
In 2007, the Food and Drug Administration approved a 60mg strength version of the prescription version of the drug orlistat for over-the-counter use. Alli is used as part of a weight loss regime that includes exercise and a low fat diet. As is the...
A urinary tract infection can be extremely painful, causing symptoms such as frequent urge to urinate, burning upon urination, pelvic pain in women and rectal pain in men. Although any part of the urinary tract can become infected, most infections...
Colon polyps are a small clump of cells that form on the lining of the colon. Although the great majority of colon polyps are harmless, some may become cancerous over time. Learn about the different causes, symptoms, and treatments for polyps,...