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The intestines (or bowels) complete the process of digestion (breaking down the food we consume on a daily basis). Most chemical digestion and absorption of food occur in the small intestine - a long, coiled organ about one inch in diameter.

Motion sickness (also known a travel sickness) is characterized by an uncomfortable, queasy sensation experienced when traveling by car, train, airplane, and boat, or by using a playground swing or riding some amusement park rides.

Foul smelling stool is a topic that is not frequently discussed. While we are fully aware that feces exude an unpleasant odor, this odor is quite common. Foul-smelling feces or stools occurs largely as a result of a poor diet, especially when the diet contains foods and liquids with artificial flavors, refined sugar, white flour and hormone-filled meat.

Intestinal worms & parasites live in the gastrointestinal tract. There are two main groups of intestinal worms – protozoa (organisms with one cell only) and helminths (worms with many cells). Protozoa multiplies in the human body. The most common protozoa include cryptosporidium, microsporidia and isospora that often affect HIV-infected persons. The most common helminths include tapeworm, hookworms, pinworms, roundworms, threadworms, whipworm and giardia.

Gastritis is a condition that involves the irritation and inflammation of the stomach lining, afflicting millions of people. Any number of things can cause gastritis, from injury to bacterial infection. Chronic gastritis may be associated with an autoimmune condition, such as anemia or hypothyroidism, kidney or liver disease - but is usually a common, acute condition associated with stress.

A gastric ulcer, also referred to as a stomach ulcer, is a break or raw, eroded area in the normal tissue lining of the stomach. People often believe that a gastric ulcer is the result of too much acid in the stomach. Unfortunately, this is not the case, and people with gastric ulcers do produce normal amounts of acid. It depends on how well the lining of the stomach copes with the acid because the stomach makes chemicals and mucus which covers the surface and protects the tissues from the acid.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is something that people often find difficult to talk about, yet it is one of the most common digestive conditions seen by doctors. It is estimated to affect approximately 20% of the US population.

Nausea is the sensation of unease and discomfort in the stomach with an urge to vomit or empty the contents of the stomach. Nausea can occur as a result of ‘morning sickness’ in pregnancy, flu, motion sickness, infection, food poisoning, overindulgence, blocked intestine, illness, concussion or brain injury, appendicitis and migraines.

Billions of hungry bacteria (the natural "intestinal fauna") that we all have in our large intestine then produce a variety of gases such as methane, hydrogen and hydrogen sulfide as by-products of this fermentation process. These vapors are known as intestinal gasses, and can cause stomach bloating until they leave the body as flatulence through the anus.

Gallstones are solid pieces of material that develop in the gallbladder and look like small stones or pebbles. Gallstones may be as small as grains of sand or as large as a golf ball. The gallbladder can develop several hundreds of tiny stones or one large one, or a combination of both.