How Serious is a Stomach Ache?

By Martin A. David martin.david@hqpublications.com Pharmavita Columnist October 31, 2005

The good old fashioned tummy ache can be can be everything from a young person's excuse not to go to school, to the body's warning not to gulp your food, to a symptom of dangerous stomach or bowel disease. In any case, digestive disorders such as constipation shouldn't be ignored.

Folk Wisdom to be Heeded

The relationship between digestive health and general well-being is not a recent discovery. In fact, the connection - and attempts at cures - date back before the earliest annals of recorded medical history. After all, it doesn't take a medical degree to know that constipation can make you feel sick. Many folk traditions have associated proper bowel movements with good health.

Bowel Cancer

In more modern times, changes in the pace of daily life and the addition of more and more processed foods to the average diet have led to an increase in bowel disorders. It has been pointed out that the modern lifestyle is in itself a frequent cause of constipation.

As health expert and lecturer, Dr. Joseph Greenstein used to proclaim to hundreds of audiences in the first half of the 20th Century, "Faulty elimination is the cause of almost every disease."

Both a Cause and an Effect

While irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and constipation may cause diseases, they are also often symptoms of diseases. Chronic constipation may be caused by a serious bowel obstruction, septic bowel diseases, or, in a worst case scenario, bowel cancer.

In any case, it is important to keep track of the body's health signs, and to seek medical advice when those signs are not as they should be.

About the Author
Martin A. David consults as a Senior Technical Writer for a number of Silicon Valley firms. He is also a translator, specializing in Danish, French and Spanish literary works. He has written numerous feature articles for publications including the Los Angeles Times. He has also published a novel, and a non-fiction book in the area of dance. Martin earned his B.A. in Liberal Arts from Brooklyn College in his native New York. He currently chairs the Santa Clara Cultural Advisory Commission in Santa Clara, California.