It's normal to have occasional intestinal discomfort, but if this happens frequently, it's time to see a GI tract doctor. The same is true if you find that you can only eat a few types of foods without suffering distress in your guts. It is not normal to get heartburn, indigestion, diarrhea, or constipation just from eating regular food, no matter how long it has been going on!
                         
In many cases, modern medicine can very effectively treat problems that cause the aforementioned symptoms. Even if a disease can't be truly cured, it can be treated with medications that improve your ability to digest what you eat, reduce irregularity of both types, and otherwise provide great help for your situation.
                         
For some issues, it may turn out that you really do have to avoid a class of food, such as gluten. However, going to a digestive tract specialist first will ensure that you aren't giving up otherwise-good food for nothing. Only a couple of digestive diseases actually require forgoing gluten. Any other problem will need a different remedy in order to truly get better.
                         
Digestive disease doctors see a huge variety of problems and offer treatments accordingly. This makes them somewhat unique in medicine, which often breaks issues down into smaller segments. One of the reasons for this is how extensive the digestive tract is, and how many things affect the way it functions. That said, even if a problem turns out to not be digestive in nature, it is usually the GI tract doctor who sees it first and makes the referral to a different specialist.
                         
In some cases, digestive disease doctors work in tandem with professionals like liver specialists or gallbladder doctors to create a true solution for a patient. These and other organs directly affect digestion, but aren't parts of the digestive tract itself. Therefore, multiple specialists are often involved in such cases.
                         
At other times, patients have issues that are clearly digestive in nature. These range from ulcers to celiac disease, and can be treated entirely by a digestive tract specialist.
                         
No matter what problems you are having with your stomach, intestines, or how they digest food, the first step to recovery is getting a proper diagnosis. Starting with a GI doctor gives you a great chance at having the issue nailed down in short order. This allows you to begin treatment and get on the road to recovery as fast as possible. Therefore, if you're having any sort of gut problems, you should make an appointment with a doctor today.

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