Digestive Care at LCMC Health
Go with great care for your gut
A problem with your digestive system can do more than put your stomach out of sorts and cause you to miss out on your favorite foods (and Louisiana’s world-famous cuisine). It can also damage nutrition, upend mental health, hinder your immune system and disrupt the brain-gut connection.
At LCMC Health, we understand that digestive health and overall health are closely linked. Your digestive, or gastrointestinal, system is complex, and a variety of acute and chronic conditions can affect it. Whatever is going on with your gut, you can trust our gastroenterologists to provide advanced, evidence-based care with one goal in mind—to help you gain control of symptoms so you can get back to feeling like you.
Find a Gastroenterologist Near You
Improving and protecting digestive health
Gastroenterologists specialize in diseases of the digestive system, and this system encompasses much more than your stomach. Your digestive system includes your mouth, salivary glands, throat, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, rectum and anus.
Your primary care provider (PCP) will refer you to a gastroenterologist for digestive symptoms or conditions that require specialty care. Our gastroenterologists diagnose and treat:
- Acid reflux
- Celiac disease
- Constipation
- Diverticulosis
- Gallstones
- Gastritis
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease
- Gastrointestinal cancers, including colon cancer, rectal cancer, liver cancer and more
- Hepatitis
- Hernias
- Inflammatory bowel disease, which includes Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis
- Irritable bowel syndrome
- Liver disease
- Pancreatitis
- Ulcers
Learn more about digestive care services near you.
•
East Jefferson General Hospital
•
New Orleans East Hospital
•
Touro
•
University Medical Center
•
West Jefferson Medical Center
Diagnosis and treatment from top to … bottom
When you see a gastroenterologist, he or she will conduct a physical exam and ask about your medical history and symptoms. Digestive conditions can cause a wide range of symptoms, including abdominal pain, bloating, heartburn, constipation and blood in the stool.
To diagnose digestive diseases, our gastroenterologists use blood and stool tests, imaging exams, and diagnostic procedures, such as endoscopy and sigmoidoscopy—procedures in which a specialist uses a scope to look inside your digestive tract. Your specialist will create a personalized treatment plan that fits your needs. Treatments range from conservative options, such as medications and dietary changes, to surgery.
Nutrition is key to digestive health, and vice versa. Read up on healthy eating and find nutritious (and delicious) recipes on our blog.
Helping you get ahead of colorectal cancer
Colorectal cancer—cancer that starts in the colon or rectum—is one of the most common gastrointestinal cancers. It’s also highly treatable if diagnosed early. That’s where screening can help.
Talk with your PCP about when you should start colorectal cancer screening. Adults at average risk for colorectal cancer should start having regular screenings at age 45, but you may need to start earlier if you have risk factors. At LCMC Health, we offer several screening options, including colonoscopy. Colonoscopy is the only form of colorectal cancer screening in which gastroenterologists can find and remove precancerous growths called polyps in one procedure.
Learn about colon health from one of our colorectal surgeons.
