Dr. Joel Lavine claims that a doctor who has undertaken rigorous education, training, and board certification in gastroenterology is qualified to identify and treat digestive system diseases. They know how the liver and gallbladder control metabolic processes, how the esophagus, stomach, and intestines move, break down and absorb nutrients, and how they eliminate waste from the body.

After graduating from medical school, gastroenterologists spend years in a residency program learning about general medicine and digestive disorders while operating on patients under the guidance of specialists in that field. They take Parts One and Two of the United States Medical Licensing Exam during this period. Additionally, they finish a gastroenterology fellowship, which offers sophisticated, cutting-edge diagnostic techniques and extensive expertise with the whole GI tract.

A gastroenterologist will feel your belly's four abdominal quadrants during a physical examination to look for abnormalities, such as lumps or surgical scars. Additionally, they listen to your bowels for bruits, which are vascular noises associated with turbulent blood flow. They record the length, tone, and strength of these bruits. They could also stick their finger inside your rectum to check for discomfort.

A gastrointestinal expert may also carry out several cutting-edge diagnostic procedures, such as colonoscopies and endoscopies, which use a small camera to view the neck and intestines. These regular or diagnostic exams may assist medical professionals in identifying polyps, inflammatory tissue, and various other disorders early on when they are simpler to treat. Additionally, they can diagnose and treat GERD, a long-term digestion disorder that develops when the lower esophageal sphincter weakens or relaxes while it needs to stay closed.