5 Common Digestive Disorders and How Vitamin Patches Can Help

It’s the ultimate commercial jingle that you just can’t get out of your head… 🎶 Nausea, heartburn, indigestion, upset stomach, diarrhea — Yay, Pepto Bismol! 🎶 

The irony of the song is that if you’re experiencing any of those symptoms, it’s highly unlikely that you’re singing (let alone dancing), but we can still applaud them for putting a positive spin on what are some not-so-positive feelings. But what if these symptoms actually point to something more?

Things like nausea and heartburn may actually be alerting us to a digestive disorder. So, if you’re someone who’s experiencing any of these pains, below are the five most common digestive disorders to help you identify what you’re going through, and what you can do about it (without having to swallow a score of nasty medicines and pills).

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)

Everyone experiences heartburn. One too many hot wings can make for a long night. But if you’re experiencing regular heartburn, you may be experiencing one of the most common digestive disorders—GERD.

Doctors can typically diagnose GERD based on just the symptoms, but over time regular heartburn can be a sign of a damaged esophagus. Erosion in the lining of the esophagus can lead to internal bleeding and chest pain so extreme that it can be mistaken for a heart attack.

As with most digestive disorders, controlling GERD starts with lifestyle change. Avoid eating foods that cause heartburn, as well as any food two hours before going to sleep. You can also find short-term relief in over-the-counter options and prescription medication.

Celiac Disease

When it comes to common digestive disorders, Celiac disease is near the top, affecting roughly 2 million Americans. By interfering with the absorption of important nutrients from food, Celiac disease damages the small intestine. People with this digestive disorder suffer from an intolerance or sensitivity to gluten—a protein found in wheat, rye, and barley. 

The most common symptoms include: 

• Diarrhea
• Abdominal pain and bloating
• Food intolerance
• Weight loss
• Vomiting
• Constipation
• Depression or anxiety
• Fatigue

In addition to a strict, gluten-free diet, people with Celiac disease are often put on steroids to control inflammation as well as other prescription drugs.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

Studies have shown that 10-15% of adults in North America suffer from some form of Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), despite the fact that only 5-7% of adults have been formally diagnosed with this digestive disorder. Still, as is the most common disease diagnosed by gastroenterologists (and one of the most common disorders seen by primary care physicians), it’s helpful to know how to recognize this disease and how to respond.

Symptoms of this digestive disorder come from changes in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract works. Symptoms can include diarrhea and constipation, as well abdominal pain or discomfort, cramping, and changes in bowel habits.

In addition to monitoring diet, there are many over-the-counter medicines that treat IBS, but the success of each varies from person to person.

Crohn’s Disease

A distant cousin to IBS, Crohn’s disease is one of the digestive disorders under the category of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Like IBS, Crohn’s can affect the GI tract, but it most commonly targets the terminal ileum, which connects the end of the small bowel and the beginning of the colon. 

As far as common digestive disorders are concerned, studies show Chron’s affects around 780,000 people, making it a regular disease seen by medical professionals. Despite its frequent recurrence, however, doctors are unsure about the cause of the disease and point primarily to genetics and family history.

The most common Crohn's symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, weight loss, and fever. Recommended lifestyle changes include avoiding certain trigger foods such as dairy, soda, alcohol, coffee, raw fruit and vegetable, red meat, and any food that is fatty, fried, or spicy. Also, topical pain relievers and immunosuppressants are sometimes prescribed, as well as various over-the-counter options.

Gastroparesis

By breaking this word in half, we can come up with a pretty good guess for the meaning of one of the most common digestive disorders. Gastro, meaning “relating to the stomach,” and paresis, meaning “slight or partial paralysis,” tells you everything you need to know. 

Gastroparesis is a digestive disorder that makes it difficult for the stomach to empty its contents, which slows or stops the movement of food (and its nutrients) from the stomach to the small intestine. It is a literal paralyzing or slowing down of the stomach’s functions.

Common symptoms of gastroparesis include nausea, feeling full after eating only a small amount of food, and vomiting undigested food. Other symptoms of this digestive disorder include:

• Acid reflux
• Pain in the stomach area
• Abdominal bloating
• Lack of appetite

As far as digestive disorders go, gastroparesis is one that can be a chronic condition. Still, it is treated by a combination of lifestyle changes (eliminating greasy and rich foods, as well as beverages high in fat or carbonation) and medication.

How Vitamin Patches Can Help with Digestive Disorders

If you’re tired of reading about how each of these digestive disorders is treated by a combination of vague lifestyle changes and over-the-counter medication that may or may not help, we get it. Not knowing the exact cause or the exact solution can be frustrating. 

The bottom line is that digestive disorders of any kind disrupt the flow of nutrients within the body, making it difficult for people with these symptoms and diseases to maintain a healthy diet and lifestyle, no matter what foods they do/do not eat and what medicines they try.

That’s where vitamin patches come in.

Vitamin patches, or transdermal patches, can stick to the skin and release the exact ingredients and nutrients needed by those suffering from digestive disorders. In addition to being easy to apply, vitamin patches are safe for those who have trouble swallowing pills, more comfortable for those with gastrointestinal issues, and free from added sugars, fillers, and other unnecessary ingredients.

Odds are that if you’ve been diagnosed with one of the above digestive disorders, you’re likely on a handful of medications — which means you might be taking several pills a week. The problem is that these pills are notorious for containing harmful additives that can impede the absorption of the actual vitamins. That means that certain medicines may actually exacerbate the problem they’re intended to solve. 

Instead, things like OnMi’s Vitamin Support Patch can help you get the nutrients you need in a way that bypasses any digestive disorders you may be experiencing. If you want to learn more about the benefits of vitamin patches, check out the rest of our blog.

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