Dr. Matthew Atkinson M.D.

Celiac disease is also known as non-tropical sprue or gluten induced enteropathy. It is an immune mediated enteropathy, triggered by a gluten containing cereal such as wheat, rye, and barley. This results in an inflammation of the upper small bowel, which improves when gluten is withdrawn from the...

Most people have heard of colitis, but what exactly is left-sided colitis?Left-sided colitisLeft-sided colitis is a specific type of ulcerative colitis. Ulcerative colitis creates inflammation in the colon, and left-sided colitis, as you might have imagined, affects the left side. Left-sided colitis...

Hemorrhoids can be a painful, irritating, and an uncomfortable condition. About 90 percent of the world's current population will develop hemorrhoids at least once in their lives. Living with hemorrhoids can be difficult and painful, but following these tips can make your experience easier and help...

You may have heard before that what you eat can cause Crohn’s disease, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), or other digestive diseases. This is a common misconception about these conditions that’s often perpetuated, but it’s not correct. While physicians aren’t entirely sure what causes...

Pain in your belly button can range from mild to severe and can be occasional or constant. In some cases, belly button pain can also radiate to other areas of the body aside from the area near your belly button. It is also important to note that pain in your belly button is not a medical condition...

In order to understand the condition of appendicitis and to know whether it is hereditary or not, we first need to know which body part it affects and what are its symptoms. Appendicitis affects the appendix, which is a small tube–like structure attached to the large intestine. The part of the...