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• What is GERD?
  
  

  What Is GERD? Is it a new disease? - Bill, Weymouth, MA

  GERD stands for Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disease. "Gastro" refers to the stomach. Esophageal refers to the esophagus, the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach. Reflux means to back-up or flow backwards. GERD is a condition in which acid, bile and partially-digested food in the stomach back up into the esophagus. GERD is a relatively new term for recognized conditions commonly called "acid indigestion," "heartburn," "reflux," "reflux esophagitis," and "hiatal hernia." Doctors started using the term "GERD" in the 1980s because it better describes the real problem - reflux of irritating stomach contents into the esophagus. GERD is becoming the preferred medical term for these conditions. Thank you for your question! Thomas Liu, MD, Gastroenterologist

  
  
  
• What is heartburn? How does eating certain foods make the heart burn?
  
  

  What is heartburn? How does eating certain foods make the heart burn? - Lucinda, Revere, MA

  Heartburn has nothing to do with the heart. It's a popular term for the burning sensation that occurs behind the breastbone, right in the area where the heart is located. The esophagus also runs through the same region of the chest. It carries food from the mouth into the stomach, where a strong acid and enzymes help to digest it. When stomach contents back up into the esophagus, the acid and enzymes cause irritation and inflammation. That's the burning sensation in heartburn. Thank you for your question! Thomas Liu, MD, Gastroenterologist

  
  
  
• All of my siblings except me have gallstones. What are gallstones?
  
  

  All of my siblings except me have gallstones. What are gallstones? - Cindy, Reading, MA

  Gallstones are small, pebble-like substances that develop in the gallbladder. The gallbladder is a small, pear-shaped sac located below your liver in the right upper abdomen. Gallstones form when liquid stored in the gallbladder hardens into pieces of stone-like material. The liquid-called bile-helps the body digest fats. Bile is made in the liver, then stored in the gallbladder until the body needs it. The gallbladder contracts and pushes the bile into a tube-called the common bile duct-that carries it to the small intestine, where it helps with digestion. Bile contains water, cholesterol, fats, bile salts, proteins, and bilirubin-a waste product. Bile salts break up fat, and bilirubin gives bile and stool a yellowish-brown color. If the liquid bile contains too much cholesterol, bile salts, or bilirubin, it can harden into gallstones. The two types of gallstones are cholesterol stones and pigment stones. Cholesterol stones are usually yellow-green and are made primarily of hardened cholesterol. They account for about 80 percent of gallstones. Pigment stones are small, dark stones made of bilirubin. Gallstones can be as small as a grain of sand or as large as a golf ball. The gallbladder can develop just one large stone, hundreds of tiny stones, or a combination of the two. Thank you for your question! Thomas Liu, MD, Gastroenterologist

  
  
  
• Do people need their gallbladder?
  
  

  Do people need their gallbladder? - Joey, Boston, MA

  Fortunately, the gallbladder is an organ people can live without. Your liver produces enough bile to digest a normal diet. Once the gallbladder is removed, bile flows out of the liver through the hepatic ducts into the common bile duct and directly into the small intestine, instead of being stored in the gallbladder. Because now the bile flows into the small intestine more often, softer and more frequent stools can occur in about 1% of people. These changes are usually temporary, but talk with your health care provider if they persist. Thank you for your question! Thomas Liu, MD, Gastroenterologist