Eat Your Fiber!
Dr. Anna Toker is a colon and rectal surgeon practicing in Mansfield, TX. Dr. Toker specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the colon, rectum, and anus. As a colon and rectal surgeon, Dr. Toker often treats conditions like rectal cancer, colon cancer, hemorrhoids, anal fissures, and diverticulitis. Colon... more
I started medical school in August of 1993. The lecture hall for the first-year students was completely full for the first and probably one of the last times as we all sat there anxiously awaiting the beginning of our new careers. With open ears and minds, we greeted the chief of surgery who was to give our very first lecture. “Hippocrates once said “no manner of brains is worth a good set of bowels”. “And then he walked out of the classroom leaving us to think about that statement. Now that I am a colorectal surgeon, I spend most of my day preaching that very Hippocratic truth to the masses. There is indeed no greater gift God can grant us than a well-functioning digestive tract.
The GI tract is a long muscular tube that intermittently contracts to propel food from top to bottom. The lining of this tube is responsible for absorbing water, salts, and nutrients. It also serves as a protective barrier against the bacteria of the outside world. When you have digestive problems, you are either having problems with the muscular tube, the absorbent lining, or both.
Surgical problems of the colon typically involve the lining of the colon, so let me explain further:
An easy-to-understand analogy regarding the physical properties of the lining of the colon takes us back to our childhood experiences in the sandbox. Dry loose sand is easier to hold when you grab it loosely. The tighter you squeeze the more it wants to slip out between your fingers and out the sides. When the muscular colon squeezes hard, the lining wants to squeeze out through the sides (creating diverticular disease) and out the bottom (creating hemorrhoids).
The first treatment for these problems is encouraging patients to eat a high-fiber diet. Fiber bulks and softens the stool lowering the pressure in the colon and minimizing both diverticulosis and hemorrhoids. If this treatment fails, surgery often becomes necessary. The surgical approaches for both diverticulosis and hemorrhoids have become minimally invasive. This means the newer treatments cause less post-operative pain and fewer days away from work. If you or someone you know is suffering, schedule an appointment today to discuss robotic-assisted laparoscopic surgery for diverticulitis or total hemorrhoidal dearterialization for symptomatic hemorrhoids.
Anna M. Toker, MD, FACS, FASCRS
214-942-3740
