Constipation is a medical term for difficult, infrequent passage of stools. The frequency of bowel movements normally varies among people from a few times a day to several times a week.

Diarrhea is the medical term for the frequent passage of loose, watery stools. Diarrhea in a previously healthy person is usually the result of disease.

Diverticulitis (die-ver-tick-you-LYE-tus) is a disease that's usually the result of modern eating habits. It's an inflammation or infection of pockets in the large intestine that are called 'diverticula.

Food poisoning can be caused by eating foods contaminated with bacteria or bacteria-produced toxins. It can also result from eating foods that contain a naturally-occurring poison such as certain types of mushrooms and fish.

The gallbladder is an organ located just under the right rib cage that collects and stores bile, which is the liquid made by the liver to digest fats.

Heartburn is a burning sensation felt deep inside the chest, behind the breastbone. Heartburn is caused by a backflow of stomach acids into the esophagus (ee-SOF-ah-gus), which is the tube that carries food from the mouth to the stomach.

Hemorrhoids (HEM-royds) are a condition in which the veins around the anus, or in the anal canal, become swollen when stretched under pressure. In certain cases, as in pregnancy, they are caused by obstruction of the flow of blood in the veins of the rectum.

A hiatal (high-ATE-ul) hernia occurs when the upper stomach pushes upward through an enlarged opening, or 'hiatus' (high-ATE-us), at the point where your esophagus passes through your diaphragm.

Ulcers are internal sores that can form anywhere along the digestive tract. Although most common in the stomach and duodenum (doo-EHH-deh-nem), it is possible to be affected in the esophagus and other parts of the intestine.