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Doctor leads Trust Your Gut campaign, fighting GI stigmas

Patient waiting at doctor's office
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Roughly 70 million Americans suffer from gastrointestinal issues, a problem that got worse during the pandemic.

A recent survey from the American Gastroenterological Association found that many people with bowel troubles suffer in silence.

"What was really interesting in our survey, patients were more interested in or willing to talk about politics and their weight than they were about digestive health or issues, so I think it's really important that we destigmatize this,” said Dr. Rajeev Jain, a Texas gastroenterologist.

Jain leads the Trust Your Gut campaign and says 40 percent of Americans have stopped routine activities in the last year because of uncomfortable GI symptoms.

Things like exercising, running errands and spending time with family and friends have been disrupted by GI.

Jain said those activities don’t have to be interrupted.

"Don't be afraid to talk about it to a physician or a health care provider. We can't help you if we don't know there's a problem and then I would say it's important not to delay care, so if something is persistently wrong or progressively getting worse, come talk to us so we can figure out what's going on," Jain said.

Jain said the Trust Your Gut campaign aims to reduce the stigma and normalize the conversation around digestive health.