Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from February, 2026

Is Stress Causing My Abdominal Pain?

ditor’s Note: For 16 years, I've published weekly essays here on Blogspot, which will continue. I’ve now begun publishing my work on a new blogging platform, Substack, and I hope you’ll join me there. Please enter your email address  at this link  to receive my posts directly to your inbox. Gastroenterologists see patients with digestive symptoms.  We also see patients who are suffering from all manners of stress and anxiety.  It can be vexing to determine if there is a causative relationship between both sets of symptoms. It’s a chicken and egg phenomenon.   Do the stomach aches cause the stress or is it the other way around? Even seasoned practitioners may find it difficult to unravel this conundrum.   And so do our patients.   Why does my stomach hurt? First, it’s true that physical complaints may have no connection to psychological distress.   I think that medical professionals at times impute a psychological basis for physical complaint...