A gastroenterologist's guide to gut health Everything you need to know about colonoscopy, digestive diseases, and healthy eating

In easy-to-understand language, Novick, a gastroenterologist, explains the many problems that can arise in the gastrointestinal tract. He rightly starts with the biggest one: colon cancer. Last year, 134,490 Americans were diagnosed with it, and 49,190 Americans died from it. Novick includes many interesting details about the bowel prep and anesthesia required for colonoscopies. For example, most patients get what's called conscious or twilight sedation for their colonoscopies, but doctors prefer to use total IV anesthesia in patients who drink heavily or who regularly use sedatives or opioid pain medications. Novick also ably covers many other GI problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, hemorrhoids, and heartburn. Without passing judgment, he notes that excessive alcohol use is a risk factor for pancreatitis, and smoking and obesity are risk factors for pancreatic cancer. At the end, he shares 19 patient-empowering tips for getting the most from doctor visits, including knowing that it's OK not to accept every recommendation. And he includes a bibliography and index and a helpful glossary that explains unfamiliar terms like villous adenoma. (It's a colon polyp.) Charts and shaded boxes also make this guide reader-friendly.--Springen, Karen Copyright 2017 Booklist