If you’ve ever received distressing news and needed to rush to the bathroom, you know that feeling anxious or nervous can have a direct effect on your digestive system. ​​Key Takeaways Diarrhea and other stomach upsets are common symptoms of anxiety. Communication between the brain and the gut, and vice versa, is key to how…

The following is adapted from Chapter 4 of the author’s book “Fear of a Microbial Planet: How a Germophobic Safety Culture Makes Us Less Safe.” When cholera broke out in London in the first half of the nineteenth century, experts were quick to place the blame on miasma—the accumulation of toxic gases and odors within the…

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common condition affecting 5 to 10 percent of the global population. Characterized by intermittent abdominal pain along with diarrhea, constipation, or alternating episodes of both, the disorder targets the gastrointestinal tract which includes the stomach and intestines. While IBS is a chronic condition that requires long-term management, it doesn’t…

Uganda has reported nine more Ebola cases in the capital Kampala, bringing the total number of known infections to 14 in the last two days, the health minister said on Monday. The outbreak began in September in a rural part of central Uganda. It spread earlier this month to Kampala, a city of more than…

KINSHASA—Democratic Republic of Congo has declared the end of its latest Ebola virus outbreak in the eastern province of North Kivu, Health Minister Jean-Jacques Mbungani Mbanda said in a statement on Tuesday. The fifteenth outbreak in the central African country emerged when a new case of the deadly virus was confirmed in the eastern city…

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned on July 21 that the latest salmonella outbreak across the United States is linked to turtles. “Many people in this outbreak purchased small turtles online before getting sick,” the CDC said in an announcement on its website. “Do not buy small turtles with shells less than 4…

There is a well-known link between anxiety and digestion. When we become stressed or anxious, our digestive system takes notes and changes to cope with the stress. Regardless of how you feel you’re handling the stress, your digestive system may tell you otherwise. Digestive issues are quite common nowadays, but how can you tell if…