Blog
Ulcerative Colitis vs. Crohn's Disease: Everything You Need to Know
In early December, we observe Crohn’s & Colitis Awareness Week—the perfect time for the Alabama Colon & Rectal Institute to discuss these chronic condition ...
Bleeding Hemorrhoids? Here’s What You Can Do to Find Relief
When you find blood down there, it’s never a good sign and should be a cause for alarm. But what can you do about bleeding hemorrhoids? Hemorrhoids are swollen veins in ...
The Power of Sitz Baths: At-Home Remedies for Soothing Relief
Sometimes, the simplest remedies can provide the greatest relief, and sitz baths are a perfect example. If you're dealing with conditions like postpartum discomfort, hemorrhoi ...
The Science Behind How Exercise Affects Digestion
Dealing with the discomfort and inconvenience of chronic hemorrhoids can be challenging and isolating. At the Alabama Colon & Rectal Institute, we understand the impact th ...
Coping Strategies for Chronic Hemorrhoids: Treatments That Work
Dealing with the discomfort and inconvenience of chronic hemorrhoids can be challenging and isolating. At the Alabama Colon & Rectal Institute, we understand the impact th ...
What is a Proctologist? Their Role & When to See a "Butt Doctor"
When things go wrong downstairs, it can be embarrassing and uncomfortable to talk about; that’s where Proctologists come in. Proctology is a specialized field of medicin ...
Understanding Fecal Incontinence: Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment
Fecal incontinence is a sensitive and often embarrassing condition that can significantly impact your quality of life. However, it is fecal incontinence is more common than yo ...
Exploring the Differences Between Internal and External Hemorrhoids
Hemorrhoids are literally a pain in your behind; they’re irritating, embarrassing, and persistent. Hemorrhoids, though often a source of discomfort and concern for many ...
Practical Tips for Coping with Ulcerative Colitis Flare-ups
Living with ulcerative colitis can be challenging, especially when flare-ups occur. Ulcerative colitis is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease that causes inflammation and ulc ...
How to Reduce Anxiety Before Colonoscopy
A colonoscopy is a vital procedure used to detect and prevent colorectal cancer. It involves the examination of the colon and rectum using a long, flexible tube with a camera ...
Prioritizing Prevention: Understanding Colorectal Cancer Screening Tests
Colorectal cancer is a serious disease that affects the colon and rectum, which are part of the digestive system. It is the third most common cancer worldwide and the second l ...
Improve Your Gut Health in 2024 With these Essential Tips
Maintaining a healthy colon is essential for overall well-being. The colon, also known as the large intestine, plays a crucial role in the digestive process by absorbing water ...
How Common are Hemorrhoids?: Answering Your FAQs
Hemorrhoids are a prevalent but often misunderstood medical condition. They are swollen veins in the rectum and anus that can cause discomfort, pain, and bleeding. Many people ...
Stay Cool This Summer: The Connection Between Hydration & IBS
Around 60% of the human body is comprised of water, so it’s no surprise that staying hydrated is essential. Healthy water consumption habits are not only crucial for ove ...
The Worst & Best Foods to Eat For IBS
IBS is a chronic disorder that causes daily discomfort and pain for nearly 10% of American adults. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a common disorder in the stomach and intestines ...
National Colorectal Awareness Month: Who Should Get a Colonoscopy?
Colorectal cancer is 4th most common cancer and 2nd most fatal cancer, making it a deadly killer in the United States. Colon cancer typically manifests on the large intestine ...
Awareness for Colorectal Cancer: Rumpshaker & How to Get Involved
Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer in men and women in the United States. While common, colorectal cancer is often overlooked because of the nature of its sympt ...
Feel Your Best in 2023: 5 Exercises for Better Digestive Health
After the New Year, many of us seek to become the healthiest version of ourselves. Whether that means amping up our gym routine, eating more vegetables, or other forms of self ...
Robotic Surgery FAQs: Benefits, Safety, and More
Technology evolves daily, creating new processes and impacting various industries. From the iPhone to artificial intelligence to hybrid cars, technology has never been more pr ...
5 Tips for Stress-Free Colonoscopy Prep
While many of us strive to be the healthiest versions of ourselves, we may skip over colon health—in fear of the dreaded colonoscopy. However, colonoscopies are vital fo ...
Hemorrhoids 101: Causes, Treatment, & Prevention
Hemorrhoids can cause itching, bleeding, and pain. And about half of all people will have hemorrhoids by age 50. While it can be uncomfortable to talk about, you aren’t ...
Celiac Vs. Crohn's: How To Tell The Difference
Many people experience digestive issues, and for some, problems with their bowel can become persistent. Many conditions can cause digestive issues, and two you may have heard ...
Colon Polyps: Causes, Symptoms, & Treatment
Colon polyps are one of the leading causes of colon cancer. The polyps are small clumps of cells that form on the lining of your colon. While colon health can be easily overlo ...
Robotic Surgery for Colorectal Disease
Part of caring for your colon health is getting the right treatment when you have a problem. As medicine has advanced through the years, treatment options have grown alongside ...
Tips for Making Your Colonoscopy More Bearable
Receiving a colonoscopy is critical for your colon health, but too many individuals believe that this procedure is only necessary when a problem occurs. Of course, if you are ...
Traveling with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
We hope you have exciting travel plans for the summer, but at Alabama Colon & Rectal Institute we know it can be stressful if you have inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), s ...
Foods to Eat & Avoid for Colon Health
Regular screenings are the most important step to colon cancer prevention, but good nutrition plays an important role as well. Just as diet can have a positive or negative imp ...
Your Guide to Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and this effort at raising awareness about the disease has been around since 2000. We are pleased that in recent years, th ...
Why 45 Is the New 50 for Colonoscopies
For many years, the recommended age to start having regular colonoscopies was 50. Due to an increased prevalence of colorectal cancer among young and middle-age people, the of ...
Best Ways to Lower Your Risk of Colon Cancer
Colon cancer is one of the more common cancers in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. It’s also a cancer that we can treat and oftentimes cure with prope ...
When to Eat A High or Low Fiber Diet for Diverticular Disease
At the Alabama Rectal and Colon Institute, there are many things we look for when performing routine colonoscopies, and one of the things we may find are diverticula. These ar ...
Managing Symptoms & Flares of Inflammatory Bowel Disease
For most people, stressful events, eating certain foods, or drinking too much alcohol during a night out isn’t a big deal. Most of our bodies can handle these situ ...
The Importance of a Healthy Digestive System
Your digestive system is a very important part of your body that breaks down foods and liquids into their chemical components, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, and more ...
Why We Are Called the Butt Hutt & What You Can Expect When You Get Here
Around Alabama Colon & Rectal Institute, we call ourselves the “Butt Hutt” without even thinking about it. Our specialty is colon and rectal surgery which star ...
Diagnosing & Treating Anorectal and Colorectal Disorders
There’s an area of colon and rectal health, including a broad range of conditions and ailments that can be mildly irritating to life-threatening, that’s important ...
Get Rid of Hemorrhoids Once and For All
Pain, itching, discomfort, bleeding, swelling. If you have these symptoms, you will probably do something about it. Why should it be any different if these symptoms you experi ...
Does Minimally Invasive Really Matter for Colorectal Surgery?
Does taking a minimally invasive approach to colorectal surgery really matter? The short answer is YES! The primary reasons for this include less pain after surgery, decreased ...
Preventing Constipation During Summer Travel
Backyard barbecues, beach vacations, days spent by the pool. These are all wonderful things about the summer season that keep you busy, but if you’re not careful, these ...
What’s the Difference? Ulcerative Colitis vs. Crohn's Disease
Ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease are the two main forms of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), both characterized by chronic inflammation of the digestive trac ...
Schedule a Colonoscopy During Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
You may know that March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. You may have even heard of the Rumpshaker 5K, a popular race in Birmingham, Alabama, for raising awarene ...
The Rumpshaker 5K is Back for 2021
As with many other events in 2020, the Rumpshaker 5K did not happen as usual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is an important event in Birmingham to raise awareness about co ...
Exploring facts & myths about colorectal cancer
As healthcare professionals who have performed thousands of colonoscopies for colorectal cancer screening over the years, we have heard it all at Alabama Colon and Rectal Inst ...
Improve colon health & protect against digestive disorders with a healthy diet
You probably already know that a healthy diet can have a positive impact on heart, brain, and bone health. But did you also know that your colon's overall health can be affect ...
3 common procedures: colonoscopy, transrectal ultrasound, & stapled hemorrhoidectomy
As we have written about before, when you are dealing with a problem related to the colon, rectum, or anus, it’s very important that you see a doctor who specializes in ...
Constipation: signs, symptoms, & possible related conditions
Constipation is a term that people sometimes use casually, but do they know if they are actually experiencing this gastrointestinal issue? The technical definition of constip ...
Colonoscopy prep “clean out” -- what to really expect
We know that colonoscopies can be essential in saving people’s lives. At Alabama Colon and Rectal Institute, we look at a colonoscopy not just as a diagnostic procedure ...
What to expect with a transrectal ultrasound
When you think of an ultrasound, thoughts of expecting moms may initially come to mind, but it can be a useful tool for us at Alabama Colon and Rectal Institute as well. We us ...
Why see a doctor that specializes in diseases of the colon, rectum, & anus?
When you are having a problem related to the colon, rectum, or anus, does it really matter if you see a doctor who specializes in these areas? While it may depend on the sever ...
Discussing common conditions: diverticulosis & diverticulitis
Chances are, you know someone who has had diverticulosis. It was likely a grandparent or older adult, and they may have received a diagnosis after a routine colonoscopy. Most ...
Colorectal Cancer FAQs
The time has come for Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month! There are many ways to raise awareness, but people often ask us what they can do. Our answer first and foremost is to ...
The Rumpshaker 5K is coming: How will you raise awareness for colorectal cancer?
Last year, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance celebrated Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March with the “Don’t Assume” campaign. This powerful slogan was me ...
Addressing common fears about colonoscopies & why you should get one this year
Whether you make resolutions or not, the start of a new year is a time when many people think about the months that are to come, including health-related goals. Getting a colo ...
7 tips to get back to your "regular" routine after the holidays
The holidays are a busy time that can keep you moving from one event to another, but the season can slow down other types of movements, like those related to your bowels. One ...
Exploring the benefits of minimally invasive surgery for colorectal disorders
Less pain after surgery. Decreased scarring. Shorter recovery time. These are just three benefits of the minimally invasive approach to surgery: an option we implement at Ala ...
Inflammatory bowel diseases: Crohn's disease & ulcerative colitis
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a term used to describe disorders that involve chronic inflammation of the digestive tract. Types of IBD include ulcerative colitis and Cro ...
Diagnosing & Treating Anorectal Disorders
Diseases of the rectum and anus (anorectal disorders) are common, and most likely, the prevalence among the general population is higher than what we see in clinical practice. ...
Diagnosing & Treating Colorectal Diseases
Around here, we are fondly known to many as “The Butt Hut,” in part because we treat so much anorectal disease and do so many colonoscopies for patients. We have s ...
Are you a candidate for a stapled hemorrhoidectomy?
As the name implies, a stapled hemorrhoidectomy is all about hemorrhoids, and if you are someone who suffers from this condition, it’s a topic you may want to pay specia ...
Rectal Cancer Symptoms, Risk Factors, & Treatment in Birmingham, AL
Cancer inside the rectum (rectal cancer) and cancer inside the colon (colon cancer) are often referred to together as "colorectal cancer,” which we have discussed befo ...
Don't let hemorrhoids be a part of your life forever
You have hemorrhoids. They last and last. They are painful, annoying, and embarrassing; possibly causing itching, discomfort, and bleeding, swelling and difficulty with hygien ...
Raise Awareness for Colorectal Cancer by Shaking Your Rump in the Rumpshaker 5K
As a place with an unforgettable nickname like “The Butt Hutt,” we are proud to be a sponsor of a 5K race with an unforgettable name as well. The Rumpshaker 5K is ...
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month
Did you know that colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States? It is so important to raise awareness about this fact, because 50,000 Ame ...
What Causes Anal Leakage: What You Need to Know About Rectal Incontinence
By Heath Beckham, MD, FACS, FASCRS When most people hear the words “rectal incontinence,” they do not think warm, happy thoughts. Embarras ...
Why We Are Called 'the Butt Hutt'
By Jon Rosser, MD, FACS, FASCRS It’s not everyday that you go to an appointment at a doctors’ office known as the “Butt Hutt.” It’s qu ...
Why You Want Robotic Colorectal Surgery
By Dr. Mark Parker Twenty years ago, we did not have the ability to use robotics in colorectal surgery, but we are so thankful that we now have this technology, and ...
Dispelling Myths About Colon Cancer
Commonly referred to as colon cancer, colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of death from cancer among men and women in the U.S. Approximately 140,000 people ar ...
The Colonoscopy: Dispelling common fears and misconceptions
By Dr. Heath Beckham Having performed well over 5,000 colonoscopies in my career, I have heard every excuse and fear about the procedure. So I’ve decide ...