Gut health isn’t just about bloating or probiotics—there are subtle, serious signs your digestive system might be in trouble. According to Dr. Joseph Salhab, a board-certified gastroenterologist known as The Stomach Doc on TikTok, these six red flags are often overlooked but shouldn’t be ignored.
“These are things I frequently ask my patients,” Dr. Salhab shares in a recent video viewed thousands of times. From unexplained weight loss to changes in your bathroom routine, these symptoms could point to a gut that’s out of balance—or worse, something more serious.
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1. Trouble Swallowing
“If you’re having trouble swallowing, that’s not normal,” says Dr. Salhab. Common causes include severe food allergies that can narrow the esophagus, scar tissue from repeated acid reflux, or even esophageal cancer, which he notes is “on the rise in the United States.”
2. Painful Swallowing
Pain when swallowing—also known as odynophagia—is another warning sign. “Sometimes that can mean you have an ulcer or inflammation in the esophagus,” he explains. In both cases, you’ll want to speak to a GI specialist.
3. Persistent Nausea or Vomiting
“You shouldn’t have to be dealing with nausea and vomiting every time you eat,” he emphasizes. Chronic symptoms may point to issues in your upper GI tract, or problems with organs like the gallbladder. Either way, persistent nausea isn’t something to brush off.
4. A Change in Bowel Habits
One of the most common gut health red flags? A persistent change in your stool patterns. “If you were going regularly and then all of a sudden you’ve been constipated or had diarrhea for a few months, and it doesn’t go away—that definitely needs to get checked out.”
5. Blood In Your Stool
Dr. Salhab is clear on this point: “Dark blood or bright red blood in your stool is never normal.” Blood can signal anything from hemorrhoids to colon cancer, so this symptom always warrants medical attention.
6. Unintentional Weight Loss
While dropping pounds might seem like a win, it’s not always a good sign. “If you’re not trying to lose weight and all of a sudden you’ve been getting skinnier, that’s not something that should be ignored,” he says. It could mean your body isn’t absorbing nutrients properly—or in rare cases, point to cancer.
Bottom line: If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms, Dr. Salhab urges you to talk to a doctor. “Don’t just assume it’ll go away on its own,” he says. “Your gut is trying to tell you something.”
