If you’re experiencing any digestive problems, it’s important that you see your doctor. Many are easy to fix, as long as you understand them. Here are five common digestive ailments.

1. Constipation. Bowel movement fewer than three times per week . . . affects almost everyone at some point . . . typically caused by poor diet and lack of exercise . . . a symptom, not disease.

2. Diarrhea. Loose, watery stools passed more than three times a day . . . typically lasts 1-2 days and then ceases without special treatment . . . in United States, children will have it 7-15 times before age 5 . . . can cause dehydration.

3. Heartburn. Burning-type pain in lower part of mid-chest, behind breast bone, in mid-abdomen . . . main symptom of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which most doctors can treat . . . can often be treated with over-the-counter (OTC) medicines or with lifestyle changes, like avoiding fatty foods, wearing loose clothing, not lying down 2-3 hours after a meal.

4. Indigestion. Describes one or more: feeling full during a meal, uncomfortably full after a meal, burning or pain in the upper abdomen . . . caused by condition in the digestive tract, like GERD, but causes can be unknown . . . normal for adults to experience it multiple times a week . . . not the same as heartburn.

5. Lactose intolerance. Inability to digest significant amounts of lactose . . . 30-50 million Americans have it . . . not a threat to good health . . . easy to treat with OTC enzymes and/or by purchasing lactose-reduced products.