-respond back to both paragraphs and must be 200 words.

Goodmorning, Class.

To answer the discussion, I would explain the digestive system to my patient as the following. The digestive system is made up of gastrointestinal tract (GI tract), which also includes solid organs like the liver, pancreas, and gallbladder. The GI track is made up by hollow organs which includes the mouth, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and the anus. The process of digestion is very important because our bodies need nutrients from the foods and liquids we consume to work properly and stay healthy. Proteins, fats , carbs, minerals, and vitamins are all nutrients that benefit us. The digestive system breaks these nutrients into smaller parts enough for our bodies to absorb and use for energy and cellular repairing. The digestive system is in fact an important system of the body. The digestive system begins in our mouths when we chew, the saliva becomes a digestive juice which moistens our food to move more easily through our digestive system. Also initially saliva begins to break down the starch in the foods. Next after you swallow, a muscle pushes food down your esophagus. The stomach produces acid and enzymes that break down food, while muscles inside the stomach mixes them. The pancreas also makes a digestive juice that breaks down carbs, fats and proteins. This juice is also delivered into the small intestine. Next the gallbladder, stores bile between meals when you eat. The gallbladder squeezes bile into the small intestine. The small intestine mixes all this to complete the breakdown of proteins, carbs and fats. It also takes water from your bloodstream to help breakdown food. On to the large intestine, water moves from your GI tract back into your bloodstream. Bacteria breaks down remaining nutrients and make vitamin K. Finally wasteful products of digestion, including the various parts of food become stool. Cholangitis is an infection of the bile ducts, the tubes that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder. It is most often caused by simple bacteria blocking the duct, such as a gallstone or tumor. This infection can also spread to the liver.

Good morning class,

As we all learned this week, the digestion process is long and involves multiple body systems to complete the job. To begin, the digestion process starts in the mouth. The process of chewing food, or mastication, utilizes the teeth and tongue to breakdown food into smaller parts to swallow. From this point the broken-down food, or bolus, travels through the oropharynx, down the esophagus, and into the stomach where specially formed acids reside to continue breaking down food. Once broken down into basic nutrient components, the food is moved through the small intestines, where the body absorbs most of the nutrients. Once the food passes into the large intestines, the remainder of the water still in the food gets extracted. Finally, the remainder of the food, now waste, travels into the colon where it waits to be eliminated. The digestion process is very efficient, although extensive. There are over ten different organs that participate in the breakdown and use nutrients received from food. If any of these organs or systems are not working properly, it could affect the whole process. One sickness that can affect the digestion process is a peritonsillar abscess. Peritonsillar abscesses are usually caused by Streptococcus pyogenes, the same bacteria that causes strep throat and tonsillitis. If the infection spreads beyond the tonsil, it can create an abscess around the tonsil. Peritonsillar abscesses usually occur in young adults during the winter and spring, when strep throat and tonsillitis infections are most common. Although not directly connected to the digestive system, the tonsils are in the oropharynx and can make eating difficult if swollen. Also, peritonsillar abscesses can make swallowing difficult, which could prevent a patient from wanting to eat. Unless this problem is fixed, a patient may deprive themselves of proper nutrition, which could ultimately affect other body systems.

-Austin