A Brief Introduction...

Hi there! Welcome to our blog!

The purpose of this blog is to educate the public (you) about the ingenious ways that our bodies go through to carefully manage all the things that we stuff our face with every. single. day!

It's a daunting task but never fear! Our bodies are well equipped with different systems and organizations to deal with it all. So, come what may, everything that we eat, be it good or bad, will eventually find its way out of us.

We've specifically designed our posts to be as reader-friendly as possible (read; we'll use as little medical jargon as we can, we promise!) so that educating yourselves through our posts will be as smooth as butter spreading across a piece of warm toast! Mmm, yummy...

Our topics will include;

1. The Parts and The Functions of a Normal Digestive System (Anatomy & Physiology)
2. Chewing!
3. Swallowing!
4. Digesting!
5. Absorption...?
6. Pooping!
7. Tips to maintain a healthy digestive system
8. Diseases of The Digestive System

Stay tuned!

Chewing!

by Afrina Ariff

So I thought it would be a good idea to write this out while eating. As you are reading this, I am about to dive into a pack of Chicken-flavoured Mamee Monster. Haven't had this in a very long time. Probably not the best thing to have at this hour but I am willing to sacrifice my able-bodied self for science!!!

*opens pack of Mamee*

Right, let's be honest with ourselves, have we ever given thought to what happens when we stick a piece of food in our mouth? How it is able to magically travel down our throats and fill up our stomachs to satisfy our insatiable and perpetual hunger? No? Understandable. 

The ~explosion~ of flavours usually distracts us. (This Mamee however, man is it salty...)

Before food can be swallowed, obviously, we gotta chew it first. Aaaaaaaand how do we chew food?

*WITH OUR TEETH!!!* Well done kids!

Except for this guy. But don't feel bad for him tho. He doesn't seem to be bothered by his predicament.

In all seriousness, food needs to be chewed before it can be swallowed. If not you'll choke. and probably die if no one around you knows what to do about it. (psst! we suggest reading up about the Heimlich Maneuver.)

Chewing, or it's fancy scientific term, Mastication, is a process where food is broken down into small pieces with the help of the teeth and tongue. As you may already know, we've got different types of teeth to get the job done;

As you can see from the infographic above, us humans 4 types of teeth, each with its own unique function.

It makes perfect sense that the pointier teeth such as the Canines, Premolars and Incisors, are located nearest to the entrance of the mouth, because that's where the food we're about to stuff our face with comes in contact first.

Exhibit A : This woman's Incisors, Canines and Premolars are in full view, out and ready to bite into the piece of meat. She likes her meat rare by the looks of it.

It also makes perfect sense that the Molars, responsible for grinding up food after it has been bitten off, is located at the back and sides of the mouth, preparing the ground up food that has been mixed together with saliva, now called a bolus, to be swallowed.

Now the teeth don't do all the overwhelming work by themselves. They go hand in hand with specific muscles to produce specialized movements. These group of muscles are called the Muscles of Mastication. Let's go through them one by one;

1. Temporalis (tem-pow-ral-lis) Muscle

 

The temporalis muscle, located at the side of the head, is responsible to lift the jaw to bite into and CRUSH food between the Molars.

2. Masseter (ma-seh-turh) Muscle

This muscle, which is located at the jaw, also plays the same role as the Temporalis muscle which is to lift the jaw when biting into food. It also enables us to clench our teeth in a fiery fit of rage when the waiter messes up our order.

3. Medial and Lateral Pterygoid (terry-goid)

The Pterygoids can be considered as the "connector" of the first two muscles mentioned. They allow our jaw to open and close and move from side to side.

To summarize, I've created a scenario and put all these pieces of information together in an orderly sequence;

1. You smell food. You want to eat food.

2. You find food (the last piece of chicken from last night's roast - a drumstick).

oh man

3. You think, there's no time for cutlery and plates, this needs to be IN me now.

4. You open your mouth (with the help of the Medial and Lateral Pterygoids) and bite into the chicken (using your Incisors if you're biting from the front of the mouth, the Canines and the Premolars if you're biting from the side).

5. You chew. (up and down movement of the jaw provided by all the muscles of mastication; grinding of the piece of food by the Molars).

6. When you're happy with the sludge that you've produced (formation of Bolus) it's finally time to SWALLOW.

Swallowing is another process that will be explained in the next post.

Until then, this has been Afrina and now you know how Chewing works! Tata!

Delectable!

REFERENCES

1.     Tortora, Gerard J., et al, “Organization, Support and Movement, and Control Systems of the Human Body 13^th Edition”, John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte. Ltd., 2011.

Swallowing!

by Afrina Ariff

A X-Ray view of a person drinking and swallowing

Hello again! Today we're gonna talk about swallowing! (minds out of the gutter please!)

Swallowing, or in its fancy scientific term, Deglutition (dee-glu-ti-shun) is a process that comes after chewing food into a swallow-able thing, called a Bolus. It's a process that has to occur in order for the food to reach its next destination for the next phase of Digestion, in the stomach. 

There are 3 main parts to this process which are;

1. Buccal Phase

2. Pharyngeal Phase

3. Esophageal Phase

What are these weird words Afrina?! Didn't you promise to cut out the Medical jargon?!

Indeed I did, and indeed I shall!

1. Buccal (book-al) Phase

Buccal, which is Latin for Cheek simply means that the first phase happens in the cheeks, on more specifically, happens in the oral cavity.

• The soft palate, a structure located at the back of the throat, is raised and seals off the Nasopharynx (a structure that directs the air breathed in through the nose and later directs it into the lungs). 

Here's something that you may or may not have experienced; 

ever had someone make you laugh while you were drinking and had it splattering out through your nostrils? Well, that's because soft palate had no time to shut off your nasopharynx, allowing the liquid to travel up the nasopharynx and out through your nostrils. Beautiful! Moving on...

• The Bolus is pushed against the hard palate by the tongue, shaping it into a near-spherical shape.
• The Bolus, now round-ish in shape, is now able to move down into the oropharynx, pushed by the tongue.

2. Pharyngeal (fareen-gee-al) Phase

The pharyngeal phase is movement of the Bolus towards the Esophagus from the oral cavity. 

But first, the entry of the Bolus into the oropharynx stimulates a bunch of nerves which triggers the Swallowing Reflex; the larynx moves up, the epiglottis shuts off the trachea (a passageway for air) to prevent food/water from entering the lungs. Breathing ceases for a while.

3. Esophageal (ay-so-fa-gee-al) Phase

Peristaltic waves (pulsation of the muscle walls of the Esophagus and the rest of the Digestive system) pushes the Bolus down into the stomach where it enters through the gastroesophageal sphincter (gastro-eso-fa-gee-al sfink-tur).

Once the Bolus enters the stomach, further Mechanical digesting will occur and a new type of phase begins... and you will find out in the next post!

This has been Afrina, and now you know the phases of Swallowing! Now go forth young Padawan, chew and swallow to your heart's desire!

REFERENCES

1.    Tortora, Gerard J., et al, “Organization, Support and Movement, and Control Systems of the Human Body 13^th Edition”, John Wiley & Sons (Asia) Pte. Ltd., 2011.

Diseases of The Digestive System

By Jonathan Alfred

With a lot of food passing through our GIT system on a daily basis (expect for those who are dieting), there is bound to be some hiccups along the way. So I’ve listed two of the most common issues that can happen to our GIT system.

Hemorrhoids

That ass though

What is it?

Hemorrhoids are fleshly like structures in the anal canal aka butt hole.Usually, they are cushions that help with poop control.They become irritating little bastards when swollen or inflamed.There are two types of this minuscule nuisance, internal and external hemorrhoids.Internal hemorrhoids usually present with painless, bright red poop(so much blood) when pooping. External hemorrhoids often result in pain and swelling in the area of the butt hole. Irritations frequently get better after a few days.A piece of your skin may remain after the healing of an external hemorrhoid to remind of you the pain.

Causes?

While the exact cause of hemorrhoids remains unknown, a number of factors which increase pressure in the abdomen are believed to be involved. This may include constipation, diarrhea, and sitting on the toilet for a long time. Hemorrhoids are also more common during pregnancy.

Purple is the color of evil like usual

Cure?

Often, no specific treatment is needed. Initial measures consists of increasing fiber intake, drinking fluids to maintain hydration, painkillers to help with pain, and lots of rest (preferably with your bottom being as comfy as possible). A number of minor procedures may be performed if symptoms are severe or do not improve with conservative management. Surgery is reserved only for those who fail to improve following these measures.

Maybe its an embarrassing thing to do but if you wanna sit again..

Did You Know?

l Half to two thirds of people have problems with hemorrhoids at some point in their lives.

l Males and females are affected about equally commonly.

l Hemorrhoids affect people most often between 45 and 65 years of age.

l It is more common among the wealthy.

l Outcomes are usually good.

l The first known mention of the disease is from a 1700 BC Egyptian papyrus.

You better believe it

 Irritable Bowel Syndrome

What is it?

Irritable bowel syndrome also known by its swag name IBS, is a group of symptoms which include abdominal pain and changes in the pattern of bowel movements without any source of underlying damage. These symptoms occur over a long time which may even last for years. It has been classified into four main types depending on if diarrhea is common, constipation is common, both are common, or neither occurs very often. IBS negatively affects quality of life and may result in missed school,work and having that intimate lunch/dinner with that special someone. Disorders such as anxiety, major depression, and chronic fatigue syndrome, are common among people with IBS.

A nice shirt doesn't conceal a rumbling tummy filled with pain

Causes?

The causes of IBS are not clear. Theories include gut–brain connection problems, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, genetic factors, food sensitivity, and gut motility problems. Onset may be triggered by an intestinal infection or a stressful life event like being rejected for dinner for two. IBS is a functional gastrointestinal disorder which means that the diagnosis is based on signs and symptoms in the absence of worrisome features. Worrisome features include onset at greater than 50 years of age, weight loss, blood in your poop, or a family history of inflammatory bowel disease. Other conditions that may present similar conditions include celiac disease, microscopic colitis, inflammatory bowel disease, bile acid malabsorption, and colon cancer.

What is this travesty i'm reading?

Are you sure you know what you're talking about?

Cure?

There is no cure for IBS but don’t fret as treatment is carried out to improve symptoms. 

If there's no cure how can i enjoy these royal cakes?

This may including dietary changes, medication, probiotics, and counseling for all you broken hearted people out there. Dietary measures include increasing soluble fiber intake and a gluten free diet which is good news for you hipsters out there. Taking medication such as laxatives can be used to help with constipation. Antidepressants may improve overall symptoms and pain of rejection. Patient education and a good doctor–patient relationship (wink wink) are an important part of care.

In that case, I'll enjoy tea with Mr. Zuma instead

Did You Know?

l About 10 to 15% of people in the developed world are believed to be affected by IBS.

l It is more common in South America and less common in Southeast Asia.

l It is twice as common in women as men and typically occurs before age 45.

l The condition appears to become less common with age.

l IBS does not affect life expectancy or lead to other serious diseases.

l The first description of the condition was in 1820 while the current term "irritable bowel syndrome" came into use in 1944.

When you know you wont die from IBS

REFERENCES

l Schubert, MC; Sridhar, S; Schade, RR; Wexner, SD (July 2009). "What every gastroenterologist needs to know about common anorectal disorders". World J Gastroenterol.

l Misra, MC; Imlitemsu, (2005). "Drug treatment of haemorrhoids". Drugs

l  "Definition and Facts for Irritable Bowel Syndrome". NIDDKD. 23 February 2015.

l Whitehead WE, Palsson O, Jones KR; Palsson; Jones (2002). "Systematic review of the comorbidity of irritable bowel syndrome with other disorders: what are the causes and implications?". Gastroenterology

l  Lorenzo-Rivero, S (August 2009). "Hemorrhoids: diagnosis and current management". Am Surg