Body System: The Digestive System

Body System Essay

The Digestive system is made up of a variety of main organs that all function together to digest food through the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and eliminate our body's solid waste. The digestive system is formed from the mouth, salivary glands, pharynx, esophagus, liver, gallbladder, colon, stomach, pancreas, and small intestine. All of these play a big role in our body's digestion . It all starts from the mouth, what we eat works it’s way through GI tract converting into liquid and making its way into the stomach where it continues to break down by the organs . Our body then intakes all the nutrients or body needs into the bloodstream, and the food that was not digested passes into the colon and to the rectum so that the solid waste can be removed.

Anything we insert into our body by our mouth has the possibility of carrying a type of bacteria. Since our body is frequently exposed to that type of risk , the chance of a bacterial infection or disease to form is increased . Genetic disorders, failure to digest food, and other malfunctions of the digestive system are also reasons an abnormal condition can occur . Because the digestive system extends from the mouth to the colon any disease can

Fecal occult blood test detects the blood in the stool that can be a sign of cancer. A proctoscopy is an image of the lower digestive system to detect any abnormalities and is able to show up to 66% of colon cancer. A colonoscopy also gives a visual image of the colon and is used to remove part of the infected area to further study it. The most common and effective treatment for colon cancer is to do a surgical removal of the tumor and all the infected areas that may carry cancer cells as well. After surgery takes place the patient will return for chemotherapy or radiation until the cancer cells are completely gone to avoid formation of tumors