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The digestive system involves transforming food into energy that your body utilizes throughout the day to perform simple and complex tasks. Many different organs and parts work together to form the complete system that extracts the nutrients your body needs and excretes any waste that your body does not need. The major parts of the digestive system include salivary glands, pharynx, esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine, rectum, and accessory digestive organs (liver, pancreas, gall bladder). Some people may think that the digestive process does not start until the food gets to the stomach. That is not true. The digestive process starts as soon as you put food in your mouth. The salivary glands produce saliva that contains enzymes to help breakdown the food as you chew. Using accessory organs, such as your teeth and tongue will continue to help break down the food. A bolus, or the chewed up food that is ready to travel down the esophagus, is formed from the saliva and the mechanism of chewing. There are many diseases and disorders that can cause problems within the digestive system. One of which is called gloss/itis, meaning inflammation of the tongue. I am sure that we have all eaten something that was too hot to handle, and this can sometimes cause glossitis. Eating spicy foods, smoking, or excessive alcohol use can also cause inflammation of the tongue. If the tongue is inflamed, it can make eating a hassle. Not having the ability to eat certain foods may hinder the amount of nutrients being put into the body. Salivary gland stones can also cause major problems with the beginning of the digestive process. These stones are composed of calcium salts and can partially or completely block saliva from escaping the salivary glands. Without the enzymes within the saliva, the food is not able to be broken down efficiently in the mouth. The process of digesting food is a very important component of life.

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