DIGESTIVE DISORDERS some form of digestive disorder affects more than 100 million people in America diverticulitis-diverticulosis For some people, digestive disorders are a source of irritation and discomfort that may cause them to drastically limit their life styles and frequently miss work diverticulitis-diverticulosis For others, the disorders may be extremely crippling crippling and even fatal diverticulitis-diverticulosis The Gastrointestinal Tract The gastrointestinal tract (GIT) is a long muscular tube that functions as the food processor for the human body diverticulitis-diverticulosis The digestive system includes the following organs: mouth and salivary glands, stomach, small and large intestines, colon, liver and pancreas, and the gall gall bladder diverticulitis-diverticulosis Irritations or inflammation of the various sections of the GIT are identified as gastritis (stomach) , colitis (colon) , ileitis (ileum or small intestines) , hepatitis (liver) , and cholecystitis (gall bladder) diverticulitis-diverticulosis The GIT is not a passive system diverticulitis-diverticulosis Rather it has the capability to to sense and react to the materials that are passed through it diverticulitis-diverticulosis For a healthy digestive system, every person requires different food selections that match their GIT capacity diverticulitis-diverticulosis The Digestive Process The GIT breaks down foods by first using mechanical means such as chewing and then by the application application of a host of complex chemical processes diverticulitis-diverticulosis These chemical processes include everything from saliva to colon microbes diverticulitis-diverticulosis Since the GIT is the point of entry for the human body, everything eaten has an impact on the body diverticulitis-diverticulosis The food eaten and passed through the GIT contains nutrients nutrients as well as toxins diverticulitis-diverticulosis Toxins can be anything from food additives and pesticides to specific foods that induce a reactive response by the GIT diverticulitis-diverticulosis The process of digestion is accomplished via the surface of the GIT using secretions from accessory glands diverticulitis-diverticulosis The two glands providing the majority majority of digestive chemicals utilized by the GIT are the liver and the pancreas diverticulitis-diverticulosis The function of the liver is to control the food supply for the rest of the body by further processing of the food molecules absorbed through the intestines diverticulitis-diverticulosis This is done by dispensing those food food molecules in a controlled manner and by filtering out toxins that may have passed through the GIT wall diverticulitis-diverticulosis Another very important function of the GIT is as a sensory organ diverticulitis-diverticulosis By rejecting foods through objectionable taste, vomiting, and diarrhea or any combination of these symptoms, the sensing capacity capacity of the GIT can protect the body diverticulitis-diverticulosis The surface of the GIT has a complex system of nerves and other cells of the immune system diverticulitis-diverticulosis The surface of the GIT, or mucosa, is part of a complex sensing system called the MALT (mucosa associated lymphatic tissue) diverticulitis-diverticulosis The immune sensors in MALT trigger responses such as nausea, vomiting, pain, and swelling diverticulitis-diverticulosis Vomiting and diarrhea are abrupt defensive responses to MALT-sensing foods with a strong allergic or toxic component diverticulitis-diverticulosis This kind of food intolerance is responsible for many digestive problems diverticulitis-diverticulosis The GIT is hard-wired to | 