Author: DigestivoHealth

The digestive tract is the system of organs that work together in the process of digestion, which is what occurs when a body takes in food, breaks down nutrients into forms which it can use to produce and feed cells (as in giving energy).

“In the mouth is the very beginning of digestion. The teeth grind up the food and the glandular secretions of saliva moisten it and begin its chemical breakdown. Then it passes the pharynx, continues past the esophagus, and enters the stomach – a muscular bag with a capacity of about 1.5 liters – whose mucous membrane secretes a powerful acid. In the stomach, the food is mixed and churned. Upon exiting the stomach, the food is introduced into the small intestine, which measures six meters in length. In the first part (the duodenum), the food receives secretions from the intestinal glands: bile from the gallbladder and juices from the pancreas. Each of these secretions contains a multitude of enzymes, which break down the nutrients and turn them into simple soluble substances such as amino acids. The digestive tract continues

into the large intestine, which is slightly more than 1.5 meters long. The last part of the large intestine is the rectum, which ends at the anus – where the indigestible components of the food are evacuated from the body.” (1)

(1) Wikipedia.org/ wiki/Aparato Digestivo (translation from Spanish to English by Deborah Kosi)

The everyday situations in which we find ourselves can affect our physical, mental, and emotional health, which is why it is so necessary to care for ourselves in each of those areas.

Let’s talk today about mental health. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects the way in which we think, feel, and act as we face life.It also helps to determine how we manage stress, relate to others, and make decisions. Mental health is important in every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence to adulthood and old age.” (1)

For a long time, mental health was forgotten and myths arose around it. From these, we got the idea that we shouldn’t give it so much importance, and it’s why we frequently hear phrases like, “I’m not crazy,” “Why should I get help? I can do it on my own,” etc. Now that we know more about the subject, we can say that we must all look into our own minds and see what has been subconsciously “programmed” by the people with whom we have shared our lives: parents, grandparents, teachers, etc., since all of that programming makes us who we are today and forms part of our emotional intelligence, which we’ll discuss another day.

For now, and to bring this to a close, a good question to ask ourselves is:

How do you want others to remember you when you’re gone? Do you believe they would be left with good thoughts of you?

The way in which you act, react, and relate to others is the image they will have of you. Let’s make good use of the time we have and be better people. Respect, good judgement, and kindness are just some of the values we can practice, and in doing so, live in harmony with others.

(1) Source: Medline Plus, U.S. National Library of Medicine (translation from Spanish to English by Deborah Kosi)