GI Anatomy
This muscular, J-shaped pouch uses strong acid and mixing movements to turn food into a liquid soup.
What is the stomach?
When stomach acid splashes back up into the esophagus, it causes a burning chest pain commonly called this.
What is heartburn or acid reflux?
Found right in your saliva, this special protein helper starts breaking down bread and starches into sugar the moment you chew.
What is an enzyme / amylase?
This is the specific type of medical specialist you would visit if you had chronic stomach pain or severe acid reflux.
What is a gastroenterologist?
The medical term for the gas released from the digestive tract, commonly known as a fart, is this.
(What is flatus or flatulence?)
Despite its name, this section of the gut is actually the longest, stretching over 20 feet to absorb nutrients from your food.
What is the small intestine?
This rare disorder occurs when nerves in the esophagus become damaged, preventing the lower esophageal sphincter from relaxing and making it difficult for food and liquid to pass into the stomach.
What is Achalasia?
To kill germs and break down tough foods, the stomach produces this specific, highly corrosive acid.
What is hydrochloric acid / stomach acid?
In this procedure, a doctor slides a thin, flexible tube with a camera down a sleeping patient's throat to look inside their stomach.
What is an endoscopy?
Your gut is home to trillions of tiny, harmless bacteria and microbes that actually help you digest food, known collectively by this name.
(What is the gut microbiome?)
This is the small flap of tissue at the back of your throat that acts like a trapdoor, stopping food from going down your windpipe.
What is the epiglottis?
These are painful, pebble-like stones that can form inside the gallbladder when digestive fluids harden.
What are gallstones?
This green-yellow fluid doesn't digest food on its own, but it acts like dish soap to break large blobs of fat into tiny drops.
What is bile?
To check the health of the large intestine and look for early signs of cancer, a doctor uses a camera to perform this common screening.
What is a colonoscopy?
This is the exact number of permanent teeth a normal, healthy adult human has in their mouth for chewing.
(What is 32?)
This large organ in your upper right abdomen is a multi-tasking factory that filters blood and creates a green fluid called bile.
What is the liver?
These are painful, open sores that can develop directly on the sensitive lining of the stomach, often caused by stress or bacteria.
What are stomach ulcers?
Proteins are like long bead necklaces; the digestive system has to chop them down into these individual "bead" building blocks to absorb them.
What are amino acids?
When a doctor pinches off a tiny sample of tissue from the stomach lining to test it in a lab for diseases, it is called this.
What is a biopsy?
The human liver is completely unique because it is the only solid internal organ capable of doing this if a piece of it is cut away.
(What is regenerating / growing back?)
These are the wave-like, involuntary muscle squeezes that push food down your esophagus and through your intestines.
What is peristalsis?
This is the general medical name for inflammation of the liver, which can be caused by different viruses known as types A, B, or C.
What is hepatitis?
This large, leaf-shaped organ tucked behind the stomach produces most of the digestive enzymes used in the small intestine.
What is the pancreas?
Doctors can use this completely painless test—the same sound-wave technology used to look at babies—to search for gallstones.
What is an ultrasound?
To protect itself from being eaten alive by its own powerful acids, the stomach has to completely replace this slimy layer every few days.
(What is mucus / the mucous lining?)