I am Joe's Stomach - from Readers Digest - 1980's version

[Music] that's my Joe his brother asked him to come over alone on a Sunday afternoon Joe often goes over wid the family but alone what could it be about [Music] no one else here could something be wrong no of course not happy birthday [Music] well what a relief Joe was really anxious and whether he knows it or not when his emotions react I react because I am Joe's stomach [Music] Joe's wife his children his mother sister-in-law all in on the plot a surprise birthday party looks like a good time for the family also looks like a lot of work for me parties usually are let me tell you why I'm part of an intricate system that keeps Joe alive and well the digestive system or as the doctor might say the gastrointestinal tract this remarkable system begins here in Joe's mouth with glands that produced saliva and teeth to chew to start preparation of food for digestion then the food passes down the esophagus directly to me the stomach my main jobs are storage mixing and preparation after I've done my work I send the food through an opening called the pyloric valve into the first part of the small intestine this is called the duodenum the food then continues through the small intestine into the large intestine and the residue is eventually eliminated this amazing digestive and absorption pathway is called the elementary canal each step of the way a special set of muscles moves the food along but getting back to me my exterior is a very beautiful shade of glossy pink when I'm empty I look like a deflated balloon or when forward and big at the top and small at the bottom like a bulbous letter J or a boxing hole I'm a great convenience to Jo because I'm an elastic reservoir that holds and stores his food actually I can hold about two pints that may not seem like a lot but for Jo it's just right in fact Jo's dog stomach can hold three times as much because he gulps down his food with very little chewing and needs the extra space and a cow stomach can hold 30 times my classic nature provides all that room for a bulky diet of hay and grasses [Music] unlike my neighbors the lungs kidneys liver and hard who keep working 24 hours a day I get my work done and then rest as for my interior its folds look like glistening velvet and contains some 35 million glands that release gastric juices my glands like little faucets they give off as much as 3 ports and gastric juices a day much of this is hydrochloric acid which helps to break up and soften the food this acid activates another of my secretions the enzyme pepsin which starts protein digestion without acid and pepsin Joe would have a hard time with that steak he loved so much another secretion lipase acts to break down fats my glands also secrete an enzyme called renin which in the stomach's of babies and children turns milk into a soft very digestible custard like substance actually the gastric juices are only a part of my story and since it looks as though my job is beginning let me show you exactly how I work for Joe [Music] because this is a party let's start with champagne I take care of that quickly absorb a little of the alcohol but send most of it right on to the small intestine I work that way with water to absorb a little and send the rest on its way into the duodenum [Music] Joe has spotted some solid food ah yes peanuts and shrimp no problem if he chews the movie the brain signals have started those gastric juices flowing and my muscle system begins to mix up the appetizers now my muscular contractions sweeping wave life and top to bottom mix the food with the gastric juices after thorough mixing the food becomes like a thick gruel and the mixture goes to the pyloric valve with little bits pushed through and large and bits bouncing back into the stomach you see I can push only small particles bit by bit into the duodenum however the process is repeated until the entire mixture is pushed on [Music] I'm glad to see Joe taking it easy on the champagne even if it is his birthday too much alcohol and my flow of acid speeds up as much as three times faster this another factor sometimes result in a condition commonly known as a hangover [Music] well dinner has been announcing and now I get down to a hardware I'm ready for this but of course there can be too much of a good thing overeating causes me to overwork and they may just give up and quit for a while even so those gastric juices will continue to pour in expanding me and making Joe uncomfortable [Music] you know most people think of me is a violent churn which man handles everything that Joe swallows not so a Joe eats dinner I'll process the food in orderly fashion first the appetizer then meat potatoes vegetables and dessert fat-free foods and carbohydrates I empty into the duodenum very rapidly but proteins and vegetables can slow me down things like cabbage can keep me working for as long as 12 to 18 hours now that's too much work and I could put in a protest and persimmons well if Joe should eat one I might hang on to it for months [Applause] Fivey substances are another story and too much of that butter can keep me working right through from meal to meal excess fat triggers that first part of the small intestine the duodenum to produce a hormone which slows my contractions this is really self-protection since the duodenum can't handle a big load of fat all at once [Music] of course sometimes people like to season their food with spices like pepper and mustard but did you know that the chemical irritants in pepper and to a lesser degree mustard and horseradish can turn me fiery red and swollen when they touch my lining Joe's not overdoing it with the food today and that'll make my job a little easier I should be through working in from two to four hours well Joe's really enjoying this meal and I'm doing my job well but have you noticed Joe's brother Jim being especially careful with his diet be better he has a stomach ulcer how did that happen I'll show you hydrochloric acid and pepsin breakdown protein now my lining is made of protein but is protected by a thick liquid much as a firefighter protects himself with an asbestos suit of course if the fire is too hot it soon finds a weak spot a defect in the asbestos and the fireman is burned [Music] now that's exactly what happened to Jim stomach remember the acid produced by the stomach is strong enough to heat into iron normally it won't damage a healthy stomach wall but Joe's brother had a way of getting upset tense and frustrated his glands pumped out extra hydrochloric acid which with pepsin was working to attack the lining of Jim stomach day after day this happened until finally a small weak spot gave way the acid and pepsin literally ate right into the stomach lining and formed a wound but ulcers the usually on one movie but it can be from an eighth of an inch to an inch or more in diameter Jim's doctor warned him against cigarettes alcohol and other acid stimulants that could only aggravate the trouble and lead to more serious consequences actually the majority of also did not occur in the stomach at all but in that first part of the small intestine the duodenum that's because it can't protect itself from excess acid as well as I can but if Jim follows his doctor's orders about diet and medication and most important calming down you'll be okay even I had a little ulcer once but it went away almost as fast as it came at that time Joe was worried about exams in college this shot up the acid production and brought on a few twinges of pain he thought they were from not eating well once the exams were over he calmed down my acid production went down and I healed myself very quickly we were lucky you know an amazing thing about the stomach is that if things really get serious the surgeon can remove a part or all of it I don't like to think about it but many people have had parts of their stomachs removed some of even had the entire stomach taken out actually my storage capacity allows Joe to get by on three meals a day rather than the many small meals he'd need if I warned around the truth is man doesn't really need a stomach to live with a proper diet and vitamin supplement and controlled eating habits the food can pass directly from the esophagus to the small intestine basically I'm a real tough character for instance I can heal a scratch from a fish bone in 24 hours my gastric juices kill off most of the bacteria in Joe's food of course at times when we're away from home for a while bacteria can cause problems I may not be able to save Joel from the results usually nausea and diarrhea even some bacteria at home slept by at times and our intestines get pretty upset but my biggest enemy is cancer when there is any unusual pattern of digestion such as persistent indigestion excessive irregularity any evidence of internal bleeding or extreme loss of appetite or weight a doctor should be consulted since the most essential factor in recovery from cancer is early detection I always hope Joe remembers that if I bother him for more than a day or two he should see a doctor and at least have me checked over in fact if any severe pain in the stomach or chest area persists for more than a few minutes he should call a doctor too many people suffer heart attacks thinking they're merely stomach upsets ah wouldn't hear the end of dinner now and here comes a favorite of just about everyone and especially my Joe he loves ice cream that's okay with me if he doesn't overdo it because it's when too much cold food or liquid is consumed too rapidly my secretion is slower the blood supply is decreased and my muscles stop working I could rest for a half hour or so until my temperature returns to a normal of about 99 degrees [Music] but emotions can affect me too in fact whenever Joe or anyone gets angry and turns red or get scared and turns pale we stomachs do the same really [Music] and finally the coffee and in reasonable amounts coffee doesn't bother me although Joe could use little milk to buffer the acid which caffeine stimulates but when I talk about acid I can't help thinking about more serious troublemakers like nicotine and alcohol they can really step up my acid production well this meal is finished and Joe's been kind to me actually he's had all the nourishment he needs for now and he's going to feel much better for having eaten sensibly in spite of all the good things of the surgery of course the best way that Joe can help me after a meal is to relax take a little mild exercise but that doesn't always happen when Joe gets excited I react with vigorous contractions my secretions may triple in volume fortunately I'm equipped to handle these minor problems but it looks like Joe jr. is having a little trouble [Applause] [Music] in fact over-excitement are eating unwisely can really make me decide to rebell the best remedy in this case is for young Joe to lie down relax and give his stomach a chance to recover believe me in most cases we can take care of ourselves of course at times when there's no other way the brain sends out the signal the abdominal and chest muscles squeeze in on me the valve between me in the small intestine closes and you know the result too often in cases of stomach discomfort people resort to excessive medication even at all stand by bicarbonate of soda can be a villain it's rapidly absorbed into the bloodstream and too much a bit too frequently and place a burden on the kidneys in fact I've been called the most abused organ in the body and probably I am [Music] but I'm also accused of many things that don't originate with me at all motion sickness which can make me queasy results from upsetting the body's delicate balance system in the inner ear heartburn for instance is needed the heart of the stomach Bernie it's really small amounts of hydrochloric acid irritating Joe's lower gullet or esophagus stomach grumbling while rumblings in the small intestine may be but the sound certainly doesn't come from me [Music] however a little extra air swallowed with food or some carbonation from that drink and I can cause a burp nervous stomach upset stomach weak stomach expressions that are used for just about any abdominal discomfort and very often are not my fault at all [Music] well Joe and I came through the festivities just fine and we did have a happy birthday I'll do my part to see that he has many more happy birthdays if you give some thought to what I've just told you such as taking it easy on things that step up my acid production alcohol cigarettes excessive caffeine [Music] taking good nourishing food in sensible amounts overeating or eating too rapidly can cause indigestion or another word for it dyspepsia being careful of things that are hard to digest especially fatty foods [Music] steering clear of those highly spiced irritants trying hard to keep worry and frustration at a reasonable level [Music] [Applause] [Music] avoiding excessive medication of any kind but most of all seeing his doctor regularly and heeding his doctor's advice but Joe's pretty careful and with that kind of consideration I can serve him with a minimum of trouble for his entire lifetime [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music]