The Large Intestine

Small intestine joins the colon in the region of the right groin. At this juncture is the ileo-cecal valve whose purpose is to control the speed of passage of substances from the small intestine and to prevent any wastes from returning to it from the large intestine. The ileo-cecal valve opens into the colon into a pouch known as the cecum, the first receptacle for waste residue.

At the tip of the cecum is the appendix. Due to the appendix's position near the waste receptacle, toxins from a diet high in meat, heavy starches, etc. can contribute to its inflammation, which may result in a condition known as appendicitis.

In a normal cases if a person suffering from appendicitis simply gives up from all food in terms of fasting, then the body can conduct its housecleaning and clear up the inflammation without removal of the appendix.

From the cecum, the large intestine ascends on the right side to the middle of the abdomen, then crosses to the left side and descends again. These three sections are called the ascending, transverse and descending colons.

One of the chief functions of the colon is the reabsorption of much of the water used in the digestive process. If too much water is expelled with the feces, then a condition known as diarrhea occurs. Diarrhea happens because of an irritation in the stomach and small intestine due to contaminated food or inflammation or the food infected by microorganisms. In this case, the colon expels its entire waste residue upon entry without holding it for water reabsorption.

Opposite to that, if the engulfed material moves too slowly through the colon, then excessive water is reabsorbed and the feces become hardened. This is called constipation. One of the popular reasons for that is that peristaltic nerves are paralyzed by toxicity from decaying foodstuffs. Another reason is that the passageway has become very small due to poor tone or to hardened feces clogging the intestinal walls.

Junk food, heavy food slower down the intestinal movements and hence it is very necessary to add roughage “fiber” in the diet as it not only smoothens the stools but also increases the movement of the entire digestive track.

The last portion of the large intestine is the rectum. This segment serves as a storage chamber for the feces until defecation. The feces are eliminated from the rectum through an opening called the anus. The process is known as defecation.

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