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The digestive process in which digestive juices and enzymes break down food into materials the body can use
Absorption
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An inability to control the muscles of the bowels, which leads to an involuntary passage of stool or gas; also
called fecal incontinence
Anal Incontinence
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The study of body structure
Anatomy
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The study of all life forms
Biology
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Groups of organs that perform specific functions in the human body
Body Systems
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The physical process of releasing or emptying the colon or large intestine of stool or feces
Bowl Elimination
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The basic structural units of all organisms
Cells
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Semi-liquid substance made as a result of the chemical breakdown of food in the stomach
Chyme
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The large intestine
Colon
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Surgically-created opening into the large intestine to allow feces to be expelled; causes stool to be semi-solid
Colostomy
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The difficulty and often painful elimination of a hard, dry stool
Constipation
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A disease that causes the wall of the intestines (large or small) to become inflamed (red, sore, and swollen)
Crohn’s disease
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The process of eliminating feces from the rectum through the anus
Defecation
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Frequent elimination of liquid or semi-liquid feces
Diarrhea
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The process of breaking down food so that it can be absorbed into the cells
Digestion
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Inflammation of sacs that develop in the wall of the large intestine due to diverticulosis
Diverticulitis
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A disorder in which sac-like pouching develop into a weakened area of the wall of the large intestine (colon)
Diverticulosis
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The first part of the small intestine where the common bile duct enters the small intestine
Duodenum
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Chemical substances that are essential to maintaining fluid balance and homeostasis in the body
Electrolytes
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The process of expelling wastes
Elimination
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A specific amount of water, with or without an additive, introduced into the colon to eliminate stool
Enema
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A mass of dry, hard stool that remains packed in the rectum and cannot be expelled
Fecal impaction
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Solid body waste excreted through the anus from the large intestine; also called the stool
Feces
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Air in the intestine that is passed through the rectum; also called gas or flatus
Flatulence
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A bedpan that is flatter than a regular bedpan; used for small or thin people or those who cannot lift their buttocks onto a standard bedpan
Fracture Pan
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A chronic condition in which the liquid contents of the stomach back up into the esophagus
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD)
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A continuous tube from the opening of the mouth all the way to the anus, where solid wastes are eliminated from the body
Gastrointestinal Tract
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A condition that results from a weakening of the sphincter muscle which joins the esophagus and the stomach; also known as acid reflux
Heartburn
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Enlarged veins in the rectum that can cause itching, burning, pain, and bleeding
Hemorrhoids
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The condition in which all of the body’s systems are balanced and are working at their best
Homeostasis
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Surgically-created opening into the end of the small intestines, the ileum, to allow feces to be expelled; causes stool to liquid
Ileostomy
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The process of taking food or fluids into the body
Ingestion
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A chronic condition of the gastrointestinal tract that is worsened by stress
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)
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The inability to digest lactose, a type of sugar in milk and other dairy products
Lactose Intolerance
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A condition in which the body cannot absorb or digest a particular nutrient properly
Malabsorption
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A structure unit in the human body that performs a specific function
Organ
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Surgical creation of an opening from an area inside the body to the outside
Ostomy
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The study of the disorders that occur in the body
Pathophysiology
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Muscular contractions that push food through the gastrointestinal tract
Peristalsis
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The study of how the body parts function
Physiology
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A chair with a toilet seat and a removable container underneath
Portable Commode
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A sample, such as a tissue, blood, urine, stool, or sputum, used for analysis and diagnosis
Specimen
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An artificial opening in the body
Stoma
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A medication given rectally to cause a bowl movement
Suppository
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A group of cells that performs similar tasks
Tissue
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A chronic inflammatory disease of the large intestine
Ulcerative colitis
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A type of urostomy in which a surgical creation of an opening from the ureter through the abdomen is made for urine to be eliminated
Ureterostomy
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The general term used for any surgical procedure that diverts the passage of urine by re-directing the ureters
Urostomy
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