LESSON SIX: DIGEST AND ABSORB KNOWLEDGE
What is your approach to knowledge?
One of the lessons that life taught me is digesting and absorbing knowledge – from an anatomical perspective in the human body, this occurs in the intestines. The small intestine is the main site for digestion and absorption whereas, the large intestine absorbs water.
The intestines are part of the gastrointestinal tract otherwise, known as the digestive tract or alimentary canal. It is around 9 m long from the mouth to the anus - the main areas are the mouth, pharynx, oesophagus (food pipe), stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. The accessory organs are the salivary glands, liver, gall bladder and pancreas. They secrete substances to facilitate the process of digestion and absorption, transferring the nutrients, salt, and water to the target body cells.
The digestive process is under the control of the nerves, hydrochloric acid made in the stomach and bile in the liver. There are also chemicals called hormones released into the blood that regulate processes in the body. Examples of hormones secreted: cholecystokinin, secretin and the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (gastric inhibitory polypeptide).
What do we mean by digesting knowledge?
When we first hear knowledge, they are like large food molecules good for you but cannot go through the thin layer of cells called epithelium that lines the small intestines. The large food molecules need to be broken down into smaller pieces using proteins called enzymes. This allows the benefit of the small soluble molecules to their target cells.
Enzymes are biological catalysts – they speed up the chemical reaction without being used up. They can make or break down products in a positive way. For instance, carbohydrates are broken down into glucose molecules, proteins into amino acids and fats into glycerol and fatty acids. Carbohydrates are needed for energy; proteins for growth and repair and fats help keep the body warm and is a backup energy source. Other food molecules e.g. vitamins, minerals and water are not broken down by the enzymes.
Knowledge requires energy to learn, adapt and apply to stay updated to grow, excel, and repair. It also teaches one the humility and warmth of learning. There are two types of knowledge: academia and life. I came across a quote:
“Education is not just about going to school and getting a degree. It’s about widening your knowledge and absorbing the truth about life” by Shakuntala Devi.
We learn from our parents, books, teachers younger and older than us, general people we come across and our mistakes. This can facilitate our progression in life.
The first site of digestion begins in the mouth where the enzyme amylase is secreted or produced in the ducts of the salivary glands. Amylase is found in the saliva. The saliva also has other roles: it contains sticky mucus to remove bacteria, moisten and lubricate the food particles and dissolves some of the food.
Enzymes have high specificity where amylase breaks down the large molecule starch – a complex molecule to form maltose. This is later broken down further in the small intestine to form smaller sugar molecules called glucose. Other enzymes are secreted in the stomach and glands such as the pancreas and the epithelial lining and enter the intestinal lumen.
The small intestine is 2.4 cm in diameter and 3 metres in length from the stomach to the large intestine. It is the main site of digestion and is divided into three segments: it starts with the short duodenum, then the jejunum and the longest is the ileum. Most of the food (chyme) coming from the stomach are digested and then absorbed in the duodenum and jejunum. It consists of enzymes that digest foods, salts and; water maintaining the fluidity of the lumen and the mucus. The intestines have a smooth muscle that helps mix the food contents (motility).
To maximize the absorption, tiny-like projections called villi cover the surface of the epithelial cells. There is a lacteal, a lymphatic vessel, in the middle of the villi and a good blood capillary network. There are Peyer’s patches in the ileum and; the immune cells produce antibodies to fight infections and secrete inflammatory cells such as cytokines.
A brush border (microvilli) further increases the surface area and the absorption 600-fold more to enter the blood or the lymph to go to the target cells that require the necessary nutrients. Simple sugars such as glucose, are absorbed by specific transporters in the plasma membrane of the epithelial cells. On the other hand, fatty acids enter by diffusion. The epithelial cells are replaced continuously by new epithelial cells.
This is the beauty of sharing knowledge and absorbing it to the target cells– we learn to apply and give and help our target audiences – humanity and other living organisms. A parent benefits their child. A teacher benefits the student. A doctor or dentist or any form of healthcare professional benefits the patient. A writer benefits the reader, a lawyer benefits the client, civil engineers and roadworkers benefit the drivers and pedestrians, a shopkeeper or businessperson benefits the client. Every profession has a target audience and; the knowledge is continuously replaced by: new research, developments, techniques and feedback.
However, when I reflect, one of the lessons that I learnt is that I could learn but was limited to absorb despite my villi - the reason why you would find that the academic history is longer than the work history. Rejection. You continue to study to develop and get the experience; then you find out you are back in the same position. However, as I said in my previous articles, you take the good from the situation. It gave me the skills. It gave me the strength to continue - that was the choice I had. I am forever grateful for what I learnt and what I reached because I believe there may be a hidden gem and Divine reasoning for everything that has happened – the good and challenging moments and accept the human limitations on the Unseen knowledge.
Below the epithelium consists of layers of connective tissue. Lamina propria consists of small blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatic vessels. Muscularis mucosa is the thin layer of smooth muscle tissue. The submucosa nerve cells (submucosal plexus), blood and lymphatic vessels. Muscularis Externa consists of two muscles: the thick inner circular muscle and the outer layer consists of the longitudinal muscle. The myenteric nerves plexus is between the circular and longitudinal muscles. The serosa is on the outer surface and consists of thin sheets covered with an abdominal wall. It shows that the level of each knowledge has a step by step process. I learnt that I was the prey that was easily caught because I did not camouflage with the environment to progress in the necessary steps. I was me rather than a copy of someone who I was not. I absorbed this and sent it to the target cells – be happy with who you are and what you are.
To build my confidence and sharing what I learnt from my previous teachers at different academic levels, reading textbooks, articles and websites. I created this website to express my knowledge, research findings and skills. I started as a caterpillar in a cocoon.
Knowledge is important just like water is. The main site of absorption of water is the large intestine where it contains salt and water. Any undigested or unabsorbed material is propelled and removed from the body by defecation. This occurs if undigested food is unmetabolised by the bacteria in the large intestine. The large intestine does not regulate the concentration of absorbed nutrients. Faeces is stored in the rectum and; through the contraction of the sphincter muscles it comes out from the anus. This suggests taking the knowledge that benefits you and any negative knowledge to excrete it away. The undigested material is unable to be digested in the small intestine, but then there was a chance to get digested again by bacteria.
Keep digesting and absorbing to develop. Failure is not fatal. Giving up is. Start over and show yourself first before anyone else what you can do. Courage.
One of the lessons that life taught me is digesting and absorbing knowledge – from an anatomical perspective in the human body, this occurs in the intestines. The small intestine is the main site for digestion and absorption whereas, the large intestine absorbs water.
The intestines are part of the gastrointestinal tract otherwise, known as the digestive tract or alimentary canal. It is around 9 m long from the mouth to the anus - the main areas are the mouth, pharynx, oesophagus (food pipe), stomach, small intestine, and large intestine. The accessory organs are the salivary glands, liver, gall bladder and pancreas. They secrete substances to facilitate the process of digestion and absorption, transferring the nutrients, salt, and water to the target body cells.
The digestive process is under the control of the nerves, hydrochloric acid made in the stomach and bile in the liver. There are also chemicals called hormones released into the blood that regulate processes in the body. Examples of hormones secreted: cholecystokinin, secretin and the glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (gastric inhibitory polypeptide).
What do we mean by digesting knowledge?
When we first hear knowledge, they are like large food molecules good for you but cannot go through the thin layer of cells called epithelium that lines the small intestines. The large food molecules need to be broken down into smaller pieces using proteins called enzymes. This allows the benefit of the small soluble molecules to their target cells.
Enzymes are biological catalysts – they speed up the chemical reaction without being used up. They can make or break down products in a positive way. For instance, carbohydrates are broken down into glucose molecules, proteins into amino acids and fats into glycerol and fatty acids. Carbohydrates are needed for energy; proteins for growth and repair and fats help keep the body warm and is a backup energy source. Other food molecules e.g. vitamins, minerals and water are not broken down by the enzymes.
Knowledge requires energy to learn, adapt and apply to stay updated to grow, excel, and repair. It also teaches one the humility and warmth of learning. There are two types of knowledge: academia and life. I came across a quote:
“Education is not just about going to school and getting a degree. It’s about widening your knowledge and absorbing the truth about life” by Shakuntala Devi.
We learn from our parents, books, teachers younger and older than us, general people we come across and our mistakes. This can facilitate our progression in life.
The first site of digestion begins in the mouth where the enzyme amylase is secreted or produced in the ducts of the salivary glands. Amylase is found in the saliva. The saliva also has other roles: it contains sticky mucus to remove bacteria, moisten and lubricate the food particles and dissolves some of the food.
Enzymes have high specificity where amylase breaks down the large molecule starch – a complex molecule to form maltose. This is later broken down further in the small intestine to form smaller sugar molecules called glucose. Other enzymes are secreted in the stomach and glands such as the pancreas and the epithelial lining and enter the intestinal lumen.
The small intestine is 2.4 cm in diameter and 3 metres in length from the stomach to the large intestine. It is the main site of digestion and is divided into three segments: it starts with the short duodenum, then the jejunum and the longest is the ileum. Most of the food (chyme) coming from the stomach are digested and then absorbed in the duodenum and jejunum. It consists of enzymes that digest foods, salts and; water maintaining the fluidity of the lumen and the mucus. The intestines have a smooth muscle that helps mix the food contents (motility).
To maximize the absorption, tiny-like projections called villi cover the surface of the epithelial cells. There is a lacteal, a lymphatic vessel, in the middle of the villi and a good blood capillary network. There are Peyer’s patches in the ileum and; the immune cells produce antibodies to fight infections and secrete inflammatory cells such as cytokines.
A brush border (microvilli) further increases the surface area and the absorption 600-fold more to enter the blood or the lymph to go to the target cells that require the necessary nutrients. Simple sugars such as glucose, are absorbed by specific transporters in the plasma membrane of the epithelial cells. On the other hand, fatty acids enter by diffusion. The epithelial cells are replaced continuously by new epithelial cells.
This is the beauty of sharing knowledge and absorbing it to the target cells– we learn to apply and give and help our target audiences – humanity and other living organisms. A parent benefits their child. A teacher benefits the student. A doctor or dentist or any form of healthcare professional benefits the patient. A writer benefits the reader, a lawyer benefits the client, civil engineers and roadworkers benefit the drivers and pedestrians, a shopkeeper or businessperson benefits the client. Every profession has a target audience and; the knowledge is continuously replaced by: new research, developments, techniques and feedback.
However, when I reflect, one of the lessons that I learnt is that I could learn but was limited to absorb despite my villi - the reason why you would find that the academic history is longer than the work history. Rejection. You continue to study to develop and get the experience; then you find out you are back in the same position. However, as I said in my previous articles, you take the good from the situation. It gave me the skills. It gave me the strength to continue - that was the choice I had. I am forever grateful for what I learnt and what I reached because I believe there may be a hidden gem and Divine reasoning for everything that has happened – the good and challenging moments and accept the human limitations on the Unseen knowledge.
Below the epithelium consists of layers of connective tissue. Lamina propria consists of small blood vessels, nerves, and lymphatic vessels. Muscularis mucosa is the thin layer of smooth muscle tissue. The submucosa nerve cells (submucosal plexus), blood and lymphatic vessels. Muscularis Externa consists of two muscles: the thick inner circular muscle and the outer layer consists of the longitudinal muscle. The myenteric nerves plexus is between the circular and longitudinal muscles. The serosa is on the outer surface and consists of thin sheets covered with an abdominal wall. It shows that the level of each knowledge has a step by step process. I learnt that I was the prey that was easily caught because I did not camouflage with the environment to progress in the necessary steps. I was me rather than a copy of someone who I was not. I absorbed this and sent it to the target cells – be happy with who you are and what you are.
To build my confidence and sharing what I learnt from my previous teachers at different academic levels, reading textbooks, articles and websites. I created this website to express my knowledge, research findings and skills. I started as a caterpillar in a cocoon.
Knowledge is important just like water is. The main site of absorption of water is the large intestine where it contains salt and water. Any undigested or unabsorbed material is propelled and removed from the body by defecation. This occurs if undigested food is unmetabolised by the bacteria in the large intestine. The large intestine does not regulate the concentration of absorbed nutrients. Faeces is stored in the rectum and; through the contraction of the sphincter muscles it comes out from the anus. This suggests taking the knowledge that benefits you and any negative knowledge to excrete it away. The undigested material is unable to be digested in the small intestine, but then there was a chance to get digested again by bacteria.
Keep digesting and absorbing to develop. Failure is not fatal. Giving up is. Start over and show yourself first before anyone else what you can do. Courage.