shaped in somewhat of an upside-down U-shape, extending around the
perimeters of your abdomen. It is also made up of circular folds. The colon
mainly absorbs water, trace and micro-trace minerals, and vitamins.
No digestive enzymes are secreted by the colon. However, some
digestion takes place from bacteria. Your food particles and by-products from
digestion in the stomach and small intestines are mixed together in the colon,
and most of the water is reabsorbed so that a solid mass is formed for
elimination from the body. Mucus from the lymphatic system is also dumped
into the colon for elimination. The colon has mucus-secreting glands in the
sub-mucosa to assist in proper elimination, as well.
The colon has an electrical relationship to all of the major organs and
tissues of the body. The contemporary scientific community has not yet
discovered this part of the physiology of the colon (or for that matter, the
entire intestinal gut tissue and its relationship to all the other tissues of the
body).
URINARY SYSTEM
Kidneys
Generally humans have two kidneys. However, I have seen many people
who were born with three. Your kidneys are shaped like an ear and are
purplish-brown in color. They are situated at the back of the abdominal
cavity, one on each side (lateral) of the spine.
The tops of the kidneys are opposite the 12th thoracic vertebra. They
weigh approximately 5 ounces each, and are about 4.5 inches long, 3 inches
wide, and 1 inch thick. Microscopic nephrons make up the structural and
functional aspects of the kidneys.
As in most organs, and especially in glands, you find an outer portion—
called the cortex and an inner portion—the medulla. Urine is formed in the
nephrons, which are made up of a renal corpuscle and a venal tubule. These
look like long pyramids. The cortex (outer) portion of the kidney houses
most of the small capillary beds that are the filtering tissue between the blood
and the nephron. This area is involved in filtration and reabsorption.
Urine consists of many by-products of metabolism, like ureas, ammonia,