Welcome to the Pancreas

Join us for another exciting episode of how your body digests the things you eat even though

you probably never wanted to know all of this in such great detail.

Brought to you by Lisa Oneil.

Meet the Pancreas

The pancreas has the lovely job of producing pancreatic juices and hormones, such as insulin.

Soo…

What does the pancreas do?What can you eat to make your

pancreas happier?

Anatomy of the Pancreas

+ Fish shaped+ Spongy+ Gray-ish pink+ Six inches long+ Stretches behind stomach

Physiology of the Pancreas

◘ Pancreatic juices flow into the main pancreatic duct

◘Main pancreatic duct flows to meet the main bile duct

◘ Connects to liver and gallbladder

Location, Location, Location

Pancreatitis

• inflammation of the pancreas• can be life threatening • may follow a heavy meal or an

alcoholic binge

Signs & Symptoms

▫ Nausea▫ Vomiting▫ Fast pulse▫ Fever▫ Swelling in upper abdomen▫ ascites (fluid accumulation in the

abdominal cavity) ▫ Dropping blood pressure

Diagnostic process

؞ exam of the pancreatic ducts

؞ Blood tests؞ Abdominal x-rays or scans؞ Endoscopic exam

Treatments

i. Surgeryii. Antibioticsiii. Avoiding

alcohol

Factoids

The pancreas was first identified by Herophilus (335-280 BC), a Greek anatomist and surgeon.

An incision into the pancreas is known as a pancreatotomy.

The term "pancreas" is derived from the Greek pan, "all", and kreas, "flesh", probably referring to the organ's homogeneous appearance.

Mmm…food.

×Fruits and green vegetables

× Indian gooseberry (Emblica officinalis), a traditional Ayurvedic medicinal plant

×Grape seed extract

Nasty.A swollen pancreas due to

pancreatitis.

An external view of a swollen pancreas.

Works Cited

→http://www.medterms.com/script/→http://www.healthsystem.virginia.ed

u/→http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/t

opics/Pancreas→http://www.goodearthnaturalfoods.n

et/