1. I made a model of the stomach and through the process of making this model, I learned many things. One thing I learned was how the stomach functions and all the chemicals that are involved in the digestion of food. I learned that smelling food gets your digestive system running. The food first enters the mouth, through the esophagus, through the lower esophageal sphincter and into the stomach. There, the digestion would begin as all kinds of chemicals would be released which would then start breaking down the food. After breaking down, the food would travel through the duodenum (which is part of the small intestine) where more chemicals would be released to break down fats and other nutrients. <br />When researching about the stomach, I also came around a few diseases that involve the stomach. One of them was GERD. GERD stands for gastroesophageal reflux disease which is considered the most painful type of heartburn there is. GERD causes the lower esophageal sphincter to weaken; this allows the stomach acids to flow back up into the esophagus where the extreme burning feeling will reside. Rare cases of GERD can cause regurgitation, nausea, sore throat, and more. To treat GERD, you must control what you eat. Fresh fruits that are highly acidic and soups can help treat GERD. Low-fat milk and low-fat sweets also help. <br />Another type of disease is dyspepsia. This disease is the most common out of stomach diseases and around 60% of the world’s population is affected by this disease. Symptoms are regurgitation, bloating, nausea, and vomiting. There are several ways of preventing dyspepsia such as stress control, certain foods, and controlling your weight. To treat dyspepsia, you must see your doctor and take medication; you can also control your diet.<br />These are only two diseases out of many the stomach can have and I hope this helped you to understand more about the stomach and its functions. <br />