Homeostasis

Hi,

My name is Franz Devantier, creator of this blog.  I am an Herbalist, who uses local and indigenous herbs when available, in preference to imported herbs.  Because Herbalists deal with living human beings, it is important to have an understanding of Anatomy and Physiology, as well as many other related subjects, such as How to grow old gracefully with Stem Cell Enhancers.

Homeostasis

The Human Body contains trillions of cells, which are in nearly constant activity.  With these astronomical numbers of cells, it is amazing that so little normally goes wrong with the body.  Your body is really an amazing machine, a piece of engineering that is absolutely superb, and a real wonder of nature. 

The America physiologist Walter Cannon coined the word Homeostasis, to describe what he called the wisdom of the body, or the body’s ability to maintain relatively stable internal conditions, despite the continuous change and unstable conditions outside of the body.  The literal meaning of the word Homeostasis means unchanging, but the term really refers to a dynamic state of equilibrium or balance, in which conditions are constantly changing, but remaining within narrow band of variance or limits.

When the basic needs of the body are met, and the internal functions of the body are working properly; then the body is generally in a state of Homeostasis.  Almost every organ system plays a role in maintaining a state of Homeostasis.  For example there must be adequate supplies of vital nutrients in the blood supply.  The body must monitor and adjust the heart activity and blood pressure, so that the blood supply can reach all the body tissues, without being so high, that it causes damage. 

With Homeostasis waste materials must not be allowed to accumulate in the body, but must be excreted from the body in various ways.  Body temperature must be precisely controlled, because if it gets too high or too low, the Human Body will die.  There is a wide variety of chemical, thermal, and neural factors that work together and interact in complex ways in order to keep the body in balance.  Sometimes the body functions are bolstered and sometimes the body functions are impeded, in order to maintain a precise and almost perfect balance, in order to maintain Homeostasis.     

 

Franz Devantier,

How to grow old gracefully with Stem Cell Enhancers.

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Survival Needs

Hi,

My name is Franz Devantier, creator of this blog.  I am an Herbalist, who uses local and indigenous herbs when available, in preference to imported herbs.  Because Herbalists deal with living human beings, it is important to have an understanding of Anatomy and Physiology, as well as many other related subjects, such as How to grow old gracefully with Stem Cell Enhancers.

Survival Needs

Ultimately the goal of all the body systems is to maintain life.  On the other side, life is extraordinary fragile and requires several factors to survive.  These factors or Survival needs, include nutrients or food, oxygen, water, and the narrow band of temperature that supports life, as well as the correct atmospheric pressure.  Everything needs to be in place, in order for the Human Organism to survive. 

Nutrients:

Nutrients are taking in via our diet, or the food that we eat.  The nutrients contain the chemical substances used for building energy containing molecules (ATP), and for building cells.  Most plant derived foods are rich in carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.  Most animal foods are rich in proteins and fats.  Keep in mind that there are small amounts of in vegetables, and there are small amounts of minerals etc in animal derived foods, like for example vitamin B12.

Proteins and to a lesser extent fats are essential for building cell structures.  Fats perform a very important function by cushioning body organs, and forming insulating layers, and providing a reserve of energy rich fuel.

Selected minerals and vitamins are required for the chemical reactions that go on in cells and for oxygen transport in the blood.  The mineral calcium helps to make bones hard, and is required for blood clotting.

None of the chemical reactions that release energy from foods, will work without oxygen, because almost all the chemical reactions in the body are oxidative reactions, that require oxygen.  In fact this is so important, that without oxygen, most cells can only survive for a few minutes.  Approximately 20% of the air that we breath is oxygen, actually with the level of pollution these days that level is substantially lower, especially in Urban areas.  The Oxygen in the air is made available to the blood and the body cells, by the cooperative efforts of the respiratory system and the cardiovascular system.

Water accounts for between 60% and 80% of the body weight.  Water is the single most abundant chemical substance in the body.  Water provides the wet environment necessary for chemical reactions, as well as the fluid base for secretions and excretions.  Water is obtained chiefly from ingested foods or liquids, and is lost from the body again by evaporation from the lungs, from the skin, and from body excretions.

Chemical reactions need to proceed in the body at life-sustaining rates.  In order for this to occur, body temperature must be maintained at around 37 degrees Celsius or 98 degrees Fahrenheit.  As the body temperature drops below this optimal level, chemical or metabolic reactions become slower and slower, and as the temperature gets much lower they finally stop.  When the body temperature gets higher, chemical reactions proceed so rapidly, that body proteins lose their characteristic shape(they become denatured), and they stop functioning.  At either extreme, death occurs.  Most of the body heat is generated by the activity of the skeletal muscles.  So if you are feeling a little cold, a little bit of physical activity should warm you up.  If you are feeling a bit over-heated, keeping still for a while, may help to cool down.

The force exerted on the surface of the human body by the weight of the air is referred to as Atmospheric Pressure.  Breathing and exchanging oxygen and carbon-dioxide in the lungs depends on appropriate atmospheric pressure.  When the Human Body is placed at high altitudes, where the atmospheric pressure is lower and the air is thin, gas exchange may be inadequate to support cellular metabolism.  However if you were to survive for a length of time, then the bone marrow would compensate by forming more red blood cells.

However the presence of these compensating or survival factors is not sufficient to maintain life.  They must be present in appropriate amounts as well.  Excesses and deficits may be equally harmful.  For example oxygen is essential for survival, but extremely high levels of oxygen are also toxic to body cells.  In the same way the food that you ingest must be of a high quality and in proper amounts.  If you take in too much food or too little food, then you  will suffer from nutritional disease, which will manifest either as obesity, or as starvation.   While the needs we have spoken about now are possibly the most crucial needs, they do not encompass all of the bodies needs.  For example we can if we must live without gravity.  However without gravity the quality of life suffers.

 

Franz Devantier,

How to grow old gracefully with Stem Cell Enhancers.

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Maintaining Life - Part 2

Hi,

My name is Franz Devantier, creator of this blog.  I am an Herbalist, who uses local and indigenous herbs when available, in preference to imported herbs.  Because Herbalists deal with living human beings, it is important to have an understanding of Anatomy and Physiology, as well as many other related subjects, such as How to grow old gracefully with Stem Cell Enhancers.

Maintaining Life

Metabolism

Metabolism which means “a state of change”, is a term that refers to all the chemical reactions that occur within body cells.  Metabolism includes breaking down complex substances into their simpler building blocks; synthesizing complex cellular structures from simple substances, and also using nutrients and oxygen to facilitate or cellular respiration, and in the process create ATP molecules.  ATP are molecules that store energy to be released and power cellular activities.

 Metabolism depends on the digestive and respiratory systems to make to make nutrients and oxygen available to the blood and the cardiovascular system.  The cardiovascular system will distribute the nutrients and oxygen to every living cell in the body that needs it.

Metabolism is regulated to a large extent by the hormones secreted by the glands of the endocrine system.  So quite an interdependence.

Excretion

Excretion is the process of removing excreta, which are waste products from the body.  If the body is to continue to operate efficiently, it needs to get rid of non-useful substances that are produced during digestion and metabolism.  There are several organ systems that participate in the process of excretion, or elimination of wastes.

The digestive system rids the body of indigestible food residues in the form of feces.  The Urinary system rids the body of nitrogen-containing metabolic wastes, in the form of urea and uric acid, in the urine.  The lungs get rid of carbon-dioxide which is a by-product of cellular respiration.  The carbon-dioxide is carried in the blood stream to the lungs, where it leaves the body in exhaled air.

Reproduction

Reproduction can occur in two ways, firstly at the cellular level, and secondly at the organismal level.  In cellular reproduction the original cell divides, producing two identical daughter cells.  Daughter cells like these are used for body growth or repair.  Reproducing the whole human organism is the task of the reproduction system.

Basically when a sperm unites with an egg, a fertilized egg forms.  This fertilized egg eventually develops into a baby inside the mother’s body.  The reproductive system is directly responsible for producing offspring.  The function of the reproductive system is exquisitely regulated by the hormones of the endocrine system.

Because males produce sperm and females produce eggs or ova, there are different functions in the male and female bodies with regard to reproduction.  The reproductive organs of the males and the females are quite different from each other.  The females reproductive structures provide the site for fertilization of eggs by sperm.  These same structures then protect and nurture the developing fetus, until birth takes place.  After birth there are still additional structures in the female that come into play.

Growth

Growth either refers to the increase in size of a body part, or the increase in size of the entire organism.  Usually growth is accomplished by increasing the number of cells.  Individual cells also increase in size, while they are not dividing, so this cold also manifest as growth.

For true growth to occur, anabolic or constructive activities must occur at a faster rate than catabolic or destructive activities.

Franz Devantier,

How to grow old gracefully with Stem Cell Enhancers.

Income stabilizer (win-win opportunity)

Join the carefully selected and tested cash-flow generating program below to potentially create a long-term residual or annuity type income for yourself.

Traffic Wave - Free Report:  The report will give you all the information you need to start making a nice long-term residual income for yourself.

Maintaining Life - part 1

Hi,

My name is Franz Devantier, creator of this blog.  I am an Herbalist, who uses local and indigenous herbs when available, in preference to imported herbs.  Because Herbalists deal with living human beings, it is important to have an understanding of Anatomy and Physiology, as well as many other related subjects, such as How to grow old gracefully with Stem Cell Enhancers.

Maintaining Life

Maintenance of Boundaries

Every living organism maintains its boundaries, so that its internal environment or its inside’s, remain distinct from the outside environment.  In a single-cell organism, the boundary is a limiting membrane that contains the contents of the cell, and admits needed substances, while restricting the entry of potentially damaging or unnecessary substances.

In a similar way all the cells of our body are surrounded by a selectively permeable membrane.  In addition to this the body as a whole is enclosed and protected by the integumentary system or the skin.  The integumentary system plays an important role in protecting our internal organs and preventing them from drying out.  If our internal organs were to dry out the result would be fatal to us.  The integumentary system also protects us from bacterial invasion, and keeps the bacteria on our skin under control, by the skin surface being a little bit more acidic, than the rest of our bodies.  The skin also protects us from all manner of chemicals that get into our environment, as well as from harmful physical factors in the environment.

Movement

By movement we look firstly at all the activities that are promoted by the muscular system of our bodies.  We are able to move ourselves from one location to another, by manipulating the external environment.   This may take the form of swimming, walking or running.  We can also manipulate our environment in a finer way with our fingers, like playing the piano, or writing, typing on a computer etc.   The muscular system relies heavily on the skeletal system, which provides the body framework for the muscles to pull on, as they perform their work.

Movement also occurs as foodstuffs are propelled through the digestive system, also with muscles tissue in the linings of the intestines, mainly by the process of peristalsis.  Urine moves through the Urinary system and is propelled to outside the body.  Blood is pumped around the body in the cardiovascular system.

On a cellular level, the ability of the muscle to move by shortening is called “contractility”.  The blood delivers oxygen and nutrients to the cells, which move into the cells, and carbon dioxide and other waste products move out of the cells, and back into the blood stream, with some ending up in the Lymph system.

Responsiveness

Responsiveness or more correctly irritability, is the ability to sense changes or stimuli in the environment, and then once sensed, the ability to react or respond to them.

If you were for example to cut your hand on a piece of broken glass, there would occur a withdrawal reflex.  You would involuntarily pull your hand from the painful stimulus, in this case the broken glass.  This would have happened without you thinking about it, it is something that would just happen.

In the same way if carbon Dioxide in your bloodstream were to rise to abnormally high levels, then chemical senses would respond by sending messages to the brain centers controlling respiration, and your breathing rate is accelerated, in an attempt to normalize the carbon dioxide levels in your bloodstream.  This would have happened without you being aware of it, although you may notice that you seem to be breathing faster or heavier than before.

Nerve cells are highly irritable and communicate rapidly with each other by conducting electrical impulses.  Because of this the nervous system takes on the biggest part of the responsibility for responsiveness.  However all of your body cells exhibit irritability to some extent.  Some of the responses to stimuli are on a chemical level and controlled by hormones operating within the endocrine system.  

Digestion

In a nutshell, digestion is the breaking down of ingested foodstuffs into simple molecules, that can be absorbed into the bloodstream.  The cardiovascular system then distributes the blood that is loaded with the molecules from the ingested foodstuffs, throughout the body.

In a single celled organism, such as the amoeba, the cell itself is the digestive factory.  Foodstuffs are ingested by the cell, and broken down into useful and simple molecules, and the used and waste products are expelled from the cell again.  In the human body with trillions of cells, the digestive system performs the function of digesting the food, and the cardiovascular system performs the function of transportation throughout the body.

Franz Devantier,

How to grow old gracefully with Stem Cell Enhancers.

Income stabilizer (win-win opportunity)

Join the carefully selected and tested cash-flow generating program below to potentially create a long-term residual or annuity type income for yourself.

Traffic Wave - Free Report:  The report will give you all the information you need to start making a nice long-term residual income for yourself.