“Your body is your most important tool for living life to the fullest. without health NOTHING in life makes much sense. Family, friends, toys, nothing matters if you are lying in bed …. yet most people take health for granted and abuse their bodies. Why ?
There is no simple answer to that question, however one thing that may help to explain why some people may abuse their bodys is the lack of information. In this spirit, lets take a 30 thousand feet view of how our body works.
THE HUMAN BODY
The objective here is not for you to become an expert in human anatomy but simply to have a general understanding of how the body works so you can maintain it “ill free”, longer.
The human body is an amazing machine that is constantly working to keep us alive. It is a complex system of organs and tissues that work together to carry out essential functions. There are many systems involved in keeping your body working at peak performance, let’s look at some of the main systems operating in the body that have an important impact on lifespan:
Cardiovascular system: The cardiovascular system is responsible for transporting blood throughout the body. This system includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood. A healthy cardiovascular system is essential for good health.
Respiratory system: The respiratory system is responsible for exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide in the body. This system includes the lungs, airways, and alveoli. A healthy respiratory system is essential for good health.
Nervous system: The nervous system is responsible for controlling all of the body’s functions. This system includes the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.
Digestive system: The digestive system is responsible for breaking down food and absorbing nutrients. This system includes the mouth, stomach, intestines, and liver.
Endocrine system: The endocrine system is responsible for producing hormones that regulate many of the body’s functions. This system includes the glands, such as the thyroid gland, adrenal glands, and pancreas.
Immune system: The immune system is responsible for fighting off infection. This system includes white blood cells, antibodies, and other immune cells.
These are just a few of the main systems operating in the body that have an important impact on your lifespan. Taking care of these systems can improve your chances of living a long and healthy life.
HOMEOSTASIS
Homeostasis is the process by which the body maintains a stable internal environment. It does this by using feedback loops to adjust different systems in the body. For example, if your body temperature gets too high, your body will start to sweat to cool down. If your blood sugar gets too low, your body will release hormones to raise it. This is essential for health, as it allows the body to function properly. When homeostasis is disrupted, it can lead to disease. By understanding how homeostasis works, we can better understand how to stay healthy.
Here is a more detailed explanation of how homeostasis works:
Sensors: The first step in homeostasis is to detect changes in the body. This is done by sensors, which are specialized cells that can detect changes in things like temperature, blood pressure, and blood sugar.
Control center: The information from the sensors is sent to a control center, which is usually the brain. The control center then decides what to do to correct the change.
Effectors: The control center sends signals to effectors, which are cells or organs that can take action to correct the change. For example, if your body temperature gets too high, the control center will send signals to your sweat glands to make you sweat.
Homeostasis is a complex process, but it is essential for life. By understanding how homeostasis works, we can better understand how to stay healthy.
REMODELING
Remodeling in the human body is a process where old or damaged cells are replaced with new cells. This process occurs in many different tissues and organs in the body, including bones, muscles, skin, and the lining of the gut.
Remodeling is a two-step process:
Breakdown: Old or damaged cells are broken down by cells called macrophage. Macrophages are a type of white blood cell that helps to clean up the body of damaged cells and debris.
Building: New cells are built up by cells called fibroblast. Fibroblasts are cells that produce collagen, a protein that gives tissues their strength and structure.
Remodeling helps to maintain tissue homeostasis: Tissue homeostasis is the state of balance in which the cells in a tissue are constantly being replaced. It helps to maintain this balance by ensuring that there is a constant supply of new cells to replace the old ones.
RATES
The rates of time at which remodeling occurs in the main organs vary depending on the organ. Here are some examples:
Bones: Bones are remodeled on a timescale of months to years.
Muscles: Muscles are remodeled on a timescale of days to weeks.
Skin: Skin is remodeled on a timescale of days to weeks.
Gut lining: The lining of the gut is remodeled on a timescale of hours to days.
The rates of remodeling are controlled by a number of factors, including hormones, growth factors, and cell signaling molecules. These factors work together to ensure that the remodeling process is coordinated and efficient.
Remodeling can be disrupted in disease. For example, in cancer, remodeling can be uncontrolled, leading to the growth of tumors. In other diseases, such as arthritis, remodeling can be slowed down, leading to the breakdown of tissues. By understanding how remodeling works, we can develop new treatments for diseases that disrupt this process.
REMODELING AND AGING
Remodeling slows down with age. This is because the body produces fewer cells as it ages. As a result, tissues become less healthy and more susceptible to damage.
There are a number of things you can do to help keep your body healthy and promote remodeling. These include:
Eating a healthy diet: Plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These foods provide the body with the nutrients it needs to repair damage and build new cells.
Exercising regularly: Exercise helps to keep tissues healthy and promote remodeling.
Getting enough sleep: Sleep is essential for cell repair and remodeling.
Managing stress: Stress can disrupt remodeling. Find healthy ways to manage stress, such as yoga, meditation, or spending time outdoors.
Avoiding harmful substances: Harmful substances, such as tobacco smoke, alcohol, and excessive caffeine, can damage tissues and disrupt remodeling.
By following these tips, you can help to keep your body healthy and promote remodeling.
There is NOTHING man made, capable of duplicating your body’s “Self Maintenance” capabilities …. Yet it has limits, and it is when poor lifestyle choices or unwanted events occur, that this marvelous balance is lost.
If you are lucky this condition will be “reversible” … if not, you may have to deal with this condition for several years until new cures are discovered.
————————–
So there you have it. At birth, you were given this marvelous machine, this GIFT, to help you navigate through life. It is up to you whether you take care for it or not. The decline starts early in life – around 25 years of age – as we grow older this decline accelerates. So if you are getting close to 50 years of age you don’t have time to waste. YOU MUST start changing your habits in order to help your body manage this decline by removing “controllable factors” that affect the systems and processes described earlier.
I leave you with this recommendation:
Cherish your GIFT … “Maintain the habits that provides your body, ONLY, with what it needs to function properly … avoid everything that alters or contradicts the intent of such habits”