Human homeostasis is the process that maintains the stability of the human body’s internal environment in response to changes in external conditions. Your body has built-in sensors that constantly monitor body activities and attempt to correct imbalances when they occur. Getting out of balance can lead to serious consequences, including disease and a shorter lifespan. Your lifestyle and attitude has a great deal to do with maintaining balance in your body.
Here’s a short list of some of the main homeostatic processes in humans:
- body temperature: Human body is optimum at 98.6° F (37°C) for most people although variations of 1 degree up or down are normal. When it’s out of balance we shiver (too cold) or sweat (too hot)
- cell counts and size: The natural life span of a red blood cell in your body is about 120 days. White blood cells lifetime varies. Low cell counts trigger anemia or other pathologies. Sometimes your body can catch up,other times, it needs help from outside forces (diet, medicine).
- blood pH: pH is a measure how acidic or alkaline your blood is. Normal is about 7.4pH (water is 7). When your blood pH is off, too much acid for example, acidosis can occur and your lungs and kidneys work hard to restore balance.
- blood sugar: (glucose) Humans regulate with natural insulin and glucagon. Insulin, secreted by the pancreas, transports glucose to the body’s cells. When insulin is deficient or cells become resistant to is, diabetes occurs.
- water balance: Kidneys remove excess and ions from the blood, which are expelled as urine.
Role of massage in homeostasis
