Circulatory System
The body’s own transportation system
 Almost
every part of a city requires supplies, such as water and food, on a
constant basis.
These supplies must be delivered through
a transportation system consisting of main highways, streets, and
little-known dirt roads. If the streets become jammed or the trucking
system breaks down, the needed supplies won’t be delivered efficiently to
all parts of the city.
In our bodies we also have a
transportation system transversing every tissue and organ: the circulatory
and lymphatic systems.
The circulatory system is an incredible
network of about 60,000 miles of blood vessels. The center of this vast
plumbing system is an 11-ounce fist-sized organ which pumps approximately
100,000 times each day, sending more than 2,000 gallons of blood through
its chambers.
The heart is actually a two-pump organ.
The right side sends blood to the lungs, where carbon dioxide is removed
and oxygen is added. The blood is then pumped to the left side of the
heart and sent throughout the body. This process takes an incredible 20
seconds.
The heart operates continually; a
complete stop would mean death.
The blood carries vital, life-giving
oxygen and nutrients to every cell in the body, supplying the raw
materials for energy that power man’s every thought and action. The blood
also carries to the kidneys many harmful by-products of metabolism.
 The
lymphatic system is the secondary transport system
The other branch of the body’s
transportation system is the lymphatic system, which is the secondary
transport system.
The force of blood pressure as the
blood moves through the arteries squeezes out some fat globules, tiny
protein particles, and other nutrients. Because of their size, they
are too big to squeeze back in. Cell debris also collects between the
cells. This is where the lymphatic system comes into play.
It picks up these particles and
mixes them with plasma, forming lymph. The valuable contents of lymph
are purified, recycled in the lymph nodes and added back to the blood.
In addition, the lymphatic system is
vitally important to the success of the immune system. |
Factors in Heart Health
Like the transportation system of a
city, our body’s transportation system must be properly cared for so it
will not become clogged or restricted in its natural flow.
In today’s high-tech, high-stress world,
there is a real concern about cardiovascular problems. In fact, each year
more than 1 million Americans suffer from heart attacks; about 350,000
survive.
The three big factors contributing to
circulatory problems are hypertension (high blood pressure), high levels
of triglycerides and cholesterol in the bloodstream, and smoking. Other
factors include obesity, heredity and emotional stress.
One risk factor may lead to another, and
there is increased risk of circulatory problems when more than one risk
factor is present. For example, when a person has three risk factors, the
chances of disease are six times greater than if only one were present.
Maintaining a healthy circulatory system
requires pure water, regular physical exercise, stress management and, of
course, good nutrition.
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