Physiology of Human Health
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Physiology of Human Health
The discipline of physiology was once dedicated to understanding how the parts of the body work together to maintain health. Jean Francois Fernel coined the term “physiology” in 1542, defining it as the study of the functions of the healthy body. Unlike the 16th century, present day definitions of physiology rarely mention health. On March 3, 2020, George E. Billman, founder and Field Chief Editor of the journal, Frontiers in Physiology, published an article, titled, “Homeostasis: The Underappreciated and Far Too Often Ignored Central Organizing Principle of Physiology.” Emphasizing the original meaning of physiology, Billman encouraged physiologists to undertake research that would advance our understanding of human health (Billman, 2020, p. 2).
Dependence on reductionists approaches, Billman explained, remains the most serious unmet challenge facing physiology today. Current physiological investigations largely focus on micro scales of molecules and genes rather than on how the interrelated systems of the body act in concert to achieve homeostasis. Billman offered this analogy, “It is no more possible to appreciate the beauty of de Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” or Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” by removing and analyzing each individual dab of paint than we can understand how the various organ systems work together for optimal health by examining single genes or molecules. Just as when viewing a painting, the body can only be fully appreciated in its entirety” (Billman, 2020, p. 2).
In all vertebrate species, homeostatic processes involve positive and negative feedback at multiple scales. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) coordinates the systems of the body overall. Operating at a micro scale, Stephen C. Woods describes how “. . . in essence, our bodies have a network of lock-and-key chemical receptors that respond to the signals of cannabinoids” (Wood, 2007). Cannabinoids and their receptors exist throughout, for example, in the brain, central nervous system, organs, connective tissues, glands, and immune cells. At a broad scale, the ECS orchestrates how the body’s interconnected internal systems operate in unison, including the functions of the skeletal, muscular, integumentary, nervous, lymphatic, respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, excretory, endocrine, and reproductive systems. The ECS manages the physiologic pathways of our body holistically to maintain and restore our health.
The discipline of physiology was once dedicated to understanding how the parts of the body work together to maintain health. Jean Francois Fernel coined the term “physiology” in 1542, defining it as the study of the functions of the healthy body. Unlike the 16th century, present day definitions of physiology rarely mention health. On March 3, 2020, George E. Billman, founder and Field Chief Editor of the journal, Frontiers in Physiology, published an article, titled, “Homeostasis: The Underappreciated and Far Too Often Ignored Central Organizing Principle of Physiology.” Emphasizing the original meaning of physiology, Billman encouraged physiologists to undertake research that would advance our understanding of human health (Billman, 2020, p. 2).
Dependence on reductionists approaches, Billman explained, remains the most serious unmet challenge facing physiology today. Current physiological investigations largely focus on micro scales of molecules and genes rather than on how the interrelated systems of the body act in concert to achieve homeostasis. Billman offered this analogy, “It is no more possible to appreciate the beauty of de Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” or Van Gogh’s “The Starry Night” by removing and analyzing each individual dab of paint than we can understand how the various organ systems work together for optimal health by examining single genes or molecules. Just as when viewing a painting, the body can only be fully appreciated in its entirety” (Billman, 2020, p. 2).
In all vertebrate species, homeostatic processes involve positive and negative feedback at multiple scales. The endocannabinoid system (ECS) coordinates the systems of the body overall. Operating at a micro scale, Stephen C. Woods describes how “. . . in essence, our bodies have a network of lock-and-key chemical receptors that respond to the signals of cannabinoids” (Wood, 2007). Cannabinoids and their receptors exist throughout, for example, in the brain, central nervous system, organs, connective tissues, glands, and immune cells. At a broad scale, the ECS orchestrates how the body’s interconnected internal systems operate in unison, including the functions of the skeletal, muscular, integumentary, nervous, lymphatic, respiratory, cardiovascular, digestive, excretory, endocrine, and reproductive systems. The ECS manages the physiologic pathways of our body holistically to maintain and restore our health.
References
Billman, G.E. (2020). Homeostasis: the underappreciated and far too often ignored central organizing principle of physiology. Frontiers in Physiology. 11(200), 1 – 12. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University.
Woods S.C. (2007). The endocannabinoid system: mechanisms behind metabolic homeostasis and imbalance. American Journal of Medicine. 120: S9 – S17.
Billman, G.E. (2020). Homeostasis: the underappreciated and far too often ignored central organizing principle of physiology. Frontiers in Physiology. 11(200), 1 – 12. Columbus, OH: Ohio State University.
Woods S.C. (2007). The endocannabinoid system: mechanisms behind metabolic homeostasis and imbalance. American Journal of Medicine. 120: S9 – S17.
Amy Wing, Holistic Health Educator,
Nature’s Hearth
Website: www.naturesheart.net
Email: ajw.habitat@gmail.com
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