Assignment 3:
Discuss Homeostasis – Give the implications for Bioregulatory Medicine

Words: 1051

Place: ARNSIDE

Name: CLAUDIA CARRILLO

Date: 19.12.2010

Homeostasis
The American physiologist Walter B. Cannon described the process of relative constancy within the internal environment found by Claude Bernard as homeostasis. The phenomenon described is the condition of multiple dynamic ‘equilibrium in the body’s internal environment produced by ceaseless interplay of all the body’s regulatory processes’, despite constant changes within the external environment. (Gerard J. Tortora & Sandra Reynolds Grabowski, 2000)

How does the body maintain homeostasis?
Our body is a very complex system which is able to react to the smallest external as well as internal stimuli. It is able to trigger a chain of minute reactions in order to keep a steady and harmonious state. These multiple processes are realized by the Autoregulating Systems (ARS) and its importance is described by A. Smit, A. O’ Byrne, B. Van Brandt, I. Bianchi & K. Kuestermann, 2009 as follows;

‘What is remarkable is that even if the disturbing stimulus is huge, the Autoregulating systems continue to use subtle, minute dosages of steering mediators to correct deviations.’

‘All Autoregulating systems interact in synergy with each other to achieve the restoration of the organism –entity to a steady state.’ (A. Smit, A. O’ Byrne, B. Van Brandt, I. Bianchi & K. Kuestermann, 2009)

‘The ultimate and only objective of the ARS is to keep the outcome of the process as close as possible to the variable set point.’ (A. Smit, A. O’ Byrne, B. Van Brandt, I. Bianchi & K. Kuestermann, 2009)

The variable set point of each physiological process indicates the range within the body can regulate itself safely. If margins are over or under the acknowledged limit dysfunction, dis-ease and mal-adaptation are inevitable.

‘The more precise and critical the system the smaller the set point margin.’ (A. Smit, A. O’ Byrne, B. Van Brandt, I. Bianchi & K. Kuestermann, 2009)

With the constant changes in environment such as pollution, temperature, humidity etc or abnormal internal changes such as toxins, stress or microorganism invasion for example, the body has ‘to adapt temporarily to changed values, correct deviations, and restore conditions.’ (A. Smit, A. O’ Byrne, B. Van Brandt, I. Bianchi & K. Kuestermann, 2009)

‘Without the ARS in an open system, humans, along with many other biological entities, would not be able to survive and maintain the steady state of health.’ (A. Smit, A. O’ Byrne, B. Van Brandt, I. Bianchi & K. Kuestermann, 2009)

How do the ARS work?
‘The body can regulate its internal environment through a multitude of feedback systems. A feedback system is a cycle of events in which the status of a body condition is continually monitored, evaluated, changed, remonitored, re-evaluated, and so on.’ (Gerard J. Tortora & Sandra Reynolds Grabowski, 2000)

With the help of Emily Monosson’s article 2010 a short overview of ‘the primary components responsible for the maintenance of homeostasis are’ looked at. First of all, there needs to be a stimulus for example a change in the external environment, an irritant or a loss or excess within the physiological cycles of the body. (Emily Monosson, 2010) An acknowledgment is triggered by the responsible receptors at the site of the change and a signal is send to the relevant control centre. This signal could be created intercellular, electromagnetic, hormonal, or neural and synaptic. (D. Shakambet & T. Bosh, 2010)

The control centre concerned receives the signal and determines an appropriate response by integrating the signal with other information and evaluating the nature of the response. Another signal gets then send to the effector at the site of the body ‘where a response is generated which counters the initial stimulus and thus attempts to maintain homeostasis.’ (Emily Monosson, 2010)

The effector reaction is chosen by the feedback mechanism, which determines ‘the degree of the response that has been elicited.’ (Emily Monosson, 2010)

‘A negative feedback system reverses a change in a controlled condition.’ (Gerard J. Tortora & Sandra Reynolds Grabowski, 2000)

An example of negative feedback reaction is blood pressure control. If for example the raised heart rate after a run or a fright, causes an increase in the normal blood pressure the brain will send a signal to the heart via nerve impulse to slow down. The slowed down heart rate decreases the blood pressure as a negative feedback reaction. (Gerard J. Tortora & Sandra Reynolds Grabowski, 2000)

On the other side, ‘a positive feedback system tends to strengthen or reinforce a change in one of the body’s controlled conditions.’ (Gerard J. Tortora & Sandra Reynolds Grabowski, 2000) A good example is given with the process of a normal childbirth by Gerard J. Tortora & Sandra Reynolds Grabowski, 2000;

The hormone Oxytocin lets the wall of the uterus contract, the contractions effect the stretching of the cervix which creates a positive feedback signal to release further Oxytocin and the contractions continue and get stronger. Once the cervix does not stretch anymore because the fetus is delivered, a negative feedback signaling sets in, the release of Oxytocin is no longer required and therefore further output of the hormone ceases. (Gerard J. Tortora & Sandra Reynolds Grabowski, 2000)

After defining what homeostasis is and how it’s regulating system mechanisms work, the writer will look at the implications of Bioregulatory medicine within this context. Bioregulation is invaluable ‘to achieve homeostatic rebalance, and to reverse a disease process via its earlier developmental stages and towards achieving optimal Health.’ (D. Shakambet & T. Bosh, 2010)

‘It’s vitality and purity is maintained by inherent ability of intercellular space to swiftly pass nutrients, bioactive molecules and neural impulses to and from cells, and to promptly eliminate homotoxins.’ (D. Shakambet & T. Bosh, 2010)

Given this above mentioned statement, bioregulation is important for the body to maintain its state of Health primarily through ‘the quality of biological terrain or living matrix’ (D. Shakambet & T. Bosh, 2010) on one side and to counteract already manifested dysregulation and ‘pathological reactions within the biological terrain.’ (D. Shakambet & T. Bosh, 2010)

As a summarization of the various parts of Bioregulatory medicine and its implications for homeostasis, a statement of D. Shakambet & T. Bosh, 2010 can be cited:

‘In order to restore original equilibrium, a Bioregulatory therapist has to simultaneously address various problems, such as: tissue rehydration, remineralisation, detoxification, informational reactivation, regulation of tissue ph status and re-colonization of disturbed micro flora.
References & Bibliography

Monosson E., (2010), Biological Homeostasis, The Encyclopedia of Earth, National Council of Science and Environment (NCSE), Washington D.C., USA, http://www.eoearth.org/article/Biological homeostasis, (November 8th, 2010)

Shakambet D. and Bosh T., (2010), ‘Toxic Blocks and Detoxification’, Basic Principles of the Bioregulatory Medicine, (Course work), London, UK

Smit A., O’Byrne A., Van Brandt B., Bianchi I. & Kuestermann K., (2009), Introduction to Bioregulatory Medicine, 1st Edition, Thieme Publishing Group, Stuttgart, Germany

Tortora G. J., and Reynolds Grabowski S., (2000), ‘Liver and Gallbladder’, Principles of Anatomy and Physiology, 9th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc, Chichester, UK