What Is Homeostasis?

“According to Merriam Webster Dictionary, the definition of Homeostasis is the relatively stable state of equilibrium or a tendency toward such a state between the different by the interdependent elements or groups of elements of an organism, population, or group”. “Homeostasis is from the Greek word for same and steady”, and refers to any process that living things use to have a stable conditions necessary for survival. The term, Homeostasis, originated in 1930 by the physician Walter Cannon (Rodolfo "What Is Homeostasis?"). Homeostasis contributes and plays a role in many of the organ system. Regulation of water, electrolyte regulation, temperature regulation are all found somewhere in one of the organ systems, and they are some of the mechanisms

that the body uses to maintain homeostasis (“Homeostasis” 1).

First, regulation of water plays a vital role in supporting homeostasis. The amount of water in the blood must be kept closely the same at all time to avoid cell damage as a result of osmosis. There has to be a balance between the amount of water gained from your diet- food and drink you intake; and the water produced by cellular respiration and water lost by the body in sweat and urine. This is achieved by the action of the hormone ADH (anti-diuretic hormone). According to this article, the example they gave was, “you have not been hydrating for a while or you have been sweating a lot. Part of the brain, the hypothalamus, detects that there is not enough water in the blood. The hypothalamus sends a message to the pituitary gland, which releases ADH. This travels in the blood to your kidneys and affects the tubules so more water is reabsorbed into your

blood. As a result your volume of urine is low. The level of water in your blood increases until it is back to normal. Sometimes the level of water in your blood goes up. For example, it is cold and you have not been losing any water through sweating or because you have had a lot to drink. The hypothalamus detects the change and sends a message to the pituitary. The release of ADH into the blood is slowed down or even stopped. Without ADH the kidneys will not save as much water and you produce large volumes of dilute urine. The level of water in the blood falls back to the normal level. As the level of water in the blood falls, negative feedback ensures that the amount of ADH rises. As the level of water in the blood rises negative feedback ensures that the amount of ADH falls” (ADH and Control of the Water Balance 6).
Secondly, electrolyte regulation corresponds with regulation of water.
Water is the universal solvent. Electrolytes are present in our bodies and the balance of the electrolytes in our bodies is necessary for normal functions of our cells and organs. Common electrolytes that are measured by doctors with blood testing include sodium and chloride and many more. Sodium regulates the total amount of water in the body and the spread of sodium into and out of individual cells. Sodium has a critical role in body functions. Stoppler mentioned that, “many of the body functions, including the brain, nervous system, and muscles, need electrical signals for communication.” If you have an increased sodium amount in the blood then you might have a kidney disease, be dehydrated and could have a loss of water due to diarrhea or vomiting. A decreased concentration of sodium can happen with some disease of the liver and kidney in patients with congestive heart failure (Stoppler “Electrolytes”).