Circulation Expanded

Circulation Expanded 

As in the circulation of the blood through the heart, veins and arteries the legs also act as a second heart.

It's easy for blood to rush to the feet, just as easy as it would be for blood to rush to your head if you were upside down, this is because of gravity. The problem is blood circulates through the body to flow against this force that is why the legs act as a second heart.
When you walk the different muscles in your legs help to pump the blood back up your body to the heart.

There are different things that can effect the circulation within your body causing problems or poor circulation. Most of the time there are clear symptoms you can recognize such as pain, swelling, aching/tired and heavy.

A Few Problem Causes

Age - Age affects the proper function of your circulation. With proper care and an improved lifestyle you could improve your chances of avoiding it as a reason for your circulation problems. Obesity is one of the problem in this area as the effect of excessive weight can cause pressure and wear on the tissue causing nerve damage.

Medical Conditions - There are many medical conditions, such as Diabetes, Lyme Disease, Shingles and Hepatitis C that affect the normal nerve function. Diabetes is a leading problem in this fight as it causes inflammation and sugar-blood complexes to build up in the vessel walls decreasing blood flow. The possibility of clots and heart attacks is that much greater in people with diabetes.

Drugs - Drug abuse, Alcoholism, Smoking and any other bad habit you know is bad for you but you subject yourself to, regardless.  Whether you can tell, the abuse is affecting your body on a cellular level; they damage the blood vessels and affect the proper function of the rest of the body including your second heart's circulation.

Immobility - If you've been in an accident causing you to be bedridden for even a week you know just how uncomfortable it is getting up. You feel groggy. The reason for this is that there is a decrease in blood pressure causing your heart to work harder. There is a serious risk for blood clots causing blocks in the proper operation of your system. Immobility causes a lot of serious problems not just for your proper circulation.

If you want to learn more about poor circulation click here.

Just Some Natural ways of improving Your Second Heart

There are tons of prescriptions drugs you can take to deal with circulation but none improve the problem. It's like adding a bandaid to a bullet wound unless you attempt to fix the problem then it will still be there after you finish the drugs.

Exercise - If it wasn't clear from the many causes above there is one underlying thing that stand above all else and that is exercise. The circulation system relies on the bodies ability to pump blood from one end and back again. If you aren't doing it already there is no time like the present even if it is a minimal amount it is better than doing nothing. You will thank yourself later.

Meditation - Stress causes both physical and metal problems. Taking the time to sit and relax, meditate anything to destress yourself can be beneficial to your health.

Proper Wear - Don't diss it until you've tried it. Wearing the proper footwear can help improve not only the circulation but your bodies posture, thus improving your circulation. People who are frequent flyers might note that the constant difference in air pressure can cause serious problems so opting for compression socks is a good way to go.

Cut out the Caca - It's as simple as cutting out all that bad stuff from above. It is never too late to quit and if the goal in life is to make it to 100 with comfort and the ability to walk; it is probably time you did. There is no easy way of doing this so anyone would recommend taking it slow so long as the cut is in view.

Diet - Improving what you eat is a given. There are lists of foods you could eat that will help improve your heart you simply have to find the ones right for you. Examples of foods great for multiple purposes are garlic, it helps to fight infections and filter the liver and blood of toxins. Ginger is an anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial among other things. Improving what you put into yourself can improve your overall health resulting in better circulation and a happy body.

I would just like to point out that non of the videos or pictures found in this blog are my property. They are all things that I found in the expansion of this project. Any and all information I have either found online or in my Biology text books.

More on The Heart

Generator

(These are notes derived from my Grade 11 biology teacher)

Sinoatrial Node

The sinoatrial node is the impulse generator, a bundle of neuron tissue located in the right atrium. Many different sources call it the natural pacemaker. The function is to,  as is interpreted by the "pacemaker", sets the rate of contraction (muscle becomes or/is made shorter and tighter) for the heart. The atrioventricular node produces a "wave" of electrical activity over the atria (plural of Atrium) causing them to contract.

Atrioventricular  Node

 The atrioventricular node is part of the "electrical control system" of the heart. Its function is to controls/coordinates the top of the heart. It picks up part of the impulses and conducts it through the purkinje fibers.

Purkinje Fibers

Purkinje fiber branch off the atrioventricular node and is located in the septum. Its function is to conducts signals to the bottom of the ventricles this causes them to contract. In the purkinje fibers the impulse is conducted to the left and right ventricles.

Heart Sounds

The sound that your heart makes are due to the opening and closing of valves. The classic "Lubb-Dubb" sound.

Lubb

This is the first sound and is made when the atriolventricular valve closes during a ventricular contraction. The first sound lub, occurs when the atrioventricular valves close.

Dubb

 This is when the blood is forced out of the ventricles during a contraction. At the end of the contraction the blood pressure begins to drop within the heart. The semilunar valve prevent the blood that wants to flow backwards into the ventricles. The second sound occurs when the semilunar valves close.


You can find more information here


  

The Circulatory System.

Circulatory System Assignment

I would just like to start off by saying that non of the links and pictures are mine they are all ones that I found through the research of this project.

The Human Circulatory system and the Components of Blood

There are three essential parts to all Circulatory Systems a pump, fluid and Vessels.

Pump and Vessels

The Circulatory System of a human uses the heart as its pump and the vessels are what the blood travels along. For example veins, arteries and capillaries. 

Double Circulation System 

 

Flow of Blood Through The Heart

Blood returns to the right atrium through the superior/inferior vena cava

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 The blood then flows through to the right ventricle and passes through the tricuspid valve

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From there the blood passes through the pulmonary semilunar valve and enters into the pulmonary trunk

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The blood is then pumped through the pulmonary arteries into both lungs

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The blood passes through the capillaries and oxygen sticks to the blood cells and carbon dioxide is released

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The blood then travels from the lungs through four pulmonary veins returning to the left atrium and the heart

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From there the blood enters the left ventricle through the bicuspid valve

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It is then pumped by the systemic circuit to the rest of the body

The Systemic Circuit

The Blood enters the aorta

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Through the aorta blood is transported through artery branches and capillaries

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Through the capillaries the oxygen in the blood is released to different body cells

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The blood that is low in oxygen returns to the heart through the superior vena cava

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They then return into the right atrium

Coronary Circulation

The coronary circulation is important because it is required to provide the heart muscle with oxygen. It consists of a left and right artery. The left artery contains two branches the cumflex artery and the anterior descending artery. Blockage of the coronary arteries is what causes a heart attack, usually the cause of the blockage is due to smoking, stress, lack of exercise and high cholesterol.

Myocardial Blood Flow - Coronary vessels 

 http://youtu.be/tBQa8IBzP6I

Compare/Contrast

• Arteries - The arteries are what carry the blood away from the heart. They contain three layers which are the epithelial cells, smooth muscle and connective tissue. The arteries may be thick and muscular, but it is able to stretch much like the vein.

• Veins - The vein has elastic capabilities and contain valves even though the walls are thinner than that of arteries. Also opposite the arteries the veins are what carry the blood towards the heart.

• Capillaries - Like the veins the capillaries contain thin walls they are very narrow in diameter and are one cell thick. The capillaries are used to exchange gases within cell tissue. There is a large quantity of them  within the body.

Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the amount of pressure that is exerted on the walls of the arteries. This  is a side effect of the heart ejecting blood into the aorta with every beat. It is usually measured using a sphygmomanometer which  temporarily stops the flow of blood through the brachial artery and slowly lowers the pressure of the cuff. An examiner uses a stethoscope to determine the systolic and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is when the aorta expands to gain the blood from the heart. According to Addison and Wesley Biology 11 “a wave of pressure is generated throughout all the arteries” (332). Diastolic pressure is measured when the aorta springs back which propels the blood through the arterioles and capillaries within the body. Also according to Addison and Wesley Biology 11 it is “the pressure that the blood exerts on the wall of the aorta/ when no blood leaves the heart”(332). The difference between is your pulse pressure.

Fluid

The second essential part of the human circulatory system is the fluid which in humans is the blood.

Blood can be separated into its  individual components by the use of centrifuge. Centrifugation is the act of using a rotating force to separate a fluid into its individual components. When separating blood into its individual components a centrifuge is usually used. A centrifuge is a mechanical device that uses a motor to rapidly spin the test tube and using the spinning force it separates the blood into the individual components.

Centrifuge Operation.

After being separated by the centrifuge you can now see the different components of the blood. These components include Plasma which contains water, plasma proteins and other solutes. It also contains another formed element that contains red and white blood cells and platelets.

Components	Function
Plasma	According to the red cross website, plasma in the blood serves many different purposes. These functions include maintaining blood pressure and volume to aid in blood clotting and immunity. Plasma also aids in exchange of vital minerals and helps maintain a proper pH.
Formed Element - Red blood cells, White blood cells, platelets	According to the New health guide, Red blood cells contain hemoglobin which is a protein that contains iron and are responsible for transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide which is dissolved extracellularly as a bicarbonate ion within the plasma. White blood cells are tasked with defending the body against bacteria, viruses and parasites. These blood cells can fight disease in various ways. They could either produce antibodies that overpower germs or surround and devour any bacterial presence. Platelets are the blood clotting element in the blood. The body naturally controls blood loss and it protects itself by sending the platelets to clot blood and consequently prevent bleeding to death.

Another property of the red blood cell is the hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is part of the cytoplasm consisting of a watery solution containing hemoglobin. Hemoglobin binds oxygen to the cell, it is a protein based molecule containing four protein chains. Iron is an essential element to the proper function of hemoglobin.

Video found on Youtube...

http://youtu.be/_ZV5140OykE

When the blood is lacking in hemoglobin it is called anemia. According to Addison and Wesley’s Biology 11 anemia is caused by genetic diseases of the blood, production of too few red blood cells and reduced hemoglobin in cells. “The treatment your doctor prescribes for you will depend on the cause of the anemia. For example, treatment for sickle cell anemia is different than treatment for anemia caused by low iron or folic acid intake. Treatment may include changes in foods you eat, taking dietary supplements (like vitamins or iron pills), changing the medicines you are taking, or in more severe forms of anemia, medical procedures such as blood transfusion or surgery.” (Women's health, 2012)

http://womenshealth.gov/publications/our-publications/fact-sheet/anemia.html#e

I would just like to point out that non of the videos or pictures found in this blog are my property. They are all things that I found in the making of this project. Any and all information I have either found online or in my Addison Wesley Biology text book.