The homeostasis It is the state of balance or harmonious functioning of the organism. It is a condition inherent to a good state of health. The word comes from the Greek, from homos which means similar and from stasis, which is precisely equivalent to stability.
This balance is reached when an interrelation occurs between each and every one of the structures that make up a living being, which in turn are governed by control systems that have feedback processes.
Control mechanisms that allow maintaining homeostasis
1. Regulation through the nervous system
The control and regulation mechanisms are carried out mainly by the nervous system. This has systems for capturing information from the outside as well as from the various tissues that include various types of receptors and their connection to the central nervous system through afferent pathways.
This information obtained is processed in various nerve centers from where efferent pathways depart to the different tissues, this in order to carry out a certain action. These regulatory actions are carried out mainly by the autonomic nervous system, an example of this is the regulation of blood pressure, body temperature, pulse rate or respiration, among many other processes.
Connections with the endocrine system are also established from the nervous system, which constitutes an important control executive arm that is carried out through the hormonal system, which is nothing more than a system of chemical messengers.
The interrelation between the nervous system and the endocrine system occurs in the connections between the hypothalamus and the pituitary.
2. Regulation through the endocrine system
The hypophysis regulates the functioning of all the glands of the body, structures that produce substances called hormones that are responsible for the functioning and regulation of various activities of the different tissues of the body.
The hormonal system has a feedback mechanism that guarantees a fine control in the release of stimulating factors produced at the level of the pituitary.
An example of this is for example the release of stimulating factors of the ovary by the pituitary, this stimulates the production of estrogens that favors the maturation of a follicle to give rise to an ovum. When this egg is released, the ovary begins to produce progesterone, which is the hormone responsible for a series of changes in the uterus that prepare it to be able to nest the embryo in the event that the ovary is fertilized.
If fertilization occurs, the embryo produces a hormone (chorionic gonadotropin) that stimulates the production of progesterone by the ovary, which inhibits the stimulation of the pituitary on the ovary, with which ovulation will not occur again. Otherwise, if fertilization does not occur, the uterus undergoes a peeling of its inner layer, originating menstrual flow, progesterone levels fall, which again activates the pituitary so that a new cycle occurs.
Homeostatic mechanisms fulfill different functions:
1) the use of ingested food and its subsequent elimination (for example, by sweating or excretion),
2) the regulation of body temperature allows the adaptation of an animal to its physical environment,
3) the immune system as a defense mechanism against any external body (for example, some bacteria) and
4) the absorption of water at the appropriate levels to enable the very existence of a plant, an animal or a human being.
These processes are concrete examples of vital functions regulated by homostasis.
The homeostatic model and human behavior
If all living beings have an internal mechanism of the homeostatic type, it is reasonable to think that this idea is applicable to human behavior. If we are physiologically healthy when there is a correct self-regulation of vital functions, something very similar will happen with respect to our behavior. Thus, our emotional balance needs some mechanism that allows the stability of emotions.
It must be borne in mind that the state of mind of an individual depends, to a large extent, on how he is physically. Consider a person with schizophrenia who does not take his medication. This circumstance will foreseeably cause an emotional imbalance. Similarly, an injured athlete who does not play sports will feel discouraged because his endorphin levels are lower than usual. Ultimately, how we find ourselves mentally depends on two fundamental factors: the chemical reactions that occur in our body and the external events that generate certain physical or mental alterations. Both issues are balanced consciously or unconsciously by some homeostatic mechanism.
