The Body

The Physical Side of Life 

Before discussing how the mind, body and spirit interact, we should look into each separately. As the part that carries around our mind and spirit and physically interacts with our world, the body is the first thing we will look into. 

The Miracle of the Body

Everyone starts the same, a combination of half of our biological mother’s and half of our biological father’s DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid). The two halves of the DNA merge to form one full set of DNA in one single cell. From there, our cells divide and differentiate until our final form is completed. Upon conception, everything that makes our body who we are is in that single set of DNA. 

From our beginning to our end, our body does its work unfailingly. It is complex and detailed, allowing us to live and interact with this world. One thing the body is good at is homeostasis. According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), homeostasis is:

“A state of balance among all the body systems needed for the body to survive and function correctly. In homeostasis, body levels of acid, blood pressure, blood sugar, electrolytes, energy, hormones, oxygen, proteins, and temperature are constantly adjusted to respond to changes inside and outside the body, to keep them at a normal level.”

The best part, we don’t even have to think about this. Our bodies do this naturally because it is part of our DNA. Our Creator designed us to function this way. To maintain homeostasis, the body’s systems work together as a whole. No area is separate and no area can function without the others. 

This idea, that the body is not just a group of separate systems is why every person needs their own primary care provider. Specialists are good when one area is not functioning right, but it is the primary care specialist who looks at the whole person and works to make sure treatments for one area don’t disrupt the rest of the body. 

Complexity of Life Example: Blood Pressure

To give you an example of not only how complex our bodies are, but how every part affects all others, let us consider blood pressure. Most people know that blood pressure is related to your heart. You can have good blood pressure and you can have bad blood pressure. But what is blood pressure really? 

What is blood pressure?

Blood pressure, literally the amount of pressure your blood is putting on the inside of your arteries, tells us how hard your heart is working. A higher blood pressure can mean your heart is working hard and a lower blood pressure can mean your heart is not working hard enough. This is a simple definition of what is actually going on in your body. 

When your blood pressure is taken, you receive two numbers. The top number (systolic pressure) is a measure of how much pressure is on your arteries when your heart contracts or pumps. The bottom number (diastolic pressure) measures how much pressure is on your arteries when your heart rests between beats. 

What is hypertension?

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, occurs when the heart works too hard. There is too much pressure on the arteries both when the heart pumps and when it rests. Many things can cause your blood pressure to increase. And not all of them are a problem with the heart itself. Blood pressure can be affected by things like:

• Age – your arteries become stiff and thick
• Amount of blood in your body – if you have more blood, it takes more pressure to move it around
• Amount of total body you have – the larger you are the farther your heart has to pump the blood
• Medications
• Being physically inactive 
• Illegal drug use
• Certain medical conditions – like kidney failure
• Pregnancy
• Your race or your sex
• Working the night shift

This is not an exhaustive list. Just enough to help see all the things that can affect the heart negatively. 

Why is it bad to have high blood pressure? 

We’ve all been told having high blood pressure is bad. But, why specifically is it bad? It’s bad because high blood pressure, even mildly elevated, can do damage to other parts of your body over time. 

Brain:

• Dementia
• Stroke
• Cognitive Impairment 

Eyes:

• Blurry vision
• Blindness
• Bleeding in the eye

Heart:

• Chest pain
• Heart attack
• Enlarged Heart
• Weakened Heart
• Cardiac Death

Kidneys:

• Kidney Failure
• Inability to clear fluids
• Inability to filter out toxins

Arteries:

•  Weakening of the inside of arteries
• Bulging areas/aneurysm
• Aneurysm rupture

Conclusion

God created our bodies to function well, despite their intricacies. Our bodies do their jobs without us even thinking about them or commanding our bodies to function right. Homeostasis keeps our body in the right zone to function properly. As we can see from the example above, if one thing is thrown off, that affects the body as a whole.