The Importance of Homeostasis

Let’s talk about cells for a moment. You know, cells, the little pieces that make up you. Most of us don’t remember high school biology, so here’s a brief synopsis:

Robert Hooke looked into a microscope and saw what looked like little chambers in the plant material. He described these as cells, and the name stuck. 

Fast forward 300 years, and we know a little more than Robert Hooke. While cells have some variances depending on their function, each has a cell membrane, cytoplasm, and a nucleus. The nucleus is where most of the genetic information is stored. Considered the “brain” of the cell, the nucleus controls each of the organelles and replication (called mitosis). Cytoplasm is the stuff inside of the cell. Literally. Cytoplasm means cell substance. Invigorating, right? 

I want to focus on the Cell Membrane though. This is the outside of the cell. It is created by a phospholipid bilayer. Think of a phospholipid like a magnet, instead of a north and south end, phospholipids have water-loving (hydrophilic) and water-fearing (hydrophobic) ends. So, a bunch of phospholipids come together and arrange themselves so that their water-fearing ends are all grouped together and the water-loving ends face in, towards the cytoplasm, or outwards, towards the interstitial fluid (fluid between cells). This banning together keeps the cell membrane semi-permeable, meaning that some things can get through the layer and others can’t. There are different ways that the cell uses to allow what it needs in while leaving what it doesn’t need out through either active transport processes or passive transport processes. The cell moves substances in and out to achieve homeostasis, or “consistency of the internal environment.” If the pH level of the cell should get too acidic, the cell is able to remove the offending substances or allow more alkaline substances in to get back to where it should be. This is how the cell keeps itself, and you, alive. 

So, what are YOU doing to achieve homeostasis in your own life? If your life was perfectly in balance, how does that differ from your life now? What do you need more of? What is toxic that you need to let go? What can you do today that would put you on the path towards your desired balance?  

Check My Source: 

Patton, Kevin T., and Gary A. Thibodeau. Structure & Function of the Body. Elsevier, 2020.

Photo Credits:

https://www.shutterstock.com/g/chokniti?language=en

https://hutchbio.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/lipids-in-cell-membranes/

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