How Our Hearts Work

The human body has many major organs, They include the liver, kidneys, brain, pancreas, and lungs. But perhaps the most important to the very survival of a human being is the heart.

Many of the other organs can have markedly decreased functioning and still a person can survive. But if the heart stops beating, the circulatory system shuts down entirely, and the essential oxygen found in the blood is deprived from reaching all the other systems and tissues in the body.

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The heart is a muscle and like any muscle it contracts and relaxes. There are different factors that make it perform these actions. Certain chemicals, such as the minerals potassium, magnesium and calcium are all involved in the contraction and relaxation of the heart muscle.

As the heart beats, fresh, oxygenated blood is forced out under pressure through our arteries to feed oxygen and other nutrients such as enzymes, proteins, fats and carbohydrates to all other living cells in the body. The heart has to feed literally trillions of cells every single second.

For its size, which is about as big as a clenched fist, the heart can easily be said to be the very strongest muscle in the entire body. Not the biggest, but indeed the strongest. Once the blood supply is fed to all the other major organs, cells, and tissues consisting of ligaments, tendons, bones, cartilage, skin, teeth, gums and nerves, it then makes a complete return path back to the heart.

On the return path, it works in conjunction with the other organs especially the kidneys, liver and lungs to heavily filter the inherent blood contaminants, waste products and internal chemical toxins that are a natural consequence of the processing of all necessary bodily functions.

Once these waste products are thoroughly cleansed and then eventually eliminated via respiration, urination and defecation, fresh blood returns to the heart and the entire internal, cyclic process of blood and nutrient pumping is repeated. The heart beats in accordance with numerous electrical impulses that are supplied and conducted by the nervous system that emanates from the brain and spinal cord.

In the UK, many heart attacks occur every day. This is when the heart is deprived of blood or when it misses a beat and stops pumping in appropriate rhythm. People can easily die if the heart attack is severe enough. A stroke in the brain can occur if the blood supply that comes from the heart forms a clot or if an artery or narrow vein bursts. Heart attacks and strokes can cause savage damage to the human body and brain, even if death does not occur.

But the heart is a remarkable organ and muscle. There have been artificial hearts implanted in some very sick individuals, but none of them has ever possessed the capability and capacity to replace the superior functioning of a real human heart.

Moreover, the heart is a true wonder. In most cases, it can regenerate itself. It can become stronger with proper aerobic exercise. And even though smoking can seriously damage the human heart, if a smoker stops, medical research has proven that the diseased heart tissue can repair itself over a period of time.

Lungs   Stomach   Brain   Intestines   Kidneys