Homeostasis

Homeostasis refers to the body's maintenance of a consistent internal environment.

Numerous control systems are involved in keeping the body's internal milieu within a narrow range of variation.

Homeostatic mechanisms are needed to control a vast number of parameters important to the continuation of life. A few examples of parameters that must be kept within certain limits are:

• blood pH
• oxygen tension
• blood pressure
• temperature
• glucose concentration
• body weight
• body water content

This is not an exhaustive list by any means. Virutally every chemical reaction in the body requires some form of homeostatic control. This list is given simply to illustrate the widespread importance of the concept of homeostasis in physiology.

Important homeostatic mechanisms in the maintenance of blood pH include the buffering action of bicarbonate , and the actions of the renal-respiratory system .

Check out the following links that may be helpful:

• Homeostasis
• Impaired Homeostasis
• Biochemistry I - Buffers and Ionization of Amino Acids
• And, as always, if you have questions, or if you can suggest a helpful link, please e-mail me.

No!
Please don't make me go to any of those pages!
I want to go somewhere completely different!