DAY TWELVE – BODIES

Our physical bodies consist of systems and functions.  The six basic systems are skeletal, muscular, nervous, circulatory, digestive and respiratory.  At the basis of all human life are cells, the basic building blocks of the human body. These cells make up tissues, which form specialized structures called organs. Organ systems are groups of organs and tissues that all function together towards a single purpose.

Altogether there are 78 main organs within our human body. These organs work in coordination to give rise to several organ systems. Among these 78 organs, 5 are considered vital for survival. These include the heart, brain, kidneys, liver and lungs.  When we take time to understand how our bodies are put together and how they function to sustain us, we marvel at both the design and the complexity.

Consider that there thousands of things that affect our bodies adversely Most of them are rare and many are not fatal. However, here are those that stopped bodies functioning most frequently as the top ten causes of death in the United States in 2019:

Heart disease: 659,041;

Cancer: 599,601;

Accidents (unintentional injuries): 173,040

Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 156,979

Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 150,005

Alzheimer’s disease: 121,499

Diabetes: 87,647

Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome, and nephrosis: 51,565

Influenza and pneumonia: 49,783

Intentional self-harm (suicide): 47,511

How we treat our bodies and what we can do to stay healthy is up to each of us, even within prescribed limits over which we may not have control. What we can do is to do what we can with what we have and if we need help, ask for it.  There are many resources at our fingertips, also part of our bodies’ systems and functions.  Medical diagnosis, treatment and technology have advanced greatly in the past decade.

Self-care as a priority can sustain or improve the quality of each of our lives when we realize the added value that accrues to our overall health.