HTHSCI 1H06 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Cardiac Arrhythmia, Positive Feedback, Blood Sugar

• School: McMaster University
• Department: Health Sciences
• Course: HTHSCI 1H06
• Professor: Alexander Ball

Document Summary

Homeostasis is a state of equilibrium or a tendency toward such a state between the different but interdependent elements or groups of elements of an organism. The maintenance of homeostasis is the maintenance of life. Everything has to be balanced to stay alive. It helps equalize our bodies when in extreme or changes in temperature, ph, ion concentration, and just about everything else. All of the cells and organs in our bodies participate in homeostasis and the automatic nervous system, virtually every cell and chemical in our body is homeostatically regulated. Everything in life; animals, and humans included maintain homeostasis in every aspect of life. And there are two ways we do so; through positive feedback and negative feedback. Paradox of homeostasis is you have to be constantly doing something so that it can be regulated: negative feedback. First off negative feedback requires something to regulate which is called the variable.