CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

The circulatory system serves to move blood to a site or sites where it can be oxygenated, and where wastes can be disposed. Circulation then serves to bring newly oxygenated blood to the tissues of the body. As oxygen and other chemicals diffuse out of the blood cells and into the fluid surrounding the cells of the body's tissues, waste produces diffuse into the blood cells to be carried away. Blood circulates through organs such as the liver and kidneys where wastes are removed, and back to the lungs for a fresh dose of oxygen.

 BLOOD

It is the fluid that circulates in the heart, arteries, capillaries, and veins of a vertebrate animal carrying nourishment and oxygen to and bringing away waste products from all parts of the body.

RED BLOOD CELLS

Also called red blood cells or erythrocytes. They are the most numerous cells in the blood. They carry the oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the tissues. The protein that is inside and that binds oxygen is called hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is red and gives this color to the blood.

WHITE BLOOD CELLS

Also called leukocytes. They deal with defending the body against the attack of bacteria, viruses, parasites and fungi.

PLATELETS

They are cellular fragments that participate in the protection of the wall of the blood vessels, form a "platelet plug" to prevent bleeding at the site of the injury and produce various substances that help the healing of wounds.

THE PLASMA

It is the liquid part of the blood and is very rich in proteins, among which stand out as the most important: albumin, clotting factors and immunoglobulins.

HEART:

The heart is a pump that circulates blood all around the body.  It is approximately the size of a human fist and is located just to the left of the centre of a human’s chest.

The heart is made of a special type of muscle called the cardiac muscle. Firstly cardiac muscle consists of branching muscle fibres connected to each other in a network, this allows for contractions to begin at one point in the heart and spread outwards in all directions. Secondly cardiac muscle naturally contracts and relaxes rhythmically in “beats”. Thirdly cardiac muscle does not get tired or fatigued even though it is continuously working throughout our lifetime.

The heart is in fact a double pump. The right side of the heart is considered as one pump and the left side of the heart is the second pump. A thick wall called the septum separates the two sides. The right side of the heart carries deoxygenated blood to the lungs to be oxygenated. The left side of the heart pumps oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.

BLOOD VESSELS

arteries take blood away from the heart to the body organs and tissues. The artery wall is thick and muscular so it can withstand the high pressure of the blood being pumped directly from the heart

capillaries are tiny, thin-walled vessels which form a network to take blood through the organsand tissues

veins collect blood from the capillaries in the body and return the blood to the heart. The wall of the veins are thin, the blood is at a much lower pressure. To prevent the backflow of this lower pressure blood the veins contain valves

 TYPES OF CIRCULATION

SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION:The blood flows from the left ventricle, through various parts of the body, to the right atrium, i.e. from the left to the right side of the heart through the arteries and veins which traverse the whole body. This circulation is responsible for keeping the body tissues alive by supplying a continuous stream of blood to them.

PULMONARY CIRCULATION:The blood flows from the right ventricle, through the lungs, to the left atrium, i.e. from the right to the left side of the heart. This circulation is responsible for oxygenation of blood. In pulmonary circulation, the blood passes through the lungs where Carbon dioxide is eliminated and Oxygen is added to blood. In this way, the pulmonary circulation makes sure that systemic circulation remains effective.

PORTAL CIRCULATION: It is a part of systemic circulation, which has the following characteristics:

The blood passes through two sets of capillaries before draining into a systemic vein.

The vein draining the first capillary network is known as portal vein which branches like an artery to form the second set of capillaries or sinusoids. Examples: hepatic portal circulation, hypothalamo hypophyseal portal circulation and renal portal circulation.

Tips for having a healthy circulatory system:

-Keep a good intake of protein.

-If you are accustomed to ingesting large amounts of fat in your diet, the most recommended is to decrease it.

-Increases the intake of fruits and vegetables, as they provide the body with the nutrients needed to keep our circulatory system healthy.

-Try to maintain a healthy weight.

-Keep an exercise routine. This will be of great benefit to your general health, for example, to maintain a healthy weight and also for the heart to work and perform the pumping process correctly.

- Avoid maximizing the consumption of alcoholic beverages and also the consumption of cigarettes.

Smoking has been shown to be one of the most prominent reasons for heart attacks.

-Add to your diet omega-3 fatty acids. They will help clear the blood of triglycerides. These can be found in various types of fish such as tuna, verdel, salmon, among others.