Homeostasis

This is an exceptional property of living organisms – the ability to maintain the constancy of the internal environment during changing conditions. Homeostasis – complex organism regulatory processes that maintain a stable internal environment. Our health depends on the internal balance of the organism, changing both external and internal conditions. A stable internal environment does not mean that the body is in a state of rest, certain reactions occur in the body all the time, determining the normal conditions for cellular activity. Individual organism systems participate in the processes of homeostasis, each with a specific task, acting together to ensure the harmonious functioning of the organism. The human body is a complex multi-component biological system, all components of which (functional systems, organs, cells, subcellular elements, etc.) can exist normally only when their functions are perfectly regulated and the dynamic stability of the internal environment of the organism is maintained – homeostasis. The concept of homeostasis is very broad. It describes a certain dynamic constancy of various biochemical and physiological constants of the organism. Homeostasis includes processes of adaptation and coordination of physiological functions, determining the integrity of the organism as an open dynamic system in changing conditions of activity or existence.

Source | Glossary of Most Commonly Used Biomedical Terms and Concepts | Lithuanian University of Health Sciences | Academician Professor Antanas Praškevičius, Professor Laima Ivanovienė