Homeostasis, a term created by Walter Cannon, can be defined as the ability to maintain the internal environment in an almost constant balance, regardless of the changes that occur in the external environment. The internal environment, in turn, is defined as the fluids that circulate through our cells, the so-called interstitial fluid.
Homeostasis, our internal environment must maintain certain values without changes. This is achieved thanks to several physiological processes that occur in a coordinated manner and that guarantee balance. The breathing, digestion and excretion processes ensure, for example, that the internal environment has oxygen and nutrients needed by the cell and that toxic substances that can cause damage to the body are removed from the body.
When the internal environment is not in balance, either due to external changes or internal dysfunctions, a disturbance of homeostasis occurs, which can result in disease. If homeostasis is not restored, the individual's death may occur. Among the variables that must remain in balance for homeostasis, we can highlight the body temperature, the pH of body fluids, blood pressure and heart rate.
