Biological homeostasis has its physiological and behavioral basis. Many animals show a certain degree of internal balance, that is, they can control their body temperature. In warm-blooded animals, the method of controlling body temperature mainly depends on controlling the physiological process of heat production in the body. In warm animals, we mainly rely on reducing heat loss or using environmental heat sources to warm our bodies. This kind of animals mainly rely on behavior to regulate their body temperature, and this method is also very effective.
Maintaining the stability of the internal environment is a main mechanism for organisms to expand the environmental tolerance limit, which is widely used by various organisms. However, although the steady-state mechanism can expand the tolerance range of organisms, it can't completely get rid of the environmental restrictions, because expanding the tolerance range can't be infinite. In fact, an organism with a steady-state mechanism can only increase its ecological tolerance range and turn itself into a species with a wide ecological range or a widely adaptable species.
According to the reaction of organisms to abiotic factors or the influence of external conditions on the internal state of organisms, organisms can be divided into steady-state organisms and unsteady-state organisms. The basic difference between these two organisms is the basis for determining their tolerance limits. For organisms that are not in internal balance, their tolerance limit only depends on the temperature range in which their specific enzyme system can function. For a steady-state organism, the range where its steady-state mechanism can play a role is its tolerance range.
In short, the tolerance of organisms to different abiotic factors is interrelated. It can be adjusted by domestication, or it can be changed in the long-term evolution process. The homeostasis mechanism can only provide a way for organisms to produce extensive tolerance.
[Edit this paragraph] Second, the establishment of steady-state theory.
(1) Henderson
L. j. Henderson (1879— 1942) is an American physician, physiologist, philosopher and social activist. He found the buffering effect of blood from the study of acid-base balance; It provides a scientific basis for the stability of the internal environment from the perspective of body fluid balance.
While studying at Harvard University, Henderson was very interested in Arrhenius' ionization theory, and firmly believed that this ionization theory could be directly applied to biological research. After graduating from college, he went to Strasbourg to study physical chemistry with the famous colloid chemist Hoffmeister (1850- 1922). There, he not only received good scientific training, but also was deeply influenced by the German school of analysis. He also believes that biologists must use physical and chemical methods to study the structure and function of objects. They believe that life phenomena can be decomposed into molecules, atoms and ions in physical chemistry, which can be confirmed by experiments. 1904 returned to Harvard to teach and began to study acid-base balance on the basis of Arrhenius ionization theory.
Henderson quantitatively described the function and characteristics of the buffer system by accurately measuring the relationship between the concentration of hydrogen ions (H) in aqueous solution and the total amount of undissociated acids or salts. Adding acid or alkali into the buffer system ensures the relative stability of hydrogen ion concentration in the solution by changing the dissociation ratio of weak acid salt or weak base salt. Our body fluids contain acid, alkali and salt, so there must be a buffer system. Therefore, Henderson set out to study the buffering effect of blood or tissue fluid. Because the composition of blood is quite complicated, he first studied the simple simulated buffer system in blood and quantitatively determined the physical and chemical characteristics of the artificial buffer system. Not long after, he found that there are many kinds of buffer systems in blood, and the physiological buffer system is much more effective than the artificial buffer system. For example, carbonic acid and sodium bicarbonate have only moderate buffering effect in test tubes, but they have great buffering effect in blood. After studying aqueous solution and simulated blood, Henderson began to use these methods and principles to comprehensively and systematically study extremely complex blood systems. He chose the most important seven interrelated components for in-depth and detailed research and obtained a lot of physical and chemical data. He skillfully used a graphic format similar to cartesian nomofram to process seven sets of data, and finally found a way to explain and show the interaction of the seven change components he chose. He clearly found that the total relaxation potential of blood is not a simple accumulation of buffer potentials of each component. These achievements are summarized in the book Blood as a Materialized System.
Henderson combined Bernard's internal environment thought with his own experiments and expounded his unique view on life phenomena. He believes that life system is composed of interacting factors and has the ability to regulate its various activities. Physiological process depends on the physical and chemical conditions in life, but it is impossible to fully and truly explain the mechanism of life phenomena by studying any part of this system in isolation. Henderson admits that physical chemistry method is an important analytical method, but relying on it alone will lead to oversimplification or wrong conclusions. He particularly stressed the need to study the integration and coordination of life phenomena. This is in line with Bernard's thought. Henderson is the main leader in spreading Bernard's thoughts in the United States. 1927 He first translated Bernard's Introduction to Experimental Medical Research into English. Henderson greatly developed Bernard's thought through his excellent work. On the basis of Bernard and his work, his colleague Cannon combined with Sherrington's neural state theory to push the internal environment theory to a new height-established the internal steady state theory.
(2) artillery
Like Henderson, W.B. Cannon (1871-1945) received a good training in medical physiology at Harvard. Through the study of shock, he clearly realized that this physiological state that the body can't maintain itself is the result of the failure of the body's regulatory mechanism. He realized that the regulation of physiological processes in the whole body, such as body temperature, metabolic rate, blood sugar level, heart rate and respiratory rate, does not depend entirely on the buffering effect of blood as Henderson emphasized, but also depends on the interaction between nervous system and endocrine system. This is an extremely complicated problem. Cannon first studied the sympathetic branches of autonomic nerves that regulate the involuntary responses of vertebrates such as nutrition, blood vessels and reproductive functions. He found that the sympathetic nervous system plays a leading role and actually controls other regulatory systems of the body. For example, when the temperature rises, on the one hand, the sympathetic nervous system relaxes the capillaries on the skin surface and stimulates sweat glands to secrete sweat, on the other hand, it urges the adrenal gland to release more adrenaline into the blood and accelerate the metabolic process of the body. The result of these interactions will keep the body temperature relatively constant. Through the in-depth study of the function of adrenal medulla, Cannon realized that the function of adrenal medulla is essentially an adaptive mechanism, a mechanism to help animals prepare to escape or fight to deal with emergencies. By studying the sympathetic nervous system and its related endocrine functions, Cannon has a deeper and more specific understanding of Bernard's internal environment theory. 1932, he clearly put forward the theory of internal balance in his book Human Wisdom.
The term homeostasis describes the self-regulation process of maintaining internal environment stability. He proposed that the stability of the internal environment depends not on separating organisms from the environment, but on constantly adjusting various physiological processes in the body. Steady state is a dynamic balance, not constant; Components are constantly changing, while the whole system remains stable. Although Cannon realized that the homeostasis of internal environment is the result of nerve, endocrine and blood buffering, its specific mechanism needs to be further explored. Cannon, like Henderson in his later years, is convinced that life phenomena cannot be completely divided into physical and chemical processes, that is, the structure and interaction of various parts of life system are different from simple physical and chemical processes. He regards the organism as a whole, and each part has its own function, but it should be integrated through various control processes. This reflects an ancient and fashionable philosophical proposition: the whole is greater than the sum of its parts.
The work of Cannon and Henderson combined with Haldane's research on respiratory rate regulation mechanism represents the most influential theoretical orientation in new biology or physiology in the 20th century. They changed the research method of reductionism which has always played an important role in physiology. They firmly believe that the functions of all parts of the life system follow the basic laws of physical chemistry, but they also emphasize that the overall function cannot be completely explained by physical chemistry theory. On the one hand, he avoided falling into the theory of vitality, on the other hand, he got rid of the limitations of reductionism. The combination of macro and micro, theory and experiment has established a good research method for the development of physiology and even biology. Their way is considered to be an important part of rational scientific view. They are holistic materialists, firmly believe in the materiality of the cause of things, and emphasize the exploration of the relationship between the components in the system.
It is generally believed that the steady-state theory is the symbol of the establishment of modern physiology and the basis of its further development. After entering the 20th century, there have been two fierce fields in the development of physiology: neurophysiology and endocrine physiology.
[Edit this paragraph] III. Examples of steady-state theory
Internal balance is a very beautiful physiological concept.
The negative feedback state of biological system against external interference is internal stability.
The rivers and mountains may change, but not one's essential nature What he pointed out was the internal stability of psychological quality.
Athletes train according to a certain plan, and when they reach the sports training platform, they form an internal steady state. As long as the corresponding training is maintained, the level of exercise can be played stably.
The stability degree of internal stability is the quality of internal stability. The internal stability of elite athletes is definitely higher than that of ordinary athletes.
Conventional training maintains the stability of internal steady state, while unconventional training improves the quality of internal steady state (breaking the old low-quality internal steady state and establishing a new high-quality internal steady state). The training research around these problems can be called internal steady-state training theory (see our paper in the third issue of Journal of Physical Education).
The higher the quality of internal environment stability, the stronger the ability to resist the stress caused by external interference, and the smaller the influence of various stresses.
Diet is a way to maintain balance in the body, and improper diet can also cause stress. The higher the quality of internal balance, the less affected by diet.
Fasting is an extreme way of eating. It can be considered that the higher the quality of internal balance, the more days you can fast. From this perspective, we can understand the practices of some Buddhists. Therefore, people who participate in hunger strike must have a high steady-state quality. The hunger strike of ordinary people will cause irreversible harm to the body.
The importance of dietary nutrition formula is inversely proportional to the quality of internal balance. The equilibrium mass of fertilized eggs is the lowest. Studies have found that many chronic diseases in adults are related to the nutritional imbalance of mothers who are pregnant in October. The body balance quality of adults is the highest in life, especially men (women's menstrual cycle will affect the body balance quality), and it is also the least affected by nutrients. Unfortunately, when adults earn more money, they spend the most on food and drinks, which leads to some waste. On the contrary, adults are the least concerned about their families at other times. Other members are more likely to get sick because of incomplete nutrition formula, resulting in a vicious circle of family expenses.
Excellent athletes have high steady-state quality in daily training and are less affected by nutritional formula. Only during unconventional training are they sensitive to nutritional formulas. Unfortunately, people don't have this kind of consciousness. Whether in the unconventional training period or not, all kinds of nutritional supplements are taken, which leads to the overuse of related digestive organs and reduces the absorption capacity of nutritional formulas during the unconventional training period. What is caused here is a double waste of nutrition expenditure and digestive organs. A nutrition coach of the Australian rowing team only eats one meal a day, which is a similar reason.
[Edit this paragraph] 4. Internal environment and steady state
Extracellular fluid (including plasma, lymph, cerebrospinal fluid and all interstitial fluid) is the internal environment of higher animals, that is, the environment in which cells live directly. The concept of internal environment was put forward by French physiologist C. Bernard in the19th century. He believes that the cells of higher organisms live in an internal environment different from the external environment. The extracellular fluid of many animals is not only different from the water or air around the body in composition, but also can keep the internal environment relatively constant when the composition of the external environment changes or after food and other substances enter the body. The constancy of internal environment is a necessary condition for the survival of organisms. 1929, American physiologist W.B. Cannon used the word homeostasis to describe the phenomenon of constant internal environment and its regulation process. Steady state is composed of homoios (similar meaning) and stasis (stable meaning) in Greek, and it is generally translated as "stable state" in Chinese. The maintenance of homeostasis involves the regulation of every organ, tissue and cell activity in the whole body, which is manifested at all levels of the biological system, from cells to the whole.
Cells are separated from their surroundings by cell membranes, and the situation inside cells is very different from the surrounding liquid. Cell constantly exchanges substances with surrounding liquid to maintain its internal constancy, which is cell homeostasis. Keeping the whole body stable depends on the integration of hormones and nervous system of higher animals. Hormones keep the body stable. It can release and stop hormone secretion in time, which is the steady state of hormone secretion. The central nervous system plays an important role in maintaining the homeostasis of the body, and it should also maintain the homeostasis itself. The stability of the central nervous system depends on the constancy of its internal environment.
[Edit this paragraph] V. The theory of homeostasis in traditional Chinese medicine
Traditional Chinese medicine is rooted in the soil of China traditional culture, which fully embodies the essence of traditional culture and forms a systematic theoretical system with Yin-Yang theory as the main reasoning tool. The physiological mechanism of "harmony and combination of yin and yang" and "mystery of yin and yang" expounded by him is the best embodiment of Confucian thought of "neutralization". Yin Ping is the best state of peace in Yin Qi, while Yang Mi is the best state of peace in yang. "Yin is the Secret of Pingyang" Bing Wang's note: "Yin is flat and Yang is dense, so the spirit is gradually healing." First of all, both achieve the best. On this basis, mutual sympathy, harmony for use, "Yin hides essence and becomes sorcery, while Yang keeps exterior and becomes solid", thus achieving an overall optimal steady state, namely "neutralization". Therefore, the Confucian thought of "neutralization" directly influenced the formation of the theory of yin-yang homeostasis in traditional Chinese medicine.
Steady state is not a Chinese medicine term. Its concept was first put forward by Bernard, a French physiologist. He believed that the mechanism of life lies in maintaining the stability of the internal environment. 1926, cannon applied the concept of internal steady state, thinking that steady state is variable and remains unchanged, but he did not profoundly clarify the concept of steady state. It was not until Bertrand Fei, the founder of general system theory, and Prigozin, the founder of dissipative structure theory, profoundly revealed the concept of steady state, that is, the orderly steady state with unified internal and external environment. This steady-state view examines life in a large cosmic system, and holds that the whole organic system of human body is composed of many subsystems, and each subsystem has a certain relationship. * * * is in a dynamic material exchange process, and the body tends to an optimal stable state.
Traditional Chinese medicine is rich in stable components. Traditional Chinese medicine attributes the physiological mechanism of human body to the secret of Yin and Ping Yang, which is the best stable state of the body, that is, the "neutral" state of the mean. Once this state is broken, the body will have diseases. Treating diseases means applying various methods to make them reach a stable state. At the same time, the body itself has a steady-state mechanism, such as the saying in Treatise on Febrile Diseases: "Those who reconcile yin and yang heal themselves."
Steady state of traditional Chinese medicine refers to the comprehensive utilization of various factors, through the body's self-regulation, to achieve the best dynamic to adapt to the internal and external environment.
First of all: Chinese medicine is hidden, law is natural, and the test is the individual. Man and nature are an organic whole, and man is at the intersection of heaven and earth. What he felt was not a single world, but an intersection of heaven and earth. When the qi of heaven and earth acts on human body, it intersects with fashion, and there are differences between individuals. Take cold and heat as examples to illustrate. Modern optics shows that under the condition of solar thermal radiation, a sunlight produces a heat, and a darkness corresponds to a cold. In a year, the summer solstice is the longest and the sunshine is extreme, which should be the hottest; The winter solstice is the shortest, with the least sunshine and the coldest. In fact, what we feel is a kind of gas intersecting heaven and earth, which is a kind of temperature formed by the weather acting on the earth and the ground gas acting on the sky, that is, in Su Wen's theory of fine pulse, "So, on the 45th day of the winter solstice, the sun is slightly higher and the yin is slightly lower", and it is the coldest on the 45th day after the winter solstice. Similarly, autumn is the hottest day after summer solstice. This also conforms to the Tai Chi schema. The same temperature acts on people, and they feel different because of their different constitutions.
Secondly, observe the pathogenesis, combine internal and external factors, and take the method from the middle. The etiology of traditional Chinese medicine, exogenous six evils, internal injuries and seven emotions, and diet fatigue are just a factor that acts on the body, not the real cause. For example, the cause of mouth-eye deviation in stroke is not natural wind. Only when this factor acts on the body, through the individual's physiological and psychological reactions, it leads to the disorder of homeostasis in the body and shows a series of symptoms. According to this representation, the abstract concept combined with the theory of traditional Chinese medicine is the real cause and pathogenesis. This etiology and pathogenesis is the appearance of deep mechanism caused by the combination of external factors and organism, and then the result of abstract generalization of this appearance by using the theory of traditional Chinese medicine can be said to be a kind of "neutralization". A careful study of its theoretical framework reveals that external factors are natural and social, while internal factors are physiological and psychological. Natural factors include natural atmosphere, diet fatigue, smog and insect poison damage; Social factors include seven emotions and internal injuries. Physiological factors refer to men, women and children, physical endowment and so on. Psychological factors refer to psychological quality, temperament preference and so on. The same external factors act on different people, and the pathological products formed after neutralization are different. Similarly, the lesions are different. The same is true for treatment. Different individuals, taking the same medicine, produce different active substances and produce different therapeutic effects. In 1980s, "Serum Pharmacology" founded by Japanese Masakazu Tashiro also illustrated this problem. He believes that natural drugs produce physiologically active substances, metabolites and inherent drug components through metabolism, and these complex components are the real effective components, while the components in the original crude drugs are not necessarily effective components for treatment.
Third: steady-state mechanism, self-order and dynamic balance. A healthy body is in dynamic balance on the axis of time and space. There is a self-regulating mechanism in the body, which regulates the tendency of the body to the power axis from beginning to end through the communication between the internal and external environment, and achieves an optimal power. If external factors don't work and the body can reach a secret and orderly state of yin and yang, there is no need for treatment. For example, "Treatise on Febrile Diseases" "Any disease that causes sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, blood loss, loss of body fluid and harmony between yin and yang will heal itself." Self-harmony of yin and yang, that is, auspicious, which is sympathetic to yin and yang, tends to be stable through the self-regulation mechanism of mutual education of yin and yang. If the external factors are too strong or too long, and the body deviates from the stable axis and cannot recover on its own, it must be treated to restore the stable state. For example, in Treatise on Febrile Diseases, spontaneous sweating caused by disharmony between camp and guard can be restored by giving Guizhi decoction.
[Edit this paragraph] VI. Application of clinical syndrome differentiation in traditional Chinese medicine
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