Cardiovascular System

Click on the links to the left to get information about specific cardiovascular system disorders. I highly recommend reading the below text on the cardiovascular system in general.

Hawthorne Tree

Common Cardiovascular Conditions:

Aneurysm

Arteriosclerosis

Blood Pressure

Cholesterol

Congestive Heart Failure

Heart Attacks

Irregular heart beats

Murmurs

Palpitations

Stroke

Valve problems

How the Cardiovascular System Works:

Basic Anatomy

The cardiovascular system includes the heart and blood vessels (arteries, veins, and capillaries). The cardiovascular system is really a pump (heart) with a system of hoses (blood vessels). The blood vessels leaving the heart are called arteries. The blood vessels bringing blood back to the heart are called veins. Between the arteries and veins are tiny blood vessels called capillaries.

Function

The cardiovascular system functions as the main form of transportation of "stuff" around the body. If you need to transport something from point A to point B, it will likely travel through the blood to get there. We use the blood to transport oxygen and other gases, nutrients, minerals, hormones, antibodies and other immune cells. The cardiovascular system functions as public transportation and the postal service all in one. The blood also contains platelets and clotting factors which form natural "band-aids" (scabs) when you are cut.

The 2 main chambers of the heart (ventricles) push blood into the arteries which route the blood to the lungs and the rest of the body. The blood leaving the right ventricle (see picture) goes to the lungs where it will pick up oxygen and get rid of excess carbon dioxide and other gases. The blood leaving the left ventricle carries nutrition and oxygen to feed the cells of the rest of the body.

Energetics

The heart is well-known to be the center of our emotions; especially the emotions of love and hate. Many also believe it is the seat of our higher self, the divine spark. We see this in our language as "think with your heart, love wounded his heart," etc.

Interaction with other systems

Although the cardiovascular system moves the blood, other systems control the content of the blood. The two main organs that control the content of the blood are the kidneys and the liver. The kidneys control the amount of water and minerals that stays in the blood. The liver controls which nutrients are put into the blood. Both the kidney and liver remove waste from the blood to be eliminated into the urine and stool respectively. The lungs and skin also help eliminate waste from the blood.

Because the blood is the transportation system, it interacts with every other system of the body. If you lose blood supply to any area, that area dies. The reverse is also true, any area that becomes diseased will also affect the blood. That is why blood tests are useful to help diagnose disease in almost any area of the body.