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Homeostasis

Derived from two Greek words translated as “to remain the same”, homeostasis is as an organism’s intrinsic abilities for maintaining balance within itself. It is the state in which a cell’s internal environment is regulated so as to remain within pre-set and tolerable physiological limits. This stability is achieved through feedback and coordinated responses to potentially disruptive conditions from the internal or external environment, such as temperature, energy, salinity or pH.

For the purposes of homeostasis, and depending on the type of stimulus received, an organism makes use of two general mechanisms: positive feedback and negative feedback. Positive feedback aims to augment the original stimulus (such as the increase of milk produced in response to a baby’s suckling) while negative feedback aims to lessen the original stimulus (such as thermoregulation, when the body decreases its temperature as a result of heavy physical exertion). Feedback is considered to be a form of nervous or hormonal regulation.

Homeostasis mainly regards biological organisms, but it can also used to describe the self-regulating properties of the planet Earth. As such, it is referred to as ecological homeostasis.

Web Resources On Homeostasis

What is Homeostasis?
Wikipedia: Homeostasis

Book Resources On Homeostasis

Human Health and Homeostasis by Emanuel Cheraskin
Rethinking Homeostasis by Jay Schulkin

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