homeostasis
Bodily self-regulation
Homeostasis is the tendency of a living system to maintain internal stability despite external changes.
The human body regulates temperature, blood sugar, and pH through homeostatic processes—when you overheat, you sweat; when blood sugar drops, you feel hungry.
The concept extends beyond biology to any self-regulating system: The economy has homeostatic mechanisms that correct for inflation.
The adjective is homeostatic.
Maintaining stable internal heat
- osmoregulationMaintaining internal solute balance
- glucosePrimary cellular fuel
- calciumElement twenty, builds bones
- phMeasure of acidity
electrolytes · insulin · glucagon · hormones · neurotransmitters · metabolism · endocrine · cytokines
Steadiness or amount owed
- stabilityResistance to displacement
- steady-stateCondition of constant balance
- constancyUnchanging faithfulness over time
- fluxContinuous change or flow
baseline · optimal · maintenance · preservation · restoration
Returned response data
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- pathwaysRoutes for walking
- sensorsDevices that detect input
- effectorsOrgans executing neural commands
threshold · response · adjustment · correction · modulation · integration · compensatory · regulatory
Disorder impairing normal function
- stressPressure, mental or vocal
- feverElevated body temperature
- shockViolent sudden disturbance
- dehydrationExcessive fluid loss
hypoglycemia · hyperglycemia · acidosis · alkalosis · hypothermia · hyperthermia · imbalance · dysfunction
Organized sets of elements
- self-regulationManaging one's own behavior
- informationKnowledge about something
- inputData received for processing
- outputWhat something generates
servomechanism · closed-loop · open-loop · complexity · emergence · self-organization
thermoregulation
Maintaining stable internal heat
- osmoregulationMaintaining internal solute balance
- glucosePrimary cellular fuel
- calciumElement twenty, builds bones
ph · electrolytes · insulin · glucagon · hormones · neurotransmitters · metabolism · endocrine · cytokines · leptin
balance
Steadiness or amount owed
- stabilityResistance to displacement
- steady-stateCondition of constant balance
- constancyUnchanging faithfulness over time
flux · baseline · optimal · maintenance · preservation · restoration
feedback
Returned response data
- adaptationFitting to new conditions
- pathwaysRoutes for walking
- sensorsDevices that detect input
effectors · threshold · response · adjustment · correction · modulation · integration · compensatory · regulatory
disease
Disorder impairing normal function
dehydration · hypoglycemia · hyperglycemia · acidosis · alkalosis · hypothermia · hyperthermia · imbalance · dysfunction · pathology
systems
Organized sets of elements
- self-regulationManaging one's own behavior
- informationKnowledge about something
- inputData received for processing
output · servomechanism · closed-loop · open-loop · complexity · emergence · self-organization
- biologycells, DNA, cell, biology, gene
- connectionslink, links, connect, connection, tie
- medicinedoctor, doctors, hospital, medicine, surgery
- ecologyhabitat, ecosystem, balance, niche, food webs
- balanceequilibrium, balancing, harmony, stability, symmetry
- body functionsbreathing, digestion, heartbeat, circulation, respiration
homeostasisinstability
Tendency toward unpredictable change
disequilibrium · imbalance · chaos · fluctuation · volatility
homeostasisdysregulation
Impaired regulatory function
dysfunction · decompensation · imbalance · pathology · failure
homeostasisflux
Continuous change or flow
transformation · change · dynamism · mutation · adaptation