Self—regulation is the basis for the functioning of all living beings on the planet, which maintains the constancy of the internal state of the body. This ability is called homeostasis. For example, if a person experiences cold, his skin vessels narrow and adjust the blood to the center of the body to save heat. Conversely, in heat, blood vessels expand, releasing excess heat into the surrounding space. Thanks to a well-established system of self-regulation, a person can live for many years. It is not enough to have only a good brain or a strong stomach capable of digesting even the hardest food. The body will work much better when all systems and organs are put in order and adapted to any internal and external changes in life. Until now, many people believe that heredity is responsible for how the body will work, but this is far from the case. A person’s life is like a race: a technically damaged car is unlikely to reach the finish line first. In addition, an inept driver, along with a mechanic who occasionally repairs a car, can drive it off the highway altogether. And everyone participates in the race for life. If a person knows his “car”, loves it, takes care of it, and repairs it on time, then the body will last him as long as possible. Just as a car has an engine, body, and other parts, so the body has organ systems that are necessary for continuous operation. Depending on these or other common tasks, cardiovascular, digestive, respiratory, musculoskeletal, genitourinary, and others are distinguished. Each of them is necessary for internal stability. By maintaining their activity, you can not only preserve your health, but also significantly delay aging and even rejuvenate the body.

Like a powerful computer, the human brain controls the entire body. It stores and constantly updates information about it. Due to the fact that the brain contains a unique “body map”, it can monitor internal organs and regulate important vital processes of the body — heart rate, respiration, blood pressure, sleep, digestion and others. Still, it’s not a one-way relationship. The brain receives information about the work of an organ with the help of receptors, which are combinations of neurons and other cells that convert stimuli from the external and internal environment into electrical impulses. These impulses travel through the spinal cord directly to the brain, which, based on the information received, issues commands to organs and limbs. The signals coming from the brain to the body travel very fast so that a person can take his hand away from a hot frying pan or avoid a dog bite. Due to the interconnection of the body and the brain, the organs work in accordance with the needs of the body. For example, when there is not enough water to maintain stable functioning, a person feels thirsty. The brain receives a signal from the body to produce vasopressin, a hormone responsible for fluid retention. This hormone helps the kidneys regulate (slow down) the process of removing water from the body. The body undoubtedly has an impact on the brain, but it can even help its development! Studies have shown that by observing the actions and movements of other people and repeating them, a person increases their learning abilities (so-called mirror neurons are activated). In addition, movement also helps to generate ideas: scientists have confirmed that original ideas and solutions to problems come faster if a person moves: walks, exercises, dances. It turns out that physical activity develops creative thinking. And if a person forces himself to smile, then his mood will improve, scientists have proved. They found out that the brain may not see the difference between a real smile and an artificial one. Even if a person is sad, one physical movement can change the perception of the situation and allow them to look at the problem in a positive way.

Many problems in the body primarily begin with the head. One has only to go through a negative experience, take it too close to one’s heart and withdraw into oneself, as the body will begin to react to it. If unpleasant bodily sensations originate in psychological problems, then we are talking about a psychosomatic illness (he — soul, soma — body). An example of this is a familiar situation: a person is worried before a speech / meeting / trip, and at this time his breathing becomes ragged and his palms are wet. Scientists believe that the suppression of negative emotions is one of the causes of cancer. In addition, the disease progresses if a person continues to stop the feeling of suffering. Thoughts can change the state of the body for the worse. Headaches, intestinal problems, nervous tics, muscle spasms, allergies, hormonal problems, and other illnesses may be psychological in nature. The body gives this unpleasant feedback in the hope that emotions will be heard and feelings expressed. Specialists, usually psychologists, can help find out the causes of a particular painful manifestation. Is it possible to make this process work differently — that is, for the benefit of the body? The experts answer in the affirmative.

The mind can heal ailments, pains, diseases — there is a lot of evidence for this. For example, a person who believes that they are being given a real medicine can recover, even if it turns out to be a placebo. So, during the experiment, people were given morphine for pain relief for three days, but on the fourth they were injected with a regular saline solution. The patients still felt relieved, and medical tests revealed physiological changes — the same as those from receiving morphine. There are many such examples showing the effect of faith on the healing of the body. We can say that everyone can learn how to use the power of thoughts and feelings to have a positive healing effect on the body. You can consciously influence the improvement of many physical processes. For this, experts recommend resorting to spiritual practices such as yoga, meditation, and others. Scientists note the effectiveness of their use in many diseases, in particular, depression, diabetes, and Parkinson’s disease. Such practices are very helpful in combating bad habits. Scientists from the Institute of Mathematics of the Heart conducted a truly phenomenal study in which they showed how positive thoughts can affect the functioning of the heart. Those people who mentally experienced gratitude, joy, and kindness during the experiment had calm and harmonious heart rhythms, while people who thought about something with anger and anger had inconsistent ones. It is known that the heart directly affects the entire body, and cardiac arrhythmias provoke the development of many diseases. Laughter may be another effective remedy. Experts have proven that it not only increases the level of oxygen in the blood, but also causes the production of endorphins, improves the functioning of the endocrine system, strengthens the immune system and helps the body fight diseases. Japanese scientists have revealed how just one viewing of a comedy show activated 39 genes, 14 of which were related to the protective activity of the immune system. Your overall well-being directly depends on your mood and way of thinking. Scientists have noticed that people with an optimistic mindset live longer due to the constant experience of positive emotions. Thus, a positive attitude can make the body work for its own strengthening.

In the modern pace of life, it is important to keep track of the condition of your body. The easiest way is to give in to laziness, stress, and bad habits and not think about what affects the quality of the organs and the body as a whole. Lifestyle determines a person’s health: unhealthy food leads to weight gain and the development of chronic diseases such as obesity, osteoporosis, type II diabetes, and others, and with little physical activity, a person also deprives himself of a number of benefits. In addition, emotional stress, low or high hours of sleep, harmful addictions, and so on affect the general state of the body. Many aspects and everyday decisions determine how well the body will work not only at the moment, but also in the future. What should you pay attention to first of all in order to maintain, strengthen and improve the health of your own body? Experts urge you to monitor your diet. It should be balanced, varied and contain as few toxins and other harmful substances as possible. It is necessary to introduce into the diet as many vegetables and fruits as possible, which contain vitamins and minerals. Following a healthy diet will help reduce the number of pathogenic microorganisms in the intestine and increase the number of beneficial bacteria that help digest food. In addition, it is important not to neglect enough water to avoid dehydration, which in turn leads to fatigue, loss of concentration, mood swings, and even urinary tract infections. An active lifestyle will strengthen not only the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal system, but also provide protection from many diseases, rejuvenate the body and prolong life. Proper training will improve mood, sleep quality, blood circulation, reduce high blood pressure and the risk of developing heart disease. Variety is also useful here: you can walk, jog, dance, do aerobics, ride a bike. You need to realize that life happens only in motion, so you need to move as much as possible. It is important to understand that even the way a person breathes will affect their health. Improper breathing is dangerous for the body, as less oxygen enters the lungs, which means that the functions of other organs may be disrupted due to an oxygen imbalance. The condition of the skin depends on the work of the lungs: if gas exchange is disrupted, the risk of wrinkles is high. It is necessary to give up bad habits, as any addiction leads to physiological and psychological problems. In particular, smoking increases the risk of premature death by 40%, and smoking one pack a day by as much as 400%. Alcohol intake should be limited, as excessive alcohol consumption increases the risk of developing cancer, heart disease, liver cirrhosis, and others. The health of the body primarily depends on what kind of lifestyle a person leads. Therefore, it is he who is fully responsible for the condition of his body. Keeping the body in good shape can fundamentally prevent the development of many diseases, improve overall well-being, and prolong an active life for many years to come.