Food and Teeth

How to make our body healthy...

If we don’t eat by balanced diet or drink lots of water we will get sick easily, we will have so many activities so we should eat healthy foods, drink lots of water, take enough rest and exercise in the morning so our body can grow and develop well.

 If someone is lack to exercise, eat healthy food and balanced diet, drink lots of water or take a rest they may get sick easily.

Our body needs a lot of energy to do our activities, because of that we have to drink lots of water probably 9-13 glasses of water or more. Vitamins will help our body healthy, strong and grow develop; these are the different types of vitamins:

Vitamin D

Vitamin D will make our teeth and bones strong, it comes from the morning sun not the afternoon sun, when we have cold or cough we have to go out in the morning sun and exercise or do activities then the sun will make you feel better. Sometimes liver, fish oil, butter, cheese, milk and mushrooms are rich in vitamin D.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C will make you healthy and grow develop. Like vegetables and fruits including chilly are rich in vitamin C.

Vitamin B

Some Vitamin B will shape the hemoglobin (blood cells) for our body. Like wheat, beans, eggs, meat and vegetables are rich in vitamin B.   

Vitamin A

Vitamin A will make our skin and hair smooth, soft and healthy. Like cow livers, milk, butter and fish are rich in vitamin A.

To make our body healthy and slim we have to exercise in the morning before having breakfast and after you drink a glass of water.

FOOD

Why do we need food?

We need food to give us energy for our activities, to make our body even healthier and to make us grow healthy and developed.

        
Activities:

Ø We work.

Ø We relax.

Ø We talk.

Ø We dance.

Ø ETC.     

Food has Nutrients….

Each food has different kinds of nutrients. These nutrients are called carbohydrate, protein, fats, vitamins and mineral.

Carbohydrate gives you energy.

Bread, potatoes, corn, rice and cereal are rich in carbohydrate.

Protein protects the bones, teeth and muscles to make it even stronger.

Meat, fish, eggs, milk, cow brains and beans are rich in proteins.

Fat helps us to store energy and keep our body warm.

Meat, milk, butter, oil, cream and sugar are rich in fats.

Vitamins and minerals helps our body to stay healthy and grow develop. Calcium is just an example for minerals; vitamin A and C are just examples for vitamins.

Examples:

Vitamin A is good for our skin, hair and eyes.

Carrots and mangoes are rich in vitamin A.

Vitamin C protects our body from falling sick easily.

Oranges and kiwis are rich in vitamin C.

Calcium makes our bones and teeth even stronger.

Spinach and milk are rich in calcium.

TEETH

Why do we have teeth?

We need teeth to chew, grind, cut and bite our food.

We have 20 milk teeth and 32 permanent teeth. Our milk teeth started to grow when we are about 6 months old , when we are about 7 years old our permanent teeth started to grow and when we are about 12 years old all our permanent teeth already have grown.

What are the names of the teeth and jobs?

In the front of our teeth there are Incisors. Incisors cuts the food when we bite into the food.

After incisors there are canines. Canines tears food with its sharpest end , they are sharper than incisors.

Premolars have flat surface at the end . Premolars chew and crush food to smaller pieces.

Molars have the flattest surface than premolars. Molars chews and grind food to make it even softer before going into the digestive system.

Why do we have to take care of our teeth?

We should take care of our teeth because if we don’t take care of our teeth bacteria monsters will come to your teeth and they are going to make sure you have a tooth/gum ache or to make sure your teeth will never existed in our whole lives. So we have to take care of our teeth by eating a balanced diet or eating healthy foods that are good for you, drinking lots of milk and water , brush teeth our six times a day, clean our gum and using a floss three times a day after eating.

#food #teeth #healthy #vitamins

The Picture in My Bedroom

BRAKK!

Bau debu dari buku-buku lama dan barang-barang antik, mengalir menusuk hidungku. Tanganku mencoba meraih di dalam gulita, mencari saklar lampu di permukaan dinding berbeledu. Ketika tiba-tiba, aku merasa sebuah saklar tepat dibawah jari-jariku. Aku menekan tombolnya. CLIK! Hmm… Tak ada yang terjadi. Clik! Clik! sekali lagi kuulangi.

“Ayah! Lampunya tidak bisa nyala.” aku memanggil keluar, sedikit sebal kepada ayahku yang sedang membongkar garasi mobil kami.  

Meskipun suasana rumah yang baru saja kami ambil alih dari pemiliknya yang sudah renta, terasa sangat membosankan dan tua, ayah dan ibu masih saja girang untuk pindah ke tempat ini. “Ah, tidak apa-apa kok, sayang. Nanti ayah panggilkan tukang listrik kan gampang.” ayah menjawab, senyum lebar terpampang di wajahnya, berjalan menghampiriku sambil memberikanku tas duffel ungu . 

Wajahnya berbelepot oli kering dan debu.

Aku tidak menunjukan wajah berperasaan sama sekali, tanpa memberi jawaban kepada ayah, aku seakan menyeburkan diri ke dalam kegelapan, tak peduli lagi. Suara sepatu bootku memukul anak tangga tua menuju ke lantai dua, terdengar di dalam kegelapan ruangan. Semetara kedua tanganku tetap meraba ke sekeliling, mencari jalan menuju kamarku di loteng.

Clop, clop, clop.

Selama berjalan menuju kamar loteng, aku sering menabrak furnitur antik yang ditempatkan di sepanjang lorong. “Ugh, kenapa sih banyak sekali furnitur disini? Aku pikir semuanya sudah dibuang atau dipindahkan ke tempat lain.” gerutu-ku.

Perjalanan menuju kamarku lumayan jauh. Mungkin karena berjalan dalam kegelapan, pikirku. Akhirnya, tanganku merasakan sesuatu bulat dan licin, menonjol dari permukaan yang sedikit kasar. 

Aku menduga benda ini adalah pintu kamar loteng; aku memutar kenop pintu tersebut dan mendorongnya. Suaranya menghasilkan suara denyit tua yang menyeramkan. Sesuatu berhasil menerangi ruangan. Cahaya yang masuk melalui jendela, dari balik juntai tirai kelabu. Ah, mengapa harus kelabu, aku tidak menyukainya. Begitu suram. Aku bisa melihat keseluruh ruangan. setiap sudutnya meski cahaya kecil itu muncul dan tenggelam karena sapuan angin meniup tirai. menutup cahaya dan terbuka lagi. Aku lupa menutup jendela kamar sore tadi.

Sebuah ranjang besar dengan kanopi merah velvet dan tiang-tiang berukir anggur dengan hiasan daun sulur, lemari antik besar kokoh coklat tua, dua pasangan kursi berlengan dengan kain penutup warna tanah dan sebuah meja kopi di ujung ruangan dekat jendela putih berhias tirai penutup dua lapis. Satu sisi tembok dipenuhi rak buku putih menempel yang dilengkapi deretan buku-buku lama; membungkus atmosfir dengan bau buku lama. Semua barang-barang ini cukup menangkap perhatianku, tetapi tidak sebanyak perhatianku pada foto dalam pigora tua yang menggantung miring di tembok kamar bagian sisi kiri dan kanan tempat tidur besar. Di foto itu terdapat seorang anak kecil berkepang dan berbaju gaun putih sederhana.

Ia terlihat cantik, pikirku sambil bersenyum kecil. Di ujung mataku, aku kira aku telah melihat sebuah bayangan anak kecil di pojok ruangan; aku berputar memindai area tersebut untuk mencari petunjuk di sekitar tempat itu. Sayangnya, bayangan itu hanya imaginasiku. Atau… mungkin tidak?

***

Pagi hari berikutnya, di awal pagi, ibu dan ayah sedang mengurus pajak rumah kami ke kota. Adikku masih terlihat tenang membaca novel mini kesukaannya diata ayunan ranjang teras belakang. Sementara itu, aku sedang mengeksplorasi taman belakang, sambil memainkan permainan hopscotch. Pada saat itu, yang kukira hanya khayalanku belaka, ada seorang anak yang persis mirip dengan anak perempuan di foto di kamarku, sedang berlari-lari melewatiku dan menghilang di area pepohonan lebat, hutan pinus belakang rumah.

“Hah?!” aku terlonjak kaget kebelakang. aku bertanya kepada diriku sendiri, “Siapa sebenarnya gadis ini?” mengetuk dagu dengan jariku, memperhatikan deretan pohon pinus, tempat gadis itu ditelan tak bersisa bayangannya.

***

Makan malam tiba, dan kita semua sedang asyik menikmati puding cokelat di ruang makan. Aku mengangkat suaraku. Kuceritakan tentang anak perempuan yang aku lihat sejak kami pindah. Adikku, Emily, berpikir bahwa itu hanya khayalan konyolku saja, dan dia mungkin saja benar.

“Emily benar, Penelope. Mungkin itu hanya sekedar imaginasi-mu saja.” ibu mengangguk, setuju, memanggilku dengan nama panjangku. Ayah pun ikut setuju.

“Ya,” aku menggantung kepalaku, menatap lantai, “mungkin saja.”

Sambil merapikan bantal dan ranjang, aku menyenandungkan lagu Celine Dion yang dimainkan di radio. Malam itu, semua orang dirumah sedang tidur di lantai bawah, kecuali aku yang masih tetap terbangun, mendengarkan radio tua yang tidak dipakai di kamar itu. Tiba-tiba channel radio berubah kacau balau. Percakapan-percakan orang dalam berita, dan lirik-lirik lagu terpotong-potong, seakan menyusun kalimat.

“Kamu harus.” seorang pembawa acara berkata, lalu dipotong. “Pergi. Dari sini. Dia akan. Membunuh. Mu.” mulai dari selebriti, nara sumber talkshow, dan polisi berbicara dalam satu kalimat yang membuatku gugup.

Saat itu juga, aku merasa kakiku diseret. Sesosok seperti pria besar dengan jari-jari panjang dan tajam, badannya tinggi, matanya merah, dan dia membawa pisau yang sudah diasah tajam, menarikku kasar. Aku tidak bisa berteriak, tidak bisa menjerit untuk meminta bantuan; suaraku tenggelam, tidak bisa melakukan apa-apa untuk membantuku, aku diam saja, menatap kosong pada makhluk tersebut.

“Tolong.” aku hanya bisa berbisik dengan suara yang serak.    

Makhluk itu menyeretku sampai ke ruang kloset, dan melemparku kedalam ruangan gelap. Kedua tanganku diikat dengan tali coklat. Aku bukan penggemar kegelapan, tapi jika terpaksa, aku tidak keberatan. Tiba-tiba, pintu terbuka lebar, menunjukkan sosok anak perempuan seperti anak yang berada di foto di kamarku. Ia tersenyum manis, berjalan pelan-pelan menuju ke arahku, dan memberikanku sebuah pisau.

Aku menggambilnya dengan telapak tanganku yang agak longar, dan memotong tali yang mengikat. Bebas! aku memberinya ucapan terima kasih, sebelum meluncur ke lantai bawah, mencari orang tua dan adikku. Aku tidak meninggalkan satu pun tempat yang belum aku cari. Tapi, tidak ada tanda-tanda dimana mereka berada atau kemana mereka pergi. Saat aku mulai kehilangan harapan, aku mendengar tembakan keras dari lantai atas. Aku segera berlari menuju tempat dimana suara itu berasal, dan menemukan pria yang mencoba membunuhku di lantai dengan lubang peluru di dadanya. 

Ayah, ibu, dan adikku semua ada di sebelahnya, duduk ketakutan. Tidak ada satu pun dari mereka membawa pistol.

Aku tersenyum lega; keluargaku diselamatkan oleh hantu perempuan.

Suara pintu depan terbuka terdengar dari lantai atas, hantu itu pergi keluar dari rumah. Dia sekarang bebas dari tugasnya untuk membunuh siapapun pria itu. Tugasnya untuk menyelamatkan keluarga yang akan tinggal dirumah ini selesai. 

The Greedy Queen

A queen dressed in white-grey coat was taking a walk through the forest. She was a queen from a faraway kingdom called Crescentia, and her name was Eadlyn. She was a greedy and mean queen. She loved gold and all shiny stuff. Although the queen was mean and greedy, she was very beautiful; she had hair as dark as dark chocolate, and eyes as green as grass.  

When she was in the middle of her stroll, she saw the tree of Golden Apples The tree of Golden Apples was known for its shimmering golden apples that could give everlasting beauty. She ran to the tree and picked the golden apples. Just when she was picking one of the apples, an invisible door opened from the bark of the tree that leads to an underground chamber. The curious Eadlyn tiptoed down the path and the door immediately locked her inside as soon as she stepped in.

She was imprisoned inside the tree for six months. Yet, she still survived without food, water, or warmth of fire. Day after day, the queen transformed into a hideous beast that reflected the unwanted bad personality inside of her. It was a curse for her greediness. And she was ready to break out of her prison.

Six months later – after years of being trapped and not being found – the Crescentia kingdom had a new ruler; Queen Eadlyn’s niece, Princess Isla. The princess was really kind, friendly, intelligent, and generous. She was more beautiful than her own aunt Eadlyn; she had shimmering golden hair and endless blue eyes.    

One snowy night, when everyone had fallen asleep, Queen Eadlyn was in her hideous beastly new look, she quietly plunged out of the tree and crept into the nearest village to kill her used-to-be subjects. The curse had caused her to become a true monster.

She broke the hinge of one of the villagers’ door and slid quietly into the main bedroom, where a farmer and his wife were sleeping with their baby in their arms. She held up a golden dagger as pointy as a spindle on a spinning wheel, and stabbed.

Meanwhile, Princess Isla was in the throne room, receiving terrible news from her guards about the multiple murdering happening in the villages. She panicked, until one of the royal guards volunteered to end the beast once and for all. The young ruler didn’t know that the monster was actually her aunt Eadlyn; the former ruler of Crescentia.

Soon, the royal guard found himself encountering the beast. And just when the beast was about to scratch its deadly claws into his face, in a quick flash, he sliced the beast to half; putting an end to it.  

Written by: Asha, my little 8 years old sister

Edited by: Me

The Respiratory System

Journey through the Respiratory System

There are about five parts of our respiratory system that helps us breath; the nose, windpipe, air tube, lungs, and last but not least, the air sacs. These five parts help us breathe every day, which is why they’re very important and we have to keep them healthy at all times.

Our nose inhales or inspires air rich in oxygen from the air around us, while its ‘hair’ collects and removes particles dust that is contained within the air we inhale. When the air we breathe is on its way to the lungs, they travel past through the windpipe. The windpipe does not only lead to our nose, but to our mouth as well. That is why we can breathe from our mouth when we part and inhale through it. The air soon reaches to two big air tubes which branches into tinier tubes in our lungs, and at the end of every tiny tube, there are clusters of bubble-shaped-like air sacs.

The air sacs are very important, because they help store oxygen and get rid of carbon dioxide. How?

As the air rich in oxygen we inhale fills in the air sacs, the carbon dioxide that is carried by blood rushes in, replacing the oxygen’s place and at the same time, the oxygen replaces the carbon dioxide’s place. And when we exhale, the carbon dioxide is pushed and forced out of the air sacs and journey through the windpipe, ending up blowing out of our body.

Illnesses and Diseases

Like every other body systems, our respiratory system has its illnesses and diseases. There are about three of them that you should mainly know; Asthma, Emphysema, and Lung cancer.

ASTHMA

Asthma is mainly caused by allergies, or a specific infectious and dangerous substance. Symptoms of Asthma are wheezing, shortness of breath, or even coughing. If you or one of your friends or family has those symptoms, immediately give them medicines and therapies under doctor’s orders and visualization.

People suffering from Asthma can cure well when they are given regular therapies, a few medicines, and most importantly, they have to stay away from the things that give them allergies.

EMPHYSEMA

Emphysema is the enlargement of air sacs. As they larges, they would burst, leaving a hole at the end of the air tubes. When this happens, the air that we breathe would directly fill the next cluster of air sacs. The cycle goes on and on, until most parts of our lungs are damaged.

Symptoms of Emphysema are mainly wheezing or shortness of breathes. Emphysema occurs usually when you inhale smoke from smokers, or you actually do smoke. Therapies and medicines won’t take effect unless you stop smoking at once.

LUNG CANCER

Lung cancer is a formation of tumor in your lungs. It is generally caused by smoking, inhaling deadly gases or pollution, or you may have a family history of lung cancer. When tumor slowly forms from time to time, several parts of your lungs would be severely damaged. Photos of people suffering from lung cancer are usually placed on the back of cigarette boxes, but somehow, the smokers didn’t really pay attention or probably, they just wanted to kill themselves for fun.

Wheezing, shortness of breathes are two of the symptoms of lung cancer. As soon as those symptoms appear, immediately stop smoking or therapies won’t take effect – such as most respiratory system illnesses.

Keeping Our Body Healthy

The main solution to not suffer those deadly diseases is to keep our body healthy by;

·       Eating good and healthy food, along with a proper diet

·       Have regular exercises

·       Get some good rest

·       And keep your hygiene

If you work in dirty or polluted places, be sure to wear a mask at all times to prevent the deadly air from being inhaled. But, most importantly, stop smoking or not smoke at all!

Other Respiratory Systems

Animals also have their own ways to breathe. Mammals, such as squirrels, breathe with their lungs and through their nostrils, as well as birds. Insects, such as butterflies and grasshoppers, breathe through openings in their body that leads to air tubes into their internal organs.

Whales and dolphins breathe with their lungs, but instead of nostrils, they breathe through the blowholes just on the top of their heads. Fish breathe through their gills, the ones that we find when we buy fish in the market. Some animals, like frogs, can breathe in water with their gills, and on land through their moist skin.  

New Novel Prologue

         When a dark, cold snowy night replaced the crispy, auburn sky, a little girl was placing herself on top of a broken branch which fell on the ground as she peered through a broken, shattered mirror, touching every feature of herself that she didn’t recognize. White hair, sickening pale skin, silver painted nails – she ran them through her white hair and waved her slim fingers in front of her…ruby red eyes. Dust engulfed her in alluring sapphire blue sparkles, creating patterned frost at the tip of the fractured piece of glass. The girl wasn’t aware of a beautiful phoenix locking its curious eyes at her odd features and rare, bewitching powers.

          The phoenix attempted its best to not startle the little girl from her place, and it flapped its wings as gentle as it could until not even a mouse would hear such flapping from a close distance. As soon as it was close enough to approach the girl, she spun her head rapidly, startling the phoenix as well. Her skin was so pale, her body was as thin as a small spine, her ribs and hip bones were almost as if it wanted to break through the boundary that was separating the inside from the outside. Just staring at her weak expression almost caused the phoenix want to escape its tears from its eyes.

          “Wh – no please, don’t go near me any further.” She croaked; her voice hoarse, weak and scared. She curled into a ball and hid her face in her cold hands. The phoenix smiled warmly, but didn’t listen.

          “It’s okay.” The girl’s head snapped up – she heard someone talking to her. “I won’t hurt you.” It was talking to her in a masculine voice she wondered if she had heard it before. He was smiling at her; a mythical creature. No one has ever smiled that kind ever since her dear mother past away…because of her.

          She hid her hands inside a pair of gloves. “N-no, y-you don’t understand. I will hurt you.”

          “You won’t.”

          “Yes, I will.”

          “You won’t.”

          “I will.”

          “No, you won’t.”

          “Yes, I will!”

          Shards and fractures of ice sprung from under the ground, they were so sharp and pointy that they nearly pierced through the phoenix’s wings, but, nearly wasn’t that safe enough. The ice broke one of his wings; some of the feathers were plucked off, the point of the wing was severely damaged and slightly curved. He wouldn’t be able to soar off again for at the least, two weeks.

          Transparent beads of tears threatened to escape from the girl’s ruby eyes as she stared in horror at what she had done to the creature’s wings. The phoenix was more than horrified, but surprisingly, although she did cause injurious harm to him, he had forgiven her from the inside. Just as he was about to say something…

          A ball of darkness struck right into his heart.

          He could not breathe.

          He could not utter a word, for his voice was swallowed by the darkness inside of him.

          He could only stare, and gasp hoarsely.

          His eyes grew from piercing, ice blue to golden yellow. Feathers became slick and slippery – as if it was frog skin, or perhaps it was. His coat turned from bright, fire red and brilliant yellow, into really, really pitch dark purple.

          “So weak, you are, Eolande.” There was the Queen of Evil, standing proud and tall, her hands sparking jolts of electric red sparks as the little girl drifted in mid-air, cocooned in the queen's magical sparks. “This child is no longer your charge, for she would be mine.”

          “N-no.”  

          Everything turned black.  

Author's Note: 

Please help me find a fitting title for this story. This is actually the prologue of the mystery story I told you. Please, please, please give me some choices at least. 

Thank You,

Hanun  

Reproduction

How do Living Things reproduce?

There are some ways in which living things can produce an offspring. Offspring are babies or a young that is reproduced by their parents.

Living things can produce offspring through:

·       -  Asexual reproduction

·       - Sexual reproduction

ASEXUAL REPRODUCTION

Asexual reproduction is the simplest form of reproduction. It requires only one parent. The young produced is a clone of the parent. A clone is a copy of its parent.

Example of asexual reproduction, one of the starfish’s arm separates or unattached from the starfish and starts to form slowly into another starfish that looks like its parent.

Pretty cool, huh? The starfish doesn’t need to mate with another starfish to reproduce. It can reproduce by itself.

SEXUAL REPRODUCTION

Meanwhile, sexual reproduction needs two living organisms to reproduce. They have to mate or get married first. The reproduction requires two genders; a female and a male.

A male has an organ which produces reproduction cells called Sperm Cells. A female also has an organ which produces reproduction cells called the Egg. Those two cells fuse together to produce a baby.

Many Sperm Cells can get to the Egg but only one Sperm cell can fuse with the Egg. Once the Sperm and the Egg fuses together, the Egg is already fertilized. Then, the fertilized Egg slowly develops into a baby, completed with ears, eyes, a nose and the rest of its organs.The developing might take about 9 months and the baby will be born after those 9 months. 

There are two different ways to reproduce sexually; some animals reproduce internally, and some animals reproduce externally.

          

Frogs and Fish are examples of animals that reproduce externally.

The female Frog first lays the Eggs on a place which the Eggs can attach to. Then, the male Frog points their genital (penis) to the Eggs and spreads out his Sperm Cells to the Eggs. So, the Eggs are fertilized outside the body of their parents’. Frogs and Fish’s way of reproduction is the same.

          

That reproduction way is called External Reproduction.

Cheetahs and Butterflies are examples of animals that reproduce internally.

BUTTERFLY:

First, the female Butterfly and male Butterfly fuses their Sperm Cells and Eggs together to fertilize the Egg. Then, the female Butterfly lays hundreds of Eggs on a leaf. The Eggs first cracks up into a Caterpillar, when the Caterpillar finishes eating lots of food, they made a soft silky cocoon for them to sleep in for months. After those months had past, the Caterpillar starts to develop and turn into an adult Butterfly.

CHEETAH:

The female Cheetah and male Cheetah fuses their Sperm Cell and Egg together to fertilize the Egg. But, unlike Butterflies, the female Cheetah doesn’t lay its Eggs; its Eggs stay inside the female Cheetah’s abdomen and develops slowly for 9 months until the cub’s body parts & organs are completed. After those 9 months, the cub finally comes out of its mother’s abdomen.

That way of reproduction is called Internal Reproduction. 

Next Summary,
THE RESPIRATORY SYSTEM

The Circulatory System

Our circulatory system is made up of the heart, blood vessels, and the blood they contain. These parts of the circulatory system play an important role in keeping our body healthy and, well, alive.

Our heart is the most vital organ in our body that pumps blood all the time through all parts of our body. Our heart is made of a special muscle called the heart muscles; they help our heart pump blood to all parts and organs in our body restlessly. We cannot control our heart muscles, because it needs to pump all the time in order to survive.

Blood vessels are tubes that carry blood in and out of the heart to every part of our body – since our other organs and body parts need blood to keep working. Some blood vessels carry blood out of our heart and to other body parts, and some blood vessels carry blood back to our heart. There are two colors of blood vessels inside our body; blue ones which flow blood rich in carbon dioxide and other waste materials, and red ones which flow blood rich in oxygen, water and digested food.

Blood which contains inside our blood vessels carries important supplies such as oxygen, digested food, and water to all parts of our body. It also carries carbon dioxide, unhealthy digested food, and dangerous liquid. And soon, they will be disposed out of our body. But, if our body does not digest and consume good stuff almost all the time, our blood will become unhealthy and so will other parts of our body – including our heart.

This system is called the circulatory system because it circulates or moves blood from our heart, around our body, and back to our heart again. Our circulatory system moves blood in two part: one that flows out of our heart to other parts of our body, and one that flows from all parts of our body back to our heart.   

Our heart pumps the blood rich in oxygen to all the cells in our body. They need the oxygen and digested food to produce the energy they use to carry out their functions. Our blood also transports digested food and water from our digestive system to all parts and cells of our body.

As blood goes around the body, it picks up carbon dioxide and other waste substances that the cells produced. On its way back to our heart, blood passes the waste substances to some organs which eventually pass out the waste materials out of our body. When blood reaches the lungs, the carbon dioxide is sent to the lungs, and the lungs would release the carbon dioxide into the air and take in oxygen as we breathe.

Each heartbeat is a cycle of contraction and relaxation of our heart muscles. With every heartbeat, blood is pumped through our heart and pushes the blood through our blood vessels. These pushes are made by a ripple that spreads outwards from our heart and through our blood vessels to push blood to the parts of our body. This is known as a pulse.

We can take in our pulse by pressing two fingers on our wrist, where our blood vessels are close to our skin. The number of pulses in a minute is called our pulse rate. Our pulse rate shows us how many times does our heart beats in each a minute. This is called our heart rate as well. The heart rate of a healthy adult is about 60 to 70 times per minute.

A baby or child’s heart rate can reach up to about 120 times in a minute. An average adult’s heart can beat about 60 to 90 times per minute. And an elderly person’s heart rate can reach until about 60 to 80 times each minute. The heart rate of a healthy person is usually slower than that of a sick person. A fast heart rate is a sign that means you’re ill.

When we exercise, our heart rate becomes faster and faster. This happens because our organs need to work faster in order to bring more blood to carry out the activities and produce energy.

***

Our circulatory system is an important system in our body that we need to live. Damage to a part of our circulatory system may cause sickness or even death. Illnesses of the circulatory system may affect our heart and blood vessels, blood pressure, and blood.

There are about four common illnesses that affect our circulatory system:

BLOOD PRESSURE

Hypertension

Hypertension is also known as high blood pressure. It can lead to other medical conditions such as arteriosclerosis, heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. Hypertension can be caused by smoking, a diet high in fat or salt, being overweight, lack of exercise and even a high stress level in our life. Eating too much junk food or not doing enough activities can also cause hypertension. Some adults may experience this kind of illness because of their high stress level.

HEART AND BLOOD VESSELS

Arteriosclerosis

A healthy diet is very important for the proper functioning of our circulatory system, if we have a diet with too much fat, fatty substances may collect the inner walls of the arteries. Arteries are the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to all parts of our body. Over time, the walls which are covered in the fatty substances stiffen. Now this condition is called arteriosclerosis. Blood flow becomes restricted and blocked. Blood clots may develop in the blood vessels, and such clots could lead to a heart attack or stroke. 

BLOOD

Anemia

Anemia is a disease of the blood. This disease happens when we run low of red blood cells in our body. Since these blood cells carry oxygen to the parts of our body, there will be a lack of oxygen carried by the cells in our body. Anemia is caused by a lack of iron in our diet or a large blood loss.

Leukemia

A more severe disease of the blood is called Leukemia. It is also known as the cancer of blood or a bone marrow. This disease occurs when white blood cells multiply rapidly and uncontrolled in the bone marrow. Leukemia may lead to cancer.

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A healthy circulatory system can be achieved by having a healthy diet and lifestyle. This means we have to exercise regularly, not consume alcohol or take drugs, not smoke, have a balanced diet – with a complete and controlled portion of carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins and mineral –, drink a lot of water, and go for monthly body check-ups.

Regular body check-ups can help to detect certain illnesses in our body early so the treatment can work better and quicker than those who start their treatment a few days after their illness had started. Having enough exercises and an active lifestyle ensures a good blood flow throughout our body.

Eating a well and healthy diet will help achieve a healthy weight and also, a healthy heart. Smoking, taking drugs and drinking alcohol can cause severe diseases and health problems to our body. And drinking enough water every day will help our body be fresh and achieve a healthy blood pressure.

Our digestive, circulatory and respiratory system work together to make sure our body is healthy and fit. How do they work together to keep our body strong and healthy?

When we eat, food is digested in the digestive system; through the stomach and intestines. 

Digested food is then absorbed into the blood in the circulatory system as they carry them to the parts of our body and cells. During breathing, oxygen enters the lungs. At the same time, carbon dioxide carried by blood is released in the lungs so they can quickly dispose them when we breathe out, and then blood carries the oxygen to our body. 

Oxygen is absorbed into the blood in the circulatory system. Digested food and oxygen are carried by the blood to all parts of our body through the circulatory system. Then, the digested food and oxygen combine to produce the energy, water vapor and carbon dioxide needed within the body during the process called respiration.

Every system in our body has their role to keep us healthy and they all have important functions. As we have seen, our circulatory system works very closely with other systems in our body, such as the digestive and respiratory system. But, what will happen to other systems in our body if our respiratory system fails to work properly?

The systems in our body are all important, and if one of them stops working properly, other systems can also be affected by this cause, because oxygen is needed to create a healthy energy along with digested food and water that is needed for cells and other parts of our body working.

#circulatory system #blood pressure #heart sickness