The Effects of Alcohol of Homeostasis
Alcohol consumption affects the body organs function and therefore inhibiting the process of homeostasis. The damaging caused to these organs affects their functional structures making them not function properly, and thus the internal balance cannot be maintained. The paper will take an approach of discussing the effects based on the affected organ (Hamid, Wani, and Kaur, 2009 p 2175). Under this, three organs which help in the process of homeostasis and are heavily affected by the consumption of alcohol will be discussed.
Effects of alcohol consumption to the liver.
Among the major organs affected by alcohol consumption is the liver. The liver has the function of controlling the blood sugar levels to ensure that the sugar levels are maintained within the required rage. When these levels are below the required level glycogen is broken down to sugars, and when the sugar levels are above the optimum, more glucose conversion occurs. After the consumption of alcohol, the liver has to break down the alcohol sugar component. The breakdown produces a chemical which destroys the liver cells causing liver cirrhosis (Cylwik, Daniluk, Chrostek. and Szmitkowski, 2010 p 450) Liver cirrhosis affects the metabolic functions of the liver, and thus the breakdown of substances such as fats and proteins does not take place effectively. The conditions, therefore, make the body unable to regulate its blood fat levels. The fat gets transported to other body parts such as the heart where it gets deposited and increases the risk of the patient suffering from other cardiac disorders when the liver fails to eliminate excess ammonia and other nitrogenous waste from the blood posse’s other serious health conditions to the patient (Carr, Dhir, Yin, Agarwal and Ahima, 2013 p 1091). The liver has to perform the process of detoxifying and removing the alcohol from the body. The excess ammonia in the blood gets transported to the brain of the patient, which affects the functioning of the cerebral system. Among the issues which this excess ammonia cause to the brain is causing; increased forgetfulness and also the altering the sleeping habit of an individual. Liver cirrhosis is also associated with other liver conditions such as liver cancer. These condition of the liver affects the metabolism of fats, carbohydrates and the protein affecting the overall internal balance of the body. Failure in the regulation of blood sugar causes high blood pressure to the patient which can later lead to heart failure (Wani et al. 2013 p 121). Heavy drinking is also associated with Hepatitis of the liver leads to the inflammation of the liver and thus injury to the liver (Thakkar, Sharma, and Sahota, 2015 p 299). The damage caused to the liver by Hepatitis, therefore, alters the functionality of the liver regarding creating a homeostatic balance which can lead to other further complications and even death to the victim.
Excessive intake of alcohol lowers the blood sugar levels below the maximum requirements. When this happens at late stages of liver cirrhosis, for instance, the body cannot be able to coordinate to have its blood sugar levels rectified. The patient, therefore, is forced to use unnatural means such as undergoing through medication to ensure that the blood sugar levels are maintained. Another manner through which alcohol affects the blood sugar is through increasing the appetite of the person. Due to this, alcoholic addicts tend to consume more food which is later broken down to glucose. The excess food intake due to the influence of alcohol increases blood sugar levels. In case of diabetic patients using insulin, alcoholism behavior may affect the medication leading to the medication not being effective. Effective maintaining of the internal blood sugar requires the organs to be functioning at optimum (Brower, Hoffmann, Conroy, Arnedt, and Armitage, 2011 p 559). Intake of any substance which destroys or alters the functionality of these organs affects the overall process of homeostasis. Alcoholic consumption needs to be moderate to ensure that the blood sugar level is maintained and also the liver is maintained at its healthy condition. Destruction of the liver through alcoholism affects the homeostatic functionality of the liver.
Effects of alcohol consumption to the cerebral part and coordination to enhance homeostatic balance.
For homeostatic balance to be maintained there needs to be communication and coordination between the organs facilitating the same in the organism’s body. The coordination, in this case, is facilitated by the communication from the nervous system. The brains communicate on the state of imbalance within the organism’s system which requires a given organ to respond to the change to avert it towards the required state (Wang, Yao, and Song, 2010 p 471). The brain directs some glands to produce hormone inhabiting or facilitating a given process to ensure that the desired condition is achieved — insulin for instance produced by the liver after receiving the communication from the brain that the blood sugar is low and therefore requires to be adjusted. When it has been adjusted to optimum levels, then the communication happens where glycogen is produced to inhibit the function of the insulin hormone. When body temperatures increase, for instance, the brain directs the excretory system to excrete more water to ensure that much heat is lost to the environment. When these temperatures fall below the sound levels, the brain directs activities involving more metabolism such as oxidation of the stored energy to provide heat energy required for maintaining the internal body temperatures (Tsai, Lin, Leu. and Fang 2015, p 39)
The brain transmits all sets of information to different organs on different activities required to maintain the internal environment balance enabling the organs to respond promptly. The brain directs secretion of different hormones necessary in maintaining the body balance. For the brain to effectively function, it requires to be at its optimal operating condition. Alcohol consumption alters the communication between the brain and different organs thus affecting the process of homeostasis (Fitzpatrick et al. 2009 p 146).
Alcohol consumption affects the status of the brain and therefore affecting the overall functionality of the brain. Excessive consumption of alcohol leads to the liver being unable to break down ammonia to urea for secretion. When this ammonia reaches the brain, it has far-reaching consequences leading to conditions such as memory loss or even seizures. The toxins in the blood make the addict have low memory conditions which even affects their interaction with people. These conditions affect the brain ability to coordinate other body organs into ensuring the internal balance is maintained at its optimal level (Barbagallo, Belvedere, and Dominguez, 2009 p 235). Seizure condition, for instance, occurs due to brain failure to communicate with other organs effectively making the body to go into a breakdown. The brains as noted earlier undertake different functions such as coordinating with organs to ensure that the body temperature is maintained. Enzymatic activities in the body, for instance, require optimal temperatures to operate effectively if these temperatures are not controlled, they are denatured. Alcohol also affects the medulla part of the brain which concerned with maintenance and control of body temperatures when this part has affected the coordination between the medulla and excreting organs such as the kidney becomes impossible. The kidneys or the skin, therefore, are not directed to excrete excess water leading heat loss. These high temperatures can cause a seizure to the body organs (Canto, Menzies, and Auwerx, 2015 p. 31)
Alcohol consumption increases the body temperature and when the brain cannot coordinate to have the temperatures controlled the body operations will fail. Alcohol consumption affects the nervous system causing peripheral neuritis; this affects the coordination between the brain and other parts of the body making it difficult for the body to maintain the required balance. Among the parts of the human brain affected by alcohol include brain tissues and brain cells. Alcoholic consumption affects these brain receptors making them unable to receive and coordinate with other body organs (King, 2014). Another approach through which alcohol consumption affects homeostasis is through affecting the judgment aspect of the brain. Through this, the brain function is affected, and thus vital homeostatic activities are affected. Slowing down of the functionality of the brain also affects the rate at which these processes occur (Kim and Kim, 2012 p 108). Due to alcoholism, therefore, the body may respond slower to given stimuli leading to other unnecessary complications or in some instance’s cases of insomnia and even seizure in some instances.
Becoming an acholic addict involves resetting of the human brain into believing that its Impossible to operate without the influence (Moonat, Starkman, Sakharkar, and Pandey, 2010 p 73). When the brain has been set to operate this way, its functionality is based on the influence of the alcohol which in return affects many other organs. Change in the brain neurobiology alters the brain function and thus affecting the future homeostasis process of the body
How alcohol consumption affects the function of the kidney in the excretion process.
The kidneys have a homeostatic responsibility of removing harmful substances in the blood passing through. Any change to the system can therefore alter, the functionality of the kidneys making them incapable of controlling and eliminating the unwanted material from the blood. For the optimal functioning of the kidney, blood must be maintained within a given pressure to ensure that the cleansing takes place effectively. High blood pressure is associated with min causes of kidney diseases such as kidney failure (Lushchak, 2012). Alcohol consumption increases the blood pressure and thus affecting the excretion process of the and exposing the kidney to risky conditions (Spanagel 2009 p 649). The kidney is involved in ensuring that the body water levels are maintained. The water levels maintenance is necessary for the transportation of mineral and food substances to other parts of the body; this is because the water makes up the better portion of the human blood. Another important function of the water is providing an aqueous environment to facilitate chemical reaction requiring such conditions (Fontanelli et al. 2013, p 49). Alcoholic consumption ends up dehydrating the body and reducing the water levels in the body. Due to this the functionality of the kidney is affected, and this can also cause kidney stones. Alcoholism affects the liver of the patient thereby affecting their metabolism function and making the liver unable to excrete ammonia. When this ammonia reaches the kidneys, it can lead to renal failure. The ammonia lowers the blood PH levels and thus can alter some body functions especially enzymatic reaction which prefers other PH levels such as alkaline or neutral conditions (Nam et al. 2012 p1117).
In the case of liver disease due to alcoholism, the kidney workload is increased since it has to engage in the cleansing of the blood this affects the homeostatic balance of the body.
The functioning of the kidney is also guided by the nervous system, and the system gives directions on how to respond to different stimuli. Failure of the nervous system as caused by the alcoholism will end up affecting the functionality of the kidneys (Garban et al. 2012). Increased blood pressure not only affects the blood cleansing process but can also lead to destructions of the blood vessels transporting the blood. If the communication to produce the hormones rectifying the condition of high blood pressure is not provided promptly other organs of the body may collapse. This is because Alcoholic consumption affects these brain receptors making them unable to receive and coordinate with other body organs. Another approach through which alcohol consumption affects homeostasis is through affecting the judgment aspect of the brain. Through this, the brain function is affected, and thus vital homeostatic activities are affected. Slowing down of the functionality of the brain also affects the rate at which these processes occur. Due to alcoholism, therefore, the body may respond slower to given stimuli thus making the excretion process to be slower (Heilig et al. 2010 p 169). Dehydration also requires the body to get the water needed immediately, the water intake, however, doesn’t alter the alcoholic content in the blood, and thus the dehydration can continue.
Conclusion
Alcoholism affects the body homeostasis in various ways not only by changing the concentration in the blood but also affecting the vital organs involved in maintaining the balance. Due to this, therefore, alcoholism has far-reaching implications since it can completely alter the entire process of homeostasis. By affecting the brain, for instance, alcohol proofs to be extremely toxic than many people perceive it, this is because the brain is the central point of all body functions. Alcohol consumption, therefore, is a threat to having a stable internal environment since it attacks the vital organs necessary for maintaining this balance. These organs include; the brain, the liver and the kidney as discussed above. No matter the amount of alcohol consumed by an individual the negative effect of alcohol remains. Complete avoidance of alcohol, therefore, should be practiced if anyone wishes to have a stable internal balance and remain healthy. Alcoholism health implications ought not to be ignored; this is because they are long lasting and take longer to be identified affecting some organs which are irreplaceable.
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