Every once in a while I find a medical illustration that does a really good job visually explaining how something works. This is one of them. Occasionally they inspire me; motivating me to study far beyond my original search for answers.
With this one there are a lot of potential learning and teaching points whether the author or artist intended any additional meaning or potential in their efforts.
I like this one…8). I’ve been intimately aware of my circulatory system as long as I’ve heard my heartbeat. But I didn’t really understand the significance of that extra green part. The lymphatic system. Of course, I had heard of it, but I didn’t fully understand the significance of it and its proper functionality for my well-being. That is until my body decided to teach me a more excellent way of taking care of business. Handling cellular life…8). More on that later.
An adult circulatory system, arteries, and veins, transport about 6,000-7,500 liters or 1,500-2,000 gallons of plasma and its companions, red and white blood cells around the body daily.
The lymphatic system helps maintain fluid balance. It returns excess tissue fluid or blood plasma(same thing; different place) along with proteins from our soft tissues that cannot be returned through the blood vessels.
Blood Plasma = Tissue Fluid = Lymphatic Fluid
The tissue fluid is found in the tissue spaces and cavities, in the tiny spaces surrounding cells, known as the interstitial spaces, which are reached by the smallest blood and lymph capillaries.
Around 90 percent of the plasma that reaches our soft tissues from the arteries and arterial capillaries spills out into our soft tissues. The rest is passed through the veinous side of the capillary beds which then makes its way back to the veins to continue its journey back to the heart. The remaining 10 percent remains in the soft tissues in our interstitium and eventually makes its way back into general circulation through the lymphatic system along with any cellular debris.
Each day, around 2-3 liters find their way back into general circulation via the lymphatic system when it is functioning optimally. This fluid includes waste proteins that are too large to be transported via the blood vessels. As that process is taking place these proteins are continually denatured along the way until they reenter general circulation at the end of their journey just above our heart where it begins the journey all over again.
If this system were to completely fail to function properly the toxic burden on our bodies would be too great and we would die within a day. Without this third leg of our circulatory system draining its fluids excess waste or cellular debris, our soft tissues would swell. Blood volume would also decrease because that fluid is our blood plasma, just outside the arteries and veins and blood pressure would increase until the skin, kidneys, liver, and lungs become overburdened resulting in eventual and possibly acute failure.