Ever wonder what's going on inside your body that makes it work or not work? Well, you've got thirteen major systems working together like a team to keep you healthy, active, and ready for whatever life throws at you. This article dives into these systems, explaining what they do and how they keep you going. We're also looking at natural ways to keep these systems in top shape. Think of it like a guide to upgrading your body's performance, from eating right to staying active naturally. So, whether you're recovering from an illness or injury or just want to feel your best, understanding how to naturally enhance your body's function is important to your good health.
The body’s thirteen major systems: How they work and how to naturally enhance their Function
Circulatory System:
Function: Transports nutrients, oxygen, and waste products around the body. It includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood.
Natural ways to boost the circulatory system:
Regular Exercise: Exercise increases resilience, helps fight off infections, and brings nutrients to parts of your body by improving circulation. Dr. Darling from Cleveland Clinic recommends at least ten minutes of daily activity, ideally a mix of cardio and strength training, to support cardiovascular health. You can also massage your scalp, for example, to improve hair health.
Healthy Diet: A diet rich in antioxidants, fiber, and healthy fats like those found in olive oil can decrease inflammation and support the immune response, indirectly benefiting the circulatory system by reducing the risk of heart disease. Avoid inflammation-promoting seed oils.
Hydration: Adequate water intake, half your body weight in ounces of water daily, is crucial as dehydration can harm your heart and kidney function, which are important parts of the circulatory system. Drinking enough fluid to keep urine pale yellow is recommended.
Herbal supplements: NADH, Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), Omega-3 (in flax seed and chia seeds), Quercetin, Magnesium, L-Arginine, Vitamin C, and Ginko.
Body's respiratory system:
Function: Facilitates gas exchange; oxygen enters the body, and carbon dioxide leaves the body. Key components are the lungs, trachea, bronchi, and diaphragm.
Natural ways to boost the respiratory system:
Deep Breathing Exercises: These exercises can enhance lung capacity and efficiency. Dr. Linda Chen from Houston Methodist suggests that deep breathing practices are beneficial for maintaining respiratory health.
Avoid Pollutants: Reducing exposure to household chemicals like air fresheners, cleaning products, laundry products, and personal hygiene products, smoke and pollutants is vital. According to research, staying away from environmental toxins helps in maintaining lung function. In a previous article, we wrote about how Mullein or Mullen can heal your lungs.
Physical Activity: Regular exercise strengthens respiratory muscles, improving the efficiency of gas (oxygen and carbon dioxide) exchange. In an upcoming article, we'll discuss how most humans breathe all wrong. And how to fix your breathing for better health and longevity.
Herbal supplements: Mullen, licorice root, valerian root, cinnamon bark, cordyceps, reishi mushroom, Indian Tobacco (lobaria pulmonaria), yarrow, elderberry, Japanese honeysuckle, sweet wormwood, and ginger root.
Body's digestive system:
Function: Breaks down food into nutrients the body can absorb and eliminates waste. Components include the mouth, esophagus, stomach, intestines, liver, pancreas, and gallbladder.
Natural ways to boost the digestive system:
Probiotic-Rich Foods: Incorporating fermented foods like yogurt, sauerkraut, and kimchi can enhance gut bacteria, which is crucial for digestion. Research suggests that probiotics help in identifying harmful pathogens from normal cells, supporting digestive health.
Fiber Intake: A diet high in fiber from plant foods feeds the gut microbiome, which can improve digestion and nutrient absorption.
Hydration: Proper hydration aids in digestion, helping to prevent constipation and promote regular bowel movements.
Herbal supplements: Digestive enzymes, prebiotics, probiotics, dill seed and leaf, lemon balm leaf, chamomile flower, fiber, and ginger root.
Body's nervous system:
Function: Controls and coordinates all body activities through electrical and chemical signals. It’s composed of the brain, spinal cord, and nerves.
Natural ways to boost the nervous system:
Adequate Sleep: Sufficient sleep is essential for nerve repair. Dr. Ballehr notes that adults need seven to nine hours of sleep to support brain health.
Nutrition: A diet rich in vitamins B6, C, and E, known for their neuroprotective properties, can support nervous system function. Foods like oranges, broccoli, and spinach are recommended.
Stress Management: Practices like meditation can reduce stress, which benefits nerve health by lowering cortisol levels that might otherwise hurt cognitive or brain function.
Body's skeletal system:
Function: Provides support and structure, protects organs, and aids in movement in conjunction with muscles. Comprises bones, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons.
Natural ways to boost the skeletal system:
Calcium and Vitamin D: These nutrients are critical for bone health. Dr. James Lee emphasizes the importance of weight-bearing exercises and a diet rich in calcium and vitamin D to maintain bone density.
Exercise: Weight-bearing and resistance exercises like walking, exercise bands or lifting weights help in maintaining and building bone mass.
Herbal supplements: Calcium, vitamin D, phosphorous, and magnesium support bone and muscle health.
Body's muscular system:
Function: Enables movement, maintains posture, and generates heat. Includes all muscles of the body.
Natural ways to boost the muscular system:
Strength Training: Regular resistance exercises are vital for muscle strength and endurance. Dr. Sarah Johnson advises incorporating strength training at least twice a week.
Stretching: Daily stretching routines can prevent muscle stiffness and improve flexibility, supporting overall muscle health.
Body's endocrine system:
Function: Regulates body functions through hormones. Key glands include the pituitary, thyroid, adrenals, pancreas, and gonads (ovaries in women and testicles in men).
Natural ways to boost the endocrine system:
Balanced Diet: Nutrients like iodine for thyroid health and zinc for reproductive health are crucial. Dr. Michael Brown suggests a diet low in processed foods to support endocrine function.
Stress Reduction: Techniques such as yoga or meditation can help balance hormone levels, reducing the impact of stress on the endocrine system.
Herbal supplements: Ashwagandha, nigella seeds, black cohosh root, chasteberry, and marjoram.
Body's immune system:
Function: Defends the body against disease by identifying and neutralizing pathogens and other harmful agents. Comprises white blood cells, the lymphatic system, the spleen, the thymus, and bone marrow.
Natural ways to boost the immune system:
Nutrition: A diet rich in vitamins C, D, and zinc directly supports immune function. Dr. Karen White from the CDC highlights the importance of these nutrients in enhancing immunity.
Sleep: Adequate sleep is vital for immune system health, helping in the production and function of immune cells. Dr. Ballehr notes the need for seven to nine hours of sleep to boost immunity.
Hydration: Proper hydration is crucial as it supports all bodily functions, including immune response, by maintaining optimal conditions for white blood cells to function.
Herbal supplements: Quercetin, bromelain, zinc, magnesium, and vitamins C and D.
Body's urinary system:
Function: Filters blood to remove waste and excess substances, leading to urine production. Includes kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra.
Natural ways to boost the urinary system:
Hydration: Drinking plenty of water helps in flushing out toxins. Dr. Robert Green states that hydration is key to kidney function as it helps in the elimination (poop and urine) process.
Limit Salt Intake: Reducing salt can lessen the work on kidneys, improving their efficiency in waste removal.
Herbal supplements: Oregano, cranberry juice, coconut oil, bearberry, D-Mannose, and goldenrod.
Body's integumentary system:
Function: Provides external protection, regulates body temperature, and synthesizes vitamin D. Consists of the skin, hair, nails, and associated glands.
Natural ways to boost the integumentary system:
Sun Protection: Use of sunscreen is crucial to prevent skin damage from UV radiation, as advised by Dr. Susan Park.
Moisturizing: Regular use of moisturizers helps maintain skin elasticity and barrier function.
Nutrition: A diet rich in antioxidants like vitamin E from almonds, helps in skin repair and protection.
Herbal supplements: Collagen, keratin, biotin, horsetail and aloe rinse, rosemary essential oil, DHT-blocking pygeum, black cohosh, stinging nettle, lemon balm, passionflower, and valerian.
Body's integumentary system (Additional Functions):
Function: Beyond basic protection, it also plays a role in sensation, water balance, and protection from UV radiation.
Additional natural ways to boost the integumentary system:
Avoid Harsh Chemicals: Using gentle, natural skincare products helps maintain the skin's natural barrier. Dr. Susan Park recommends avoiding products with chemicals to preserve skin health.
Regular Exfoliation: This can improve skin sensation by removing dead skin cells, promoting new cell growth.
UV Protection: Instead of applying sunscreen that has been linked to skin cancer and vitamin D deficiency, wearing protective clothing can reduce UV damage, enhancing skin's protective functions. And you can take astaxanthin, a natural substance that protects you from the sun’s harmful rays from the inside out.
Herbal supplements: Astaxanthin.
Body's reproductive system:
Function: Responsible for sexual reproduction. In males, it includes testicles, penis, and accessory glands; in females, it contains ovaries, fallopian tubes, uterus, and vagina.
Natural ways to boost the reproductive System:
Healthy Lifestyle: Regular exercise, a balanced diet, and avoiding toxins can enhance fertility. Dr. Anna Martinez explains that a diet with antioxidants and stress management techniques like meditation supports reproductive health.
Adequate Sleep: Supports hormonal balance, which is crucial for reproductive function.
Herbal supplements: Folic acid, vitamins C and D, CoQ10, and inositol.
Body's lymphatic system:
Function: Returns fluid from tissues to the blood, absorbs fats from the digestive system, and aids in immune response. Includes lymph nodes, vessels, thymus, and spleen. A poorly functioning lymphatic system can cause fluid to back up in your body and increase weight gain.
I was diagnosed with lymphedema in 2023, after a three year battle to get a doctor to believe my symptoms. In a future podcast episode, you can hear my journey to get an accurate diagnosis. And how I naturally reversed the condition by 2025, even though doctors and lymphedema specialists told me it was an irreversible condition. You don't need to take steroids. There is a natural way.
Natural ways to boost the lymphatic system:
Movement: Physical activity promotes lymphatic flow, enhancing the system's ability to transport fluids and immune cells. Dr. Darling suggests at least ten minutes of daily exercise.
Hydration: Helps in the flow of lymphatic fluid, supporting the system's detoxification role.
Herbal supplements: echinacea, plantain leaf powder, Yarrow, valerian, licorice root, dandelion root, red Clover flower, burdock, echinacea, and elderberry.
It’s impossible to provide a complete list of vitamins, minerals, micronutrients, and herbal supplements to support your good health. There are hundreds, if not thousands. However, this is an extensive list of supplements you can discuss with your healthcare provider. Be sure to keep a written list of any supplements, vitamins, and minerals you’re taking that you can share with your healthcare team. Always research potential allergies and negative interactions between natural herbs and between herbs and prescription medications.
The body’s systems don’t work in isolation; they interact to maintain homeostasis, which is the body’s stable internal environment. Remember, this list simplifies the complexity of human physiology, as there are numerous interrelated functions and feedback mechanisms among these systems. However, now you know how your body’s systems work, what you can eat, drink, and take to support your body’s systems, and how to be a smarter healthcare consumer.
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