BlOOD CIRCULATION – SEE HOW YOURS WORKS

Blood flow (circulation) is a complex subject I will make simple. I’m going to give you the information you need to take away from the process of blood flow. You’ll also get the knowledge you can use to improve your circulation and solve some other issues at the same time.

Better blood flow in this post doesn’t involve using drugs or supplements. It does, however, involve exercise and diet.

I’m going to keep things at a level that someone with a high-school biology education can understand. There’s no chemistry or math to deal with, and with a bit of effort, you can take advantage of the knowledge you’ll gain. It’s all about improving your OMY blood flow.

OMY blood flow and circulation:

It starts with your Heart:

let’s dig a little deeper into your OMY blood flow.

The regulation of flowing liquid within a closed system is called hydraulics. This term is usually applied to mechanical systems, but it applies to blood flow as well. Blood flow and pressure are tightly controlled within your circulatory system by an intricate interplay of chemical and physical mechanisms.

Entire medical textbooks are written on this very subject of blood flow regulation. This flow process is complex, and if you want to know more about the technical side, here is a good place to visit.

I want to keep things simple on my end. Yes, I’ll be oversimplifying as I did above, but I want you to walk away from this post with the basics. Before we go any further, you might want to refresh yourself on blood pressure here: Get your baseline blood pressure.

Blood circulation direction:

OMY blood flow happens in a loop as described above, but not only does blood circulate in a loop, the blood only flows in one direction, From your point of view, your blood moves counterclockwise – from left to right. That is from your left ventricle to your right ventricle. The exception is your lungs. Pulmonary (lung) blood flow is clockwise, from the right ventricle to the left ventricle.

This directional flow is the same for everyone, and there’s a reason for this. One-way valves are strategically placed throughout your circulatory system to ensure that blood only goes in one direction and cannot go backward.

This use of valves also helps prevent blood from “pooling” and getting thick (clotting). In addition, actions like walking, and moving in general, also help to keep blood moving and inhibit pooling.

Arteries, Veins, and Capillaries:

Arteries deliver oxygenated blood to tissue, dropping off the oxygen and other goodies cells need and picking up the waste they don’t. This delivery and pickup job is done in the capillaries.

Just before leaving the capillaries, your arteries change into veins. On your blood’s way home, veins drop the waste off in several places like the liver and kidneys (garbage disposals), but eventually, the veinous blood goes to your right ventricle and is pumped through your lungs, where it picks up oxygen (gets oxygenated).

Oxygenated blood from the lungs is then returned to the left ventricle, and the cycle starts all over. (Actually, it is going on continuously 24/7.)

Special Appreciation for Capillaries

Capillaries’ job in blood flow is to act as postmen for the delivery of fresh materials (including oxygen) and trash haulers for picking up spent materials.

Capillaries are fascinating physio-technology because they have very thin walls and are embedded in the tissue that they serve. These anatomical aspects allow “things” to pass in and out of the blood flowing through the capillary mesh.

As shown in this illustration, arteries transmogrify into veins almost as if by magic. Most arterial blood passes through some version of a capillary. When it does, its delivery and pick-up duties are completed, and it then becomes veinous blood. This “used” blood smoothly goes into a vein and is on its way to various organs and eventually to the lungs to be re-oxygenated.

Overview of the blood’s circulatory system:

By now, you’ve got a pretty good feel for how the blood circulation pattern works. Blood flow is a continuous loop of delivery and pickup of whatever keeps your organs functioning. The pulmonary system, a side-loop of the main circulatory system, is like a reconditioning factory for red blood cells, cleaning out carbon dioxide and replacing it with oxygen.

Of course, blood and its various components do a lot of other things by way of pickup and delivery. The circulation apparatus, however, is always there, like a conveyor belt running continuously.

By and large, this system works very well and is always there – it has to be. There are still lots of things that can go wrong with the pump, the valves, and the tubing. Even though these things are put together masterfully, things can still happen.

Fortunately for us, many of these things are under our control.

Let’s talk about them one at a time.

Blood Circulation issues we can control:

First, blood flow and circulation are more design and physics than chemistry. The system is put together incredibly well, and in spite of our lifestyles, it soldiers on. Still, problems arise that we can foresee and, in many cases, prevent.

Here are some:

System damage from high blood pressure:

Heart failure is almost always associated with high blood pressure. This is simply your heart giving up from overwork. High blood pressure is associated with other types of organ damage, like kidney failure and inter-organ aneurysms.

Strokes, especially bleeding in the central nervous system, are far more common in those with high blood pressure. These are dangerous and life-threatening and can occur in multiples – small bleeds here and there that can add up.

Finally, damage to arteries from the constant pounding and excess stretching of arteries is caused by high blood pressure. This damage generates lesions that become bases for cholesterol patches, which can inhibit blood flow and cause clots to form. Both of these are dangerous and unpredictable.

If you have high blood pressure, work to control it – there are lots of options.

Smoking!!

There is only one solution: just stop. Smoking causes so much damage that it merits its own post to tell the entire horror story. Here’s a taste:

Smoking raises blood pressure and increases heart rate – both are bad but worse when happening together. This is a result of nicotine’s artery constricting ability – limiting blood flow. This alone is enough to justify stopping.

There’s still more damage that involves complex chemistry, but to cut to the chase, smoking blocks your organs from using oxygen effectively – this has multiple consequences – all bad.

Obesity and overweight:

Two-thirds of Americans are overweight (including OMYs). This is a problem that has increased steadily since the Ancel Keys Seven Countries Study at the University of Minnesota, pinning cardiovascular disease on high-fat diets.

This was a large study that demonized fats and caused a dietary shift to low-fat foods and, consequently, toward high-carbohydrate diets. The result was that people started gaining weight. Want proof? Look at some street photos taken in the 1970s and compare them to similar current-day photos.

Obesity and its lesser version – simply being overweight – are likely the biggest health challenge Americans face as a society. OMY blood flow for the obese is more difficult, expanding the circulatory system and overworking the heart. Obesity is the mother of many diseases, from joint damage to cancer and heart attacks. If you’re obese or overweight, see my post, ON WEIGHT LOSS.

Lack of OMYcise (exercise): See the difference here: OMYCISE OR EXERCISE.

Where do I start? First of all, exercise is one leg of longevity’s three-legged stool. It is, therefore, not optional for the management of blood flow. Contrary to what you might see touted, gardening, house cleaning, and sex aren’t exercises. They might get your heart rate up, but by OMYcise definition, they’re not exercising.

OMYcise is defined in the above post and is worth reading again. The overriding principles are planned and consistent exercise sessions. The benefits of exercise are too numerous to cite here, but blood flow is certainly one at the top.

Increasing heart rate and blood flow cleanse the entire body. Remember the pick-up function of blood through the capillary system? You might say this is a process of picking up cellular trash and carrying it to disposal sites. This cleansing is intensified when you exercise. It’s like going from light dusting to “move the furniture” style spring cleaning.

Alcohol, substance abuse, and blood flow :

Alcohol first:

Here I’m not talking about downing a few beers and watching a football game with Uncle Fred. I’m talking about excessive drinking several days a week and, even worse, planning your days around alcohol consumption. There’s a thin line between enjoying alcohol and being an alcoholic.

If you’re an alcoholic, you need help. Discuss this openly with your healthcare provider. You have many options.

If you just enjoy drinking and have the ability to know when to stop, then here are some rules:

• Avoid drinking every day – take a two-day back-to-back break often and let the toxic by-products of alcohol clear your system (usually takes 48 hours.)
• Don’t binge-drink on Saturday (or any other) night.
• Drink as little alcohol as possible when you are caught in a “drinking situation.”
• In a crowd or at a party, “friend up” with a light drinker and avoid heavy drinkers.
• Try not to drink on an empty stomach. This amplifies the effect of alcohol.
• Don’t drink alone simply to get inebriated.

And yes, alcohol messes up your blood flow. Enjoy alcohol, but respect its potential dangers.

Substance abuse:

As I write this (May 17, 2023), more than 250,000 Americans have died over the last few years, overdosing on drugs like fentanyl and heroin. Of course, there are other drugs, some by prescription, that are dangerous and potentially fatal as well.

The truth is, we don’t know the effects of these drugs on blood flow because we lack specific knowledge. There is also little or no control of dosage. It is possible, even likely, that the effects of substance abuse on our circulatory systems are dangerous and long-term.

Not all damage is resolvable.

If you’re using street drugs or abusing pharmaceuticals, you’re French-kissing the Devil – He might take you home with him.

Again, like the alcoholic, get help if you can’t say no to drugs – don’t join the 250,000 who said yes.

Summary:

Aging is an ever-present threat to our circulatory systems. Still, there are many things affecting your blood circulation that you can control. Things like a healthy diet, supplements, and exercise – basically, the three-legged stool of longevity.

OMY1

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