Lungs

Lungs

The Mechanism and Functions 

The Lungs, one of quite a large organs in the body that occupy the majority of the thoracic area and place on the Diaphragm. These are surrounded by the Intercostal Muscles and are divided into right and left. The left one is smaller than the right, because the Heart is placed on the left chest. The weight is about 2.5lb.

Both Lungs are covered in the Pleura, and the Pleural cavity is filled with Serum Pleural Fluid to reduce the friction during respiration.

(Serum): Generally, light yellow transparent various body fluids, the interlayer serum is creamy that reduces the friction due to the muscle movement

The air inhaled through the nose and mouth that passes through the Larynx and enters the Trachea, the organ is divided into left and right and becomes Bronchi, then those enter the Lungs, 
Bronchi are further divided finely in Lungs, a small bag of about 0.2 mm with air in it called Alveoli that like a bunch of Grapes, the Pulmonary vein and the artery are stretched like a mesh around the Aveoli. Emits the carbon dioxide is from the blood vessel and the oxygen can be taken in inside the Grapes ( It’s called  Gas exchange  or  External respiration )

Oxygen taken into the body by external respiration travels through the body in the blood and is transported to each cell. Mitochondria of inside the cell burn the nutrients of the food by taking the oxygen in the blood to produce * ATP * . This is called Internal respiration that is for human beings generate energy for their life activity.

What is ATP (Adenosine Tri-Phosphate)

It is essential energy source for the life activity of living things, it is used for muscle contraction, body temperature maintenance, emission of light (like firefly), electronic power generation, protein synthesis, cell division, sodium pump (neurotransmission, absorption in the small intestine, reabsorption of each nutrient in kidney tubules). Mitochondria of inside the cell produce ATP by using oxygen for decomposing glucose, fatty acid…

Human’s Lung respiration delivers oxygen to the cells through the blood for the Aerobic respiration (to produce ATP by using oxygen) in the cell. "Gill breathing" of fish is also for an Aerobic respiration in the cell. Plants also take oxygen by breathing and the respiration is the Aerobic respiration which are mainly carried out at night. (Photosynthesis performed during the day is to produce sugar, it is balanced by breathing at night as carbon dioxide is increased too much in the plant), 
Breathing of human, fish’s and plant’s are done to produce ATP.

*** Aerobic respiration and Anaerobic respiration ***
While Aerobic respiration uses oxygen, Anaerobic respiration is carried out by bacteria, 
methanogen, etc. which acquires energy by taking in nutrients without requiring oxygen. 

Anaerobic respiration	1 molecule of glucose can produces	2  ATPs
Aerobic respiration	1 molecule of glucose can produces	38 ATPs
Aerobic respiration	1 molecule of saturated fatty acid can produces	129 ATPs

*  Basically, any creature that has more ATP is active and healthy, and creatures capable of Aerobic respiration can continue to produce energy efficiently  *


Lungs is the organ without a muscle that does not stretch itself during breathing,  relaxation and contraction of the Intercostal muscle and the Diaphragm makes air in and out, and the movement of these respiratory muscles are automatically controlled by the respiratory center in the Medulla oblongata in the Cerebral cortex

Spontaneous breathing takes place by stimulation of carbon dioxide to the Medulla oblongata, so that the respiration will stop when carbon dioxide completely disappears from the body.
Although the Intercostal muscles and the Diaphragm can move even with instructions of the Cerebral hemisphere with consciousness so some breathing can be consciously controlled.

❢ ❢ ❢ Birth cry of the new born Baby ❢ ❢ ❢

  Fetus doesn’t breath in Mommy's tummy and exchanges gas in the mother’s grapes through the placenta, so new-born baby is temporarily unable to breathes and falls in a state of suspended animation when she/he births. But then, the respiratory center of the Medulla oblongata is stimulated by the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood, and the first inspiration occurs in the Lungs. At the next exhalation, the air passes through the vocal cords makes the cry sound “ Waaaa, Waaa “, so the breathing begins in the Lungs regularly. 



< Adjust pH with kidneys >
Blood tends to be acidic due to a large amount of acid produced by metabolism, but if acid becomes excessive, pH regulation mechanism provided in Lungs’s and Kidneys’s function. In cases where it is too inclined to alkalinity to discard a volatile acid (carbon dioxide) from the Lungs, an excessive developing acid (lactic acid, phosphoric acid, ketone bodies, etc.) from the Kidney and bring the pH in the blood close to a normal level. The Lungs and Kidneys try to bring the pH back to normal by pH regulation mechanism





Function of Lungs in Oriental Medicine

* It’s in Metal element of Five element, Lungs are Yin, Large Intestine is Yang
* It is thought that it includes not only “ anatomical Lungs ” but also contains some functions of the respiratory organ, Autonomic Nervous System, Hypothalamus of the Brain
* Prevent invasion of foreign matter
* Lungs take Inspiration in, Lack of inspiration when the lungs weaken, that causes to depression,  * Physiologically, Inspiration means Intaking Air *
* “ Benevolence " to love all people equally
* Sadness often hurt Lungs

< Involved with the outside at the forefront and the immunity >
Along with the large intestine, this immunity that can be said the mucous membranes. It’s in the nose, the larynx, the bronchus and the lung. The ingredient "Mucin" prevents invasion of viruses and bacteria in the air, and the Macrophages phagocytize them.


< Assist the heart and control the circulation of blood and Ki to the whole body >
the relationship between the Heart and the Lungs that sends the blood upward to against the gravity as a function of Upper Heater of the Triple Heater, the Heart works by itself as a pump and the movement of the Diaphragm and the Intercostal muscle around the Lungs have the role,
* In 16th century, the early descriptions of the lungs emphasized their importance as cooling agents that maintained the balance of the human body by counteracting the hot temperament of the heart.*

< Adjust moisture regulation and perspiration, body temperature adjustment in the body >
moisture permeates continuously from subcutaneously and evaporates in order to keep moisturizing the surface of the skin, moisture of the lungs and airways is included in the breath in respiration It is said that it is vaporized, this is called desensitized steam Its amount is said to be 1,000ml/day in adults, the amount of insensible steam varies with the body temperature and the air temperature
The liver, muscle and brain account for over 70% of the basic metabolism of the body, but the excessive increase in body temperature is suppressed by the perspiration
Sweat is made from blood, sweating means lowering body temperature by utilizing the action of "heat of vaporization" which deprives the surrounding heat when water evaporates, but it is done by the direction of the hypothalamus of the brain. Other functions include the effect of preventing the skin from drying out, and the supporting  of the liver function by sweat gland filtration function (reabsorption of various minerals)
The reason why the human body tries to keep the body temperature constant is to make the enzyme as the medium works well in order to stabilize the physical activity such as metabolism and decomposition within that temperature,  the body temperature can be adjusted by this system


< Lungs and Skin relationship >
Oxygen taken from the lungs and nutrients absorbed from the intestine are converted into nutrients in the liver and are transported to the whole body by the blood, oxygen and nutrients which have seeped out from the blood into the tissue fluid are taken into the cells It is converted to energy by the chemical change, instead it discharges carbon dioxide, ammonia, water as waste of tissue as an unwanted substance, Oriental medicine is said to cause drying of skin and other organs when the lung weakens . This is due to the lack of oxygen and due to the lack of smooth breathing of the cells, the circulation of the water in the cells is stagnant, the cell's energy conversion efficiency decreases and the metabolism of the cell deteriorates

< Other Functions of Lungs >

Hering–Breuer reflex : Respiratory movement performed unconsciously, 
extension of the lung -> stimulation of the vagus nerve -> stimulation to the cerebral hemisphere center -> information goes to the respiratory center of the medulla oblongata -> trigger brain response -> switch inhale to exhale on reflex

Irregular change of respiration: emotions, surprises, worries, hiccups (rapid contraction of the diaphragm)
* These functions control not only the body functions but also some emotions *

Skin perception: temperature rise (breath acceleration), chilled water (temporary stop of breathing)

Elimination of foreign matter in airway mucosa : cough (trachea), sneeze (upper respiratory tract: nasal mucosa) Immunity

After Notes : It is said that the lungs is an organ handling air ( = Ki ). While preventing intrusion of foreign matter from outside air, taking oxygen in to convert it into energy, raising blood along with the heart function, regulating body temperature with skin while acting on autonomic nervous by respiratory activity is not something that can be visualized. The photosynthesis of the earth breathing with the circulation around the ancient time that started I feel something in common with it. Its invisible circulatory action is the "Ki" that the lungs treats.