The Body's Support and Control Systems

The Body's Support and Control Systems

By Manuel Osornio

​To get a basketball into a hoop, all the systems of your body work together. Your body is made up of cells, such as skin cells, nerve cells, and muscle cells. Cells of the same kind are grouped into tissues.

Different tissues make up your body's organs, such as the heart and brain. Different organs work together as a body system to do particular jobs.

​The Skeletal System

​A tent would fall down without support, and so would your body if you did not have bones. Without bones, your body couldn't stand up or move. The skeletal system is the framework of bones that support and protect the body. Your body has 206 bones, from the heavy skull that protects your brain to small bones in your feet that help you wiggle your toes.​

Multiple Choice

_ is the framework of bones that support and protect the body. Your body has 206 bones,

• Math

• The atomic system

• The skateboard system

• The skeletal system

Multiple Choice

Your body has ________ bones,

• 206

• 33

• 777

• 6

Open Ended

What can you do to protect your skeletal system?

​The choices you make every day can help protect your skeletal system. Here are some healthful actions that will help you stand strong:

1. Build strong, dense bones with weight-bearing exercises such as aerobics, brisk walking, playing basketball, dancing, or weight training. Whenever you work against the force of gravity, your actions strengthen your skeleton.​

2. Your bones are mostly calcium, so make it a daily habit to consume calcium-rich foods such as low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, and broccoli. To absorb calcium, your bones need vitamin D. Many dairy products are fortified with this vitamin. You can also find it in egg yolks, liver, and saltwater fish.​

3. Practice good posture to reduce strain on your back. When you stand, your ears, shoulders, and hips should be in alignment. Sit with your back straight. Avoid slouching.

​4. Wear comfortable shoes that are right for what you are doing. Shoes for running have different soles and support than shoes for hiking, walking, or dancing. Think about what you plan to do when you decide what shoes to wear.​

5. ​Get screened for scoliosis, a condition in which the spine develops an S-shaped curve. A school nurse will examine the shape of your spine when you bend over, and a physician might take an X ray. A back brace can help correct the spine's alignment for someone who has scoliosis.

Open Ended

What is the difference between cartilage and ligaments?

Poll

Do you think your skin is an organ?

• Yes

• No

​Your Muscles and Skin

​Your skin is your body's largest organ. It is also the primary part of a body system that includes your hair, nails, nerves, sweat glands, and oil glands. Under the skin are muscles, which are attached to the skeleton.

​Your skeleton cannot move by itself. The muscular system is made up of muscles-long, elastic fibers that control your body's movements. The link between the skeletal and muscular systems is the tendon. A tendon is a cord of tissue fibers that connect a muscle to a bone.

Multiple Choice

A ________ is a cord of tissue fibers that connect a muscle to a bone.

• tendon

• muscular system

Multiple Choice

________ long, elastic fibers that control your body's movements.

• tendon

• muscular system

​Skeletal muscles, those that are attached to your skeleton, are known as voluntary muscles because you can control them. When these muscles relax, or lengthen, they push your bones to produce movement. When they contract, or shorten, they pull your bones to produce movement. Involuntary muscles, those that you do not control, include the cardiac muscle (the heart) and smooth muscle. Smooth muscle lines the inside of organs, such as the organs of the digestive system.

Open Ended

Biceps are considered to be voluntary muscles. Can you tell me another valuntary muscle?

Open Ended

The intestines are considered to be Involuntary muscles. Can you tell me another Involuntary muscle?

Multiple Choice

Biceps are considered to be voluntary muscles.

• False

• True

Multiple Choice

The intestines are considered to be Involuntary muscles.

• True

• False

​Here are some ways you can take care of your muscular system.

1. ​Exercise.

2. ​Eat foods containing protein.

3. ​Lift heavy objects correctly

​Exercise

​Exercise. Regular exercise can strengthen your muscles. Prevent injuries by warming up with a light activity and taking time to stretch your muscles.

​Eat foods containing protein.

​Protein builds your muscles. Your diet should include many types of proteins, such as meat, fish, and dairy products. You can also combine some foods, such as rice and beans, to boost your daily protein intake.

​Lift heavy objects correctly.

​Follow these steps to keep the strain off your back:

1. Stand close to the object.

2. Bend your knees, and keep your back straight.

3. Lift your body and the object with your leg muscles.

Poll

Your skin makes up about 15% of your total body weight.

• true

• False

Poll

The average adult has nearly 21 square feet of skin that contains over 11 miles of blood vessels.

• true

• False

Poll

The thickest skin is found on your feet and the thinnest area of skin are your eyelids

• true

• False

​Skin - The First Line of Defense

​From the thick covering on the soles of your feet to your eyelids, skin is your body's first line of defense. This layer covers every inch of your body and keeps out harmful substances, such as germs.

​Your skin protects you in hot weather. Sweat glands in your skin excrete moisture, causing you to perspire. As the sweat on your skin evaporates, you feel cooler.

​Your skin also helps protect your muscles and organs from the sun's harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. Skin cells of most human beings contain melanin. Melanin is a substance that gives skin its color and protects it from sun damage, However, melanin cannot entirely protect the skin from the harmful effects of the sun.

​Skin can have many different markings.

​Freckles are small, flat pigment cells in the skin. They may be light brown or tan. People with light skin are more likely to have freckles, because their skin has less melanin. Some freckles are permanent; others appear after exposure to the sun.

​Birthmarks are red or bluish-red marks from blood vessels grouped together in one place on the skin. They are slightly raised or puffy. Some birthmarks fade, but others remain harmless, painless marks on the skin.

​Moles are raised collections of pigment cells. They are usually brown, black, or blue. Most moles have a symmetrical shape, with a smooth outline and even coloring,

​Asymmetrical or oddly shaped moles might be signs of melanoma, a type of skin cancer that appears as a mole in its early stages. You can use the "ABCD" rule to tell a melanoma from a mole. A melanoma is often Asymmetrical—not the same on each side. The Border of a melanoma is irregular, not smooth. The Color is uneven, and the Diameter is larger than a pencil eraser. Melanoma spreads quickly to other body parts anü must be removed immediately.

​Your Nervous System

Your brain controls everything that your body does, from thinking and remembering to speaking and breathing. It is the central part of your nervous system. The nervous system is the body system that processes information and controls the activities of the body.​

Poll

The body has billions of nerve cells

• True

• False

​There are about 100 billion in the brain and 13.5 million in the spinal cord.

Poll

Neurons are made of three parts

• Fasle

• True

Poll

Neurons are programmed to do different things

• True

• False

​

• Motor: Motor neurons carry signals from the CNS to the outside parts of the body.

• Sensory: Sensory neurons deliver electrical signals from the outer parts of the body — the glands, muscles, and skin — into the CNS.

• Interneurons: Interneurons sends messages from one neuron to another.

• Receptors: Receptor neurons sense the environment (light, sound, touch, and chemicals) around you and convert it into electrochemical energy that is sent by sensory neurons.