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Instructor Resources
Chapter 3: Dynamic Fluid Anatomy and Physiology and Hydrotherapy
Purpose of Chapter 3
For the student to understand:

the relationship between the water used in hydrotherapy treatments and the therapeutic
transformations that take place in the anatomy and physiology of the client.

that each of the traditional 11 systems of the body, from the perspective of gross
anatomy, has dynamic fluid elements (components), and that understanding these
dynamic elements helps us understand the relationship between hydrotherapy and many
of the therapeutic changes that take place in hydrotherapy treatments.

that the human body can also be understood as a collection of 100 trillion individual cells
that function together synergistically to allow the human organism function. The body is
approximately 60% water, and water and is involved in the metabolic activity of every
cell in the body.

that the human body is 80% liquid, approximately 60% water and 20% fat (lipids), and
the structural element of the body is approximately 20%.
Lesson Plan: Dynamic Fluid Anatomy and Physiology and Hydrotherapy
Have the students read the chapter and then discuss the chapter during a classroom session. Refer
to the textbook for detailed information for the discussion and teaching exercises discussed next.

Discuss the fact that the human body is approximately 60% water (10 gallons), and that
water is involved in all aspects of the physiological function of the body as well as being
in a continual state of dynamic circulation. Refer to Figure 3-1, “Total circulation of
water in the human body.” See Figure 3-3, “The body is 80% liquid:
60% water and
20% lipids (fat).”

Discuss the dynamic fluid cellular feature of each of the 11 systems
of the human body and give an example for each system of how a hydrotherapy treatment
produces positive therapeutic benefits.
Example: Integumentary System—Blood flow to the skin is normally 8% of the total
blood volume but can increase to as much as 30% of the total blood volume when the
core temperature is elevated (cooling response). Hydrotherapy treatments that increase
the core temperature of the body, for example, a full-body steam therapy treatment,
increase the core temperature of the body, which in turn increases the flow of blood to
the skin. Internet Educational Resource: HyperPhysics http://hyperphysics.phyastr.gsu.edu/hbase/thermo/c1 (Sweating)
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Example: Circulatory System—The heart pumps approximately 3,600 gallons of blood a
day, through a vascular system that is greater than 60,000 miles long, to more than
10 billion capillary beds, to provide continual circulation to the approximately 100 trillion
cells of the human body. Heating hydrotherapy treatments, by increasing the core
temperature and temperature of the cells, increase the flow rate of circulation to the cells
to supply the increased need for oxygen and nutrients. Internet Educational Resource:
HyperPhysics http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/bl3 (Blood Flow in the
Capillaries)

Discuss the dynamic fluid cellular structural paradigm of the human body as presented in
Chapter 4. How does this paradigm differ from the gross anatomy paradigm? How does
this paradigm provide a better understanding of the relationship of water used in
hydrotherapy treatments to the therapeutic transformations that take place inside the
human body? What are the implications for the structural solid system of the body, which
is only about 20% of the total weight of the body, of supporting 80% of the weight of the
body that is fluid? How does heating the structural matrix of the body, especially the
fascial matrix, change it in positive ways for the performance of bodywork treatments?

Discuss how different types of hydrotherapy treatments change the functioning of the
cells and the fluid dynamics of the blood plasma and interstitial, lymphatic, and
intracellular fluids.

Exercise: Have the students perform Teaching Exercise 3-3, Cells in a Fluid
Environment: The Interstitial Fluid. Have them do this in the classroom if possible, or at
home in a bathtub. Every cell in the human body is fully or partially surrounded by
interstitial fluid, and oxygen and nutrients must diffuse through the interstitial fluid to the
cells. The major exceptions to this are the red blood cells, which are
surrounded by blood plasma rather than interstitial fluid.
Suggested Readings
Note: The information on anatomy and physiology referred to in this chapter is
taken from the following textbooks:
Science of Flexibility (3rd ed.): Alter, M. (2004). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics.
This is an excellent reference book on the structural matrix of the body, especially regarding the
principles of stretching as applied to health, sports, and bodywork. It contains references to all
relevant studies on this topic.
Textbook of Medical Physiology (10th ed.): Guyton, A., & Hall, J. (2004). Elsevier.
This is the main source of anatomy and physiology material used in this chapter, and contains
detailed information that provides insights into the dynamic fluid cellular functioning of the
human body.
Principles of Anatomy and Physiology (10th ed.): Tortora, G., & Grabowski, S. (2003). New
York: John Wiley & Sons.
This is the standard textbook used by many schools teaching anatomy and physiology. It has
high-quality illustrations, but is not nearly as detailed or comprehensive as the Textbook of
Medical Physiology, listed above.
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* All Links to HyperPhysics appear courtesy of: Copyright HyperPhysics (©C.R. Nave, 2006)
REVIEW QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
1. List some of the different systems of the human body and give an example of a fluid dynamic
element of each of these systems. Answer: The skin has a normal flow rate of 8% of the total
blood volume that can increase to 30% when the body is trying to cool itself. The heart pumps
approximately 3,600 gallons of blood per day.
2. Describe how hydrotherapy can be used as a therapeutic treatment in each of the above
examples. Answer: A steam therapy treatment can be use to increase the core temperature of the
body, which will increase blood flow to the skin and increase the total amount of blood the heart
is pumping each minute.
3. Explain where the approximately 10 gallons of water is located in the human body.
Answer: 66% is inside the 100 trillion cells of the body, 27% is in the interstitial fluid, and 7% is
in the blood.
4. Explain how this water is in a continual state of circulation. Answer: There is continual
circulation between the blood plasma, the interstitial fluid, and the fluid inside the 100 trillion
cells of the body. Water is the main component of all these fluids of the body.
5. How does the endocrine system depend on the healthy circulation of the body?
Answer: Hormones must circulate from the endocrine cells that produced the hormones to the
target cells that use the hormones.
6. How does the deep relaxation produced by hydrotherapy treatments affect the endocrine
system? Answer: Hydrotherapy treatments produce relaxation, which stimulates the
parasympathetic nervous system, which decreases the level of "stress" hormones, namely,
cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.
7. How does the sensory input from a hydrotherapy treatment influence the functioning of the
nervous system? Answer: Sensory input is processed by the brain, which interprets it as relaxing
or stimulating, which in turn produces a response by the autonomic nervous system.
8. Why can the human body also be considered a dynamic fluid cellular system?
Answer: Because the body is made up of 100 trillion cells that live in a fluid matrix (interstitial
fluid) and the heart pumps 3,600 gallons of blood a day to bring continual circulation to every cell
in the body.
9. What percentage of the body is fluid? Answer: 80%—60% water and 20% fat (lipids).
10. What percentage is solid (structural)? Answer: 20%.
11. Explain the relationship between the water used during a hydrotherapy treatment and the
changes it produces in the dynamic fluid and cellular systems inside the body. Answer: Water
used during hydrotherapy treatments and water in the human body behave according to the same
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principles. For example, hot water used during a hydrotherapy treatment will increase the water
temperature inside the human body. Water pressure used during a hydrotherapy treatment will
increase the flow rate of water inside the body.
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