Download Ancient Art of Biblical Healing 50-Hour ModuleAroma Hut Institute

ACP-2 Lesson Five
Integumentary System
Anatomy of a
Cell
Cells are the building blocks of life
and
are
what
makes
us
quintessentially what we are. Any
living organism is made up of cells.
Anything smaller than a cell, would
not have the capacity of multiplying,
of reproduction or metabolism and
could not be considered alive. It is
accurate then to say essentially cells
are life itself. By contrast, if there is
a breakdown of cells for any reason,
whether that be by injury or genetic
disorder, then disease occurs.
Cell Parts
When we break down a cell into its composite parts it these are called organelles.
Imagine these a little like the organs inside of your body. Just as the liver, kidney and
heart for instance, all have their own jobs to do in making the body work, each has its
own specific function. Organelles are quite small and generally measure about a
micrometer across which is 1/1000th of a millimeter.
The function of organelles vary depending on which type of cell they belong to. A living
cell is always in undulating motion as it absorbs and rejects substances and goes through
its natural flow. Breakdowns in cells, whether it be through injury or through inherited
genetic defects are what leads to disease.
They are made up of 15% proteins, 3% lipids and carbohydrates and 1% nucleic acid, but
80% of each organelle is water.
Plasma Membrane
This is the outer wall of each cell. What’s
important in regards to aromatherapy is its
semi-permeable ability, meaning that
substances can pass in and out of the cell.
Think for instance how, when you are in the
bath, your fingers become waterlogged and
wrinkly.
Inside of the cell are the organelles which
are suspended in a jelly like substance
called cytoplasm. Some of the names of the
organelles you may recognize, others you
may not. Other main components
include: vacuoles, mitochondria, lysosomes, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum,
Golgi apparatus, and the cell nucleus.
Vaccuoles
Little storage units for each cell; vaccuoles hold fats and water. This helps to keep
the cell healthy, but also serves to help eliminate waste as well.
Mitochondria
Think of this as the electrical generator of your cell. The mitochondria absorbs the
nutrients from your food and converts it into energy to power the body’s internal
processes.
Lysosome
Now if you were to look at the biology of a plant, you would not find this particular cell
component as it is only found in animal cells. Its job is to break down proteins and
lipids, but you will also find it in red blood cells. Your body uses lysosomes in your red
blood cells to fight infection.
Centrioles
Centrioles are involved in helping the cell to divide and multiply. We will revisit this
in the section about cell reproduction as it is if fundamental to mitosis.
Nucleus
This is where all the intelligence of the cell is held. It contains your DNA
(Deoxyribonucleic acid) which is considered the brain of the cell and holds the blueprint
of who you are, but it also houses its lesser known cousin RNA. RNA is a negative
opposite of DNA and its job is to transmit messages to outside of the cell and translate
these messages into proteins.
Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)
It goes without saying that the component with the most difficult name would be the
most important to the function of the cell, so there’s no skipping it here! Its job is to
control synthesis and production of new cells. There are two types of ER, smooth and
rough and between them they manufacture lipids and the membrane plasma required
for the new cells to produce.
Gogli Apparatus
When these lipids and plasma reach the gogli apparatus imagine it a bit like your Createa-space book coming out of the Amazon warehouse. Here they are packaged and
shipped out into the rest of the body.
Every living organism needs to multiply therefore cells in the body must reproduce.
Some tissues require cells to reproduce very quickly for instance the epithelial tissue in
the skin. However, cells in nerve tissues rarely reproduce at all. The cell duplication
and multiplication takes place through two separate asexual processes. These are
called mitosis and meiosis.
The process of mitosis is that of duplication and division. Within each cell there is, in
total, 46 chromosomes. Through each of five stages, the chromosomes are cloned to
make a new cell. These states are called Interphase, Prophase, Metaphase, Anaphase,
Telephase, then back to interphase again. Always in a cycle, round and round. This is a
very speedy process. Mitosis usually takes place in a matter of minutes.
The majority of the changes occur in the nucleus, because in the main the duplication
affects the DNA. These strands of DNA are packaged in proteins which we call
chromatin.
Cell Reproduction
As mentioned earlier, in some parts of the body it is necessary for the cells to reproduce
very quickly. For instance, the thick skin you have on the soles of your feet, especially
after walking over hot pavement in July with bare feet. It can form calluses where there
is a great deal of pressure. On the lips, however it is so thin that the pinkness you see
is the blood vessels in close proximity to the surface.
DNA
Human DNA is made up 46 chromosomes. These contain so much information that if the
cell information were laid down in a linear fashion it would be impossible to fit it into
a cell. Consequently the DNA is very tightly wound around spindles called histories. This
is packed together in proteins called chromatins.
Although this list begins at prophase, it helps to imagine this as a continuous loop
happening over and over, so in fact begins and ends with interphase.
Prophase
In this stage a coil of chromatin thickens, shortens and coils tighter. The DNA splits into
2 chromatids each with a spindle called acentromere. Once split each daughter cell
then has its own chromosomes.
Metaphase
A spindle forms to connect the centrioles of the daughter cells. The centromeres divide
and each is connected to one chromatid. Each of the 46 chromosomes is drawn to its
own pole as the daughter cells separate.
Anaphase
Anaphase ends as each daughter cell is drawn into its own pole. Each of the 46
chromosomes is drawn to its own pole as the daughter cells separate.
Telephase
The cell is drawn together. The centromeres disappear as a gel like substance called
cytoplasm forms and the organelles settle into their places. Each of the 46
chromosomes is drawn to its own pole as the daughter cells separate.
Interphase
Here the cells rest until the time comes for them to multiply again.
Meiosis
To understand this, consider the origins of your 46 chromosomes. 23 came from your
mother and 24 from your father. In mitosis, the chromosomes arrange themselves in
lines, however in meiosis the chromosomes branch off in pairs. In every other way the
process of sexual reproduction is the same. As the cells split, in mitosis the cells line
up, in meiosis the cells pair off together. Defects which appear in the pairing in meiosis
can lead to chromasomal birth defects. As the cells multiply they group and in turn
start to form tissues. There are four main types of tissue. There are Muscle tissue,
connective tissues, nervous tissues and epithelial tissues.
Other Types of Tissue
Cells are of course the smallest parts of each type of tissue in the body. There are four
main types of tissue. There are Muscle tissue, connective tissues, nervous tissues and
epithelial tissues.
Muscle Tissue
There are three types of muscle tissue: voluntary, involuntary and cardiac muscle
tissue.
Connective Tissue
Think of these as the parts which hold the body together. Cartilage, tendons, bones and
ligaments as well as fat come under this heading.
Epithelial Tissue
Consider this as the parts of the body which form boundaries. The most obvious is the
skin, but also the outer surface of lungs, the heart and liver are all made up of epithelial
tissue. This is split into simple epithelial which refers to a single layer of cells and
compound epithelial which is made of many layers. The skin is compound epithelial.
Nervous Tissue
This is made up of a complex structure of organisms called neurons. The nervous system
will be covered in greater detail in another lesson.