The role of the circulatory system is twofold: It delivers oxygen and nutrients to all parts of the body while

picking up waste materials and toxins that need to be eliminated. It accomplishes this monumental task through a network of nearly 60,000 miles of blood vessels and a fist-sized organ, the heart, which pumps more than 2,000 gallons of blood though its chambers each day.
Working That Muscle
Your heart is really a muscle. It's located a little to the left of the middle of your chest, and it's about the size of your fist. There are lots of muscles all over your body in your arms, in your legs, in your back, even in your behind. But the heart muscle is special because of what it does. The heart sends blood around your body. The blood provides your body with the oxygen and nutrients it needs. It also carries away waste. Your heart is sort of like a pump, or two pumps in one. The right side of your heart receives blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs. The left side of the heart does the exact opposite: It receives blood from the lungs and pumps it out to the body. We Got the Beat How does the heart beat? Before each beat, your heart fills with blood. Then its muscle contracts to squirt the blood along. When the heart contracts, it squeezes try squeezing your hand into a fist. That's sort of like what your heart

does so it can squirt out the blood. Your heart does this all day and all night, all the time. The heart is one hard worker! Heart Parts The heart is made up of four different blood-filled areas, and each of these areas is called a chamber. There are two chambers on each side of the heart. One chamber is on the top and one chamber is on the bottom. The two chambers on top are called the atria (say: ay-tree-uh). If you're talking only about one, call it an atrium. The atria are the chambers that fill with the blood returning to the heart from the body and lungs. The heart has a left atrium and a right atrium. The two chambers on the bottom are called the ventricles (say: ven-trihkulz). The heart has a left ventricle and a right ventricle. Their job is to squirt out the blood to the body and lungs. Running down the middle of the heart is a thick wall of muscle called the septum (say: sep-tum). The septum's job is to separate the left side and the right side of the heart. The atria and ventricles work as a team the atria fill with blood, then dump it into the ventricles. The ventricles then squeeze, pumping blood out of the heart. While the ventricles are squeezing, the atria refill and get ready for the next contraction. So when the blood gets pumped, how does it know which way to go? Well, your blood relies on four special valves inside the heart. A valve lets something in and keeps it there by closing think of walking through a door. The door shuts behind you and keeps you from going backward. Two of the heart valves are the mitral (say: my-trul) valve and the tricuspid (say: try-kus-pid)valve. They let blood flow from the atria to the

ventricles. The other two are called the aortic (say: ay-ortik) valve and pulmonary (say: pulmuh-ner-ee) valve, and they're in charge of controlling the flow as the blood leaves the heart. These valves all work to keep the blood flowing forward. They open up to let the blood move ahead, then they close quickly to keep the blood from flowing backward.

body takes the oxygen out of the blood and uses it in your body's cells. When the cells use the oxygen, they make carbon dioxide and other stuff that gets carried away by the blood. It's like the blood delivers lunch to the cells and then has to pick up the trash! The returning blood enters the right side of the heart. The right ventricle pumps the blood to the lungs for a little freshening up. In the lungs, carbon dioxide is removed from the blood and sent out of the body when we exhale. What's next? An inhale, of course, and a fresh breath of oxygen that can enter the blood to start the process again. And remember, it all happens in about a minute!

It's Great to Circulate You probably guessed that the blood just doesn't slosh around your body once it leaves the heart. It moves through many tubes called arteries and veins, which together are called blood vessels. These blood vessels are attached to the heart. The blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart are called arteries. The ones that carry blood back to the heart are called veins. The movement of the blood through the heart and around the body is called circulation (say: sur-kyoo-layshun), and your heart is really good at it it takes less than 60 seconds to pump blood to every cell in your body. Your body needs this steady supply of blood to keep it working right. Blood delivers oxygen to all the body's cells. To stay alive, a person needs healthy, living cells. Without oxygen, these cells would die. If that oxygen-rich blood doesn't circulate as it should, a person could die. The left side of your heart sends that oxygen-rich blood out to the body. The

Listen to the LubDub

When you go for a checkup, your doctor uses a stethoscope to listen carefully to your heart. A healthy heart makes a lub-dub sound with each beat. This sound comes from the valves shutting on the blood inside the heart. The first sound (the lub) happens when the mitral and tricuspid valves close. The next sound (the dub) happens when the aortic and pulmonary valves close after the blood has been squeezed out of the heart. Next time you go to the doctor, ask if you can listen to the lub-dub, too.

Pretty Cool It's My Pulse!

Even though your heart is inside you, there is a cool way to know it's working from the outside. It's your pulse. You can find your pulse by lightly pressing on the skin anywhere there's a large artery running just beneath your skin. Two good places to find it are on the side of your neck and the inside of your wrist, just below the thumb. You'll know that you've found your pulse when you can feel a small beat under your skin. Each beat is caused by the contraction (squeezing) of your heart. If you want to find out what your heart rate is, use a watch with a second hand and count how many beats you feel in 1 minute. When you are resting, you will probably feel between 70 and 100 beats per minute. When you run around a lot, your body needs a lot more oxygen-filled blood. Your heart pumps faster to supply the oxygen-filled blood that your body needs. You may even feel your heart pounding in your chest. Try running in place or jumping rope for a few minutes and taking your pulse again now how many beats do you count in 1 minute?

Try to be active every day for at least 30 minutes! An hour would be even better for your heart! Eat a variety of healthy foods and avoid foods high in unhealthy fats, such as saturated fats and trans fats (reading the labels on foods can help you figure out if your favorite snacks contain these unhealthy ingredients). Try to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Avoid sugary soft drinks and fruit drinks. Don't smoke. It can damage the heart and blood vessels.

So now you know that your heart doesn't look like a valentine, but it sure deserves to be loved for all the work it does. It started pumping blood before you were born and will continue pumping throughout your whole life.

Health Factors
For the circulatory system to function properly, the heart must be strong, the vessels capable of safely transporting optimal amounts of blood, and the blood itself must be healthy. Serious problems can arise when these conditions are not met. Each year approximately 25 percent of all deaths in the U.S. occur from heart attacks, and the majority of these are attributable to hardening of the arteries. In addition to heart attacks, a poor circulatory system can lead to strokes, kidney disease, varicose veins, blood clots and a variety of other conditions that can kill or severely limit the enjoyment of life. Three major factors that contribute to circulatory problems are hypertension (high blood pressure), high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol in the bloodstream, and smoking. Nutrition has been linked directly to hypertension and high levels of triglycerides and cholesterol. Other factors include obesity, heredity and emotional stress.

kEEP yOUR hEART hAPPY

Most kids are born with a healthy heart and it's important to keep yours in good shape. Here are some things that you can do to help keep your heart happy: Remember that your heart is a muscle. If you want it to be strong, you need to exercise it. How do you do it? By being active in a way that gets you huffing and puffing, like jumping rope, dancing, or playing basketball.

Unfortunately, the threat of problems increases significantly when more than one factor is present. That means that when a person has three risk factors, his chances for disease are six times greater than when only one is present. How can you maintain a healthy circulatory system? Most experts agree that the keys are to avoid smoking, monitor your diet, exercise regularly and manage stress.

Hair loss Sore or painful joints Low endurance/ stamina Slow recovery from illness High-fat/ low -fiber diet High-carbohydrate/ low-protein diet Lifestyle Suggestions: Eat low to moderate amounts of fat daily. Avoid saturated fats. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, onions and garlic. Perform aerobic exercise, especially walking. Manage weight. Avoid stress.

Factors in a Healthy Circulatory System

To carry on all of life's activities, the body must receive nutrients, oxygen and other substances, and it must dispose of the waste by-products of oxidation and metabolism. Blood supplies the body cells with all the materials needed to carry away wastes. Blood is transported to every cell in the body by means of the circulatory system, which consists of the heart, blood vessels, and blood. A healthy circulatory system requires good, all around nutrition with special emphasis on protein, iron, zinc, and vitamins C and E. The unsung nutrients of our circulatory system include water, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Colon regularity is also essential for good fluid balance. Recent research on antioxidants indicates that they help protect the circulatory tissues from free radicals, environmental hazards, such as byproducts from carbon monoxide in auto exhaust, and chlorinated hydrocarbons from drinking water. This research confirms the importance of eating a balanced diet.

Did you give your friends valentines and little heart-shaped candies on Valentine's Day? Do you ever cross your heart when making a promise that you really, really mean? Or turn on the radio to hear a guy singing about his broken heart? We see and hear about hearts everywhere. A long time ago, people even thought that their emotions came from their hearts, maybe because the heart beats faster when a person is scared or excited. Now we know that emotions come from the brain, and in this case, the brain tells the heart to speed up. So what's the heart up to, then? How does it keep busy? What does it look like? Let's find out.
Words to Know Artery: Vessel that transports blood away from the heart. Atherosclerosis: Condition in which fatty material such as cholesterol accumulates on artery walls forming plaque that obstructs blood flow. Atrium: Receiving chamber of the heart. Capillary: Vessel that connects artery to vein. Diastole: Period of relaxation and expansion of the heart when its chambers fill with blood.

If you have four or more of the following indications, you may consider nutritional aid to the circulatory system. Lack of energy Bags under eyes Smoking Poor concentration or memory Stressful lifestyle

Hormones: Chemical messengers that regulate body functions. Hypertension: High blood pressure. Sphygmomanometer: Instrument that measures blood pressure in millimeters of mercury. Systole: Rhythmic contraction of the heat. Vein: Vessel that transports blood to the heart. Ventricle: Pumping chamber of the heart. The heart cycle refers to the events that occur during a single heartbeat. The cycle involves systole (the contraction phase) and diastole (the relaxation phase). In the heart, the two atria contract while the two ventricles relax. Then, the two ventricles contract while the two atria relax. The heart cycle consists of a systole and diastole of both the atria and ventricles. At the end of a heartbeat all four chambers rest. The average heart beats about 75 times per minute, and each heart cycle takes about 0.8 seconds.

it to the lungs for oxygen and the left side sends it back out through the body. Deoxygenated blood enters the heart through the veins; oxygenated blood pumps back out through the arteries. One way to remember this is to note that the word vein contains the word in. Oxygen-rich blood passes from the arteries to the capillaries, where the oxygen is released to body tissue and replaced with waste products such as carbon dioxide. Waste-filled blood passes from the capillaries to the vein and returns to the heart to start the process again. CIRCULATORY SYSTEM DISEASE The four most common types of circulatory system diseases are high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure and coronary heart disease, which includes heart attack, according to the American Heart Association. A block in the blood flow to the heart, such as from a blood clot or clogged arteries, can cause a heart attack. A stroke can occur when oxygenated blood cannot reach part of the brain. Heart failure happens when one or more parts of the heart stops pumping properly. The heart as a whole may still work, but the body will not get the full amount of oxygen and blood that it needs. High blood pressure, often called the silent killer, refers to a constant condition in which the blood is pumping through the arteries with greater pressure than normal. This can lead to stroke, heart attack or hardened arteries. TREATING DISEASES Treating diseases of the circulatory system is a multi-step process that can include lifestyle changes, medication and surgery, according to MayoClinic.com. In mild cases, eating a low-sodium, low-fat diet and getting plenty of exercise may relieve the condition. If lifestyle changes arent enough, a physician may prescribe medications to control blood pressure, lower cholesterol or thin the blood. When other options fail, surgery to open up the blood vessels or repair damage to the heart may be required. INTERESTING FACTS The American Heart Association explains that the heart beats about 100,000 times and pumps 2,000 gallons of blood per day. That is about 2.5 billion beats and more than 51 million gallons of blood in a 70-year lifespan.

FACTS ABOUT THE CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

The Franklin Institute explains that the average person has about 5 liters, or 1.32 gallons, of blood traveling throughout his body. The circulatory system, also known as the cardiovascular system, consists of the heart, lungs and blood vessels and keeps your blood moving in a constant fluid circuit. It provides blood and oxygen to every organ and part of your body. THREE SYSTEMS IN ONE The circulatory system consists of three distinct parts that work both independently and together, according to the Franklin Institute. Pulmonary circulation moves blood from the heart to the lungs and back. Coronary circulation is the movement of blood throughout the four chambers of the heart. Systemic circulation refers to the bloods circuit throughout the body and includes the arteries, veins and capillaries. A CONSTANT CIRCUIT The central part of the circulatory system is the heart, a fist-sized muscle located slightly left of center in your chest. Kidshealth.org explains that the heart is like two pumps in one. The right side takes blood in and sends

The blood vessels in the circulatory system would circle the earth twice if laid together end to end. The circulatory system is an organ system that moves nutrients, gases, and wastes to and from cells to help fight diseases and help stabilize body temperature and pH to maintain homeostasis. This system may be seen strictly as a blood distribution network, but some consider the circulatory system as composed of the cardiovascular system, which distributes blood, and the lymphatic system, which distributes lymph. While humans, as well as other vertebrates, have a closed cardiovascular system (meaning that the blood never leaves the network of arteries, veins and capillaries), some invertebrate groups have an open cardiovascular system. The most primitive animal phyla lack circulatory systems. The lymphatic system, on the other hand, is an open system. The main components of the human circulatory system are the heart, the blood, and the blood vessels. The circulatory system includes: the pulmonary circulation, a "loop" through the lungs where blood is oxygenated; and the systemic circulation, a "loop" through the rest of the body to provide oxygenated blood. An average adult contains five to six quarts (roughly 4.7 to 5.7 liters) of blood, which consists of plasma, red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Also, the digestive system works with the circulatory system to provide the nutrients the system needs to keep the heart pumping. Two types of fluids move through the circulatory system: blood and lymph. The blood, heart, and blood vessels form the cardiovascular system. The lymph, lymph nodes, and lymph vessels form the lymphatic system. The cardiovascular system and the lymphatic system collectively make up the circulatory system.

in the human body every second, and the same number are born each second. * Within a tiny droplet of blood, there are some 5 million red blood cells. * It takes about 20 seconds for a red blood cell to circle the whole body. * Red blood cells make approximately 250,000 round trips of the body before returning to the bone marrow, where they were born, to die. * Red blood cells may live for about 4 months circulating throughout the body, feeding the 60 trillion other body cells. *Blood that is rich in oxygen appears red. Blood that is poor in oxygen appears blue. *Blood leaves the left side of the heart and travels through arteries, which gradually divide into capillaries where food and oxygen are released to the body cells, and carbon dioxide and other waste products are returned to the bloodstream. *The blood travels in veins back to the right side of the heart, where it is pumped directly to the lungs. *The heart is surrounded by a rigid sack called the pericardium which can fill with fluid and become painful after certain viral infections

* The heart beats around 3 billion times in the average person's life. * About 8 million blood cells die

AMAZING FACTS

One drop of blood contains a half a drop of plasma, 5 MILLION Red

Blood Cells, 10 Thousand White Blood Cells and 250 Thousand Platelets.

You have thousands of miles of blood vessels in your body. "Bill Nye the Science Guy" claims that you could wrap your blood vessels around the equator TWICE! Keep your heart healthy...it's going to have to beat about 3 BILLION times during your lifetime! Plasma Plasma is the liquid part of the blood. Approximately half of your blood is made of plasma. The plasma carries the blood cells and other components throughout the body. Plasma is made in the liver. Blood Cells Red Blood Cells Red Blood Cells are responsible for carrying oxygen and carbon dioxide. Red Blood Cells pick up oxygen in the lungs and transport it to all the body cells. After delivering the oxygen to the cells it gathers up the carbon dioxide(a waste gas produced as our cells are working) and transports carbon dioxide back to the lungs where it is removed from the body when we exhale(breath out). There are about 5,000,000 Red Blood Cells in ONE drop of blood. White Blood Cells (Germinators) White Blood Cells help the body fight off germs. White Blood Cells attack and destroy germs when they enter the body. When you have an infection your body will produce more White Blood Cells to help fight an infection. Sometimes our White Blood Cells need a little help and the Doctor will prescribe an antibiotic to help our White Blood Cells fight a large scale infection. Platelets Platelets are blood cells that help stop bleeding. When we cut ourselves we have broken a blood vessel and the blood leaks out. In order to plug up the holes where the blood is leaking from the platelets start to stick to the opening of the damaged blood vessels. As the platelets stick to the opening of the damaged vessel

they attract more platelets, fibers and other blood cells to help form a plug to seal the broken blood vessel. When the platelet plug is completely formed the wound stops bleeding. We call our platelet plugs scabs.

The Circulation Song Teaching the Physiology of the Circulatory System Robin Walling

Chorus: Arteries carry the blood away Veins come back to the heart all day 60,000 miles it goes Around and through the heart it flows In the veins the blood is blue Deoxygenated, yes thats true But in the arteries its red To carry oxygen throughout, its said The white blood cells are important ones The spleen, lymph nodes, and tonsils make some To fight off germs and kill disease Producing antibodies when it needs

Chorus Hemoglobins in the red blood cell Irons found in there as well Without all that, anemic wed be With orange-looking blood, youd tire easily Three blood vessels do the job for you Arteries, veins, and capillaries, too Arteries are large, and capillaries, small So nutrients can pass right through

their walls Chorus The veins contain the valves that shut So blood only flows one way for us In the heart four chambers youll find Atrium and ventricle- left and right Two types of circulation I know Pulmonary and systemic both flow The first to the lungs, the second all around Circulation is a never-ending sound Chorus

And the Beat Goes On. (The Beat Goes On). And the Beat Goes On. (The Beat Goes On). Theres a mighty squeeze, a mighty push, your trip begins. To the lungs and the Pulmonary Artery for oxygen. It branches off into arteries and capillaries. They take you to the Alveoli, your destiny. You say, Bye-Bye to your load of good old carbon dioxide. The O2 bonds with you and you start feeling fine. Youre hanging on to the Hemoglobin and off you go. To the Pulmonary Vein and the Heart with your precious load. Chorus: And the Beat Goes On. (The Beat Goes On). And the Beat Goes On. (The Beat Goes On). You pile into the Left Atrium. (Yeah) With all the other red blood cells rich in oxygen. (Uh-huh) The valve opens up into the Left Ventricle. (Yeah) With one mighty squeeze you leave, its off you go. You flow into the Aorta, a huge artery. This super highway branches off into Capillaries. You find the living cells and give them oxygen. You pick up carbon dioxide and start all over again. Chorus: And the Beat Goes On. (The Beat Goes On). And the Beat Goes On. (The Beat Goes On).

The Beat Goes On Teaching the Circulatory System Joe Crone

Youre a tired little blood cell and youre feeling blue. No nutrients or oxygen inside of you. Youve just come back from the body and your work is done. The first place you go is called the Right Atrium. You look around and see its just a waiting room. Other blood cells pile in until no one can move. The trap door opens up and you fall down below. Youre in the part of the heart thats known as the Right Ventricle Chorus:

tissue And now the oxygens gone But first we have some carbon dioxide waste to take on Then its into the veins, and back to the heart again And let the whole cycle start again PUMP YOUR BLOOD" Pump, pump, pumps your Blood. Circulatory System Song Chorus Taking blood from the heart to the cells and back Dealing with all things vascular and cardiac Capillaries, arteries, and veins All Im saying is circulation is the name of the game Verse I Now let me start from the heart, cause that seems smart Its not hard to see that its the most important part The first step is to gather up oxygen Sends blood to the lungs, back to the heart again Next up, well talk about the arteries They take blood from the heart to where its gotta be The biggest artery, the main transporter Right next to the heart, its called the aorta Chorus Verse II From the arteries into the capillaries All your organs and muscles become the beneficiaries Of all the oxygen and nutrients they bring through Very tiny vessels inside the body The right atriums where the process begins, where the CO2 Blood enters the heart. Through the tricuspid valve, to the right ventricle, the pulmonary artery, and lungs. Once inside the lungs, it dumps its carbon dioxide and picks up its oxygen supply. Then its back to the heart through the pulmonary vein, through the atrium and left ventricle. Pump, pump, pumps your Blood. Pump, pump, pumps your Blood. The aortic valves, where the Blood leaves the heart, then it's channeled to the rest of the bod. The arteries, arterioles, and capillaries too bring the oxygenated Blood to the cells. The tissues and the cells trade off waste and CO2, which is carried through the venules and the veins Through the larger vena cava to the atrium and lungs, and we're back to where we started in the heart. Pump, pump, pumps your Blood