Intake of Salt helps our Body

How does the intake of salt help our body?

The human body contains about 65% of water. Some body parts have very high water contains for instance muscles contain 75% water while liver 70% content. The water present in the body has common salt dissolved in it. To body we eat salt. Now the question rises why should we maintain a certain level of salt in our body?

Salt is an essential component in our body

            According to one scientific theory, all land animals including man, are the descendants of organisms that came from the sea. The body fluid of this creature had a high content of seawater. Since they ware born in the seas, they were not able to survive without salt water. When these creatures shifted to dry land, they retained of the body were accustomed to it. Once as there could not get it from the sea, to make up to deficiency of salt, they started consuming salt.

            Carnivorous animals do not need extra salt, since their salt requirement is fulfilled by the amount of salt present in the meat they consume. This is true of human beings also. Non vegetarians need only small quantities of salt. Eskimos who are mainly non vegetarians take very little salt.

            Those who live on land need more salt. In the ancient Mexico, common salt was treated so precious that people used to worship it as god. The word salary comes from the word salt because in roman time’s solarium of allowance of money for salt was given to officers and men in the roman army. Most of the salt in our body is stored in the skin. The excretions from our body deplore the amount of salt in our body. If we consume food without salt, the amount of salt the amount of salt in the blood reduces in which case the salt stored in the skin gets used up. The body is mainly done by the kidneys and skin as sweat.

            Salt is essential for effective functioning of our body. Today iodized salt is consumed to meet the iodine requirement in our body. Iodine deficiency cause ailments like goiter and congenital disease like cretinism. Some medical authorities opine that excess of salt intake increases the risk of high blood pressure and hence leads to hear attack.

Which Body Parts are Replicable with Artificial Parts?

            Nothing on earth is eternal. All things have a specific period of existence. But what happens when due to disease or injuries, one body part stops functioning, putting the life of the person in danger? These days, doctors have body parts for immediate replacement or an artificial substitute. Have you wondered how many parts of the body can be replaced by artificial substitutes?

Artificial Teeth

            Over the past two decades, bio-engineers have developed over 40 artificial body parts for diseased tissues and organs. Some of these, such as kidney dialysis machine, re external devices. Others, such as plastic heart valves and artificial blood vessels are implanted inside the body, replacing the diseased or damaged one. Two devices- the dialysis machine and artificial heart valves- are of special interest.

            The artificial kidney or dialysis machine performs the function of removing body wastes from the blood of a person whose kidneys are unable to function properly. It is an external device and the patient needs dialysis once or twice a week. With this machine, a person can be kept alive for years.

            In April 1969, Dr. Denton A. Cooley of St. Luke’s Episcopal hospital in Houston, Texas, placed an artificial heart made form Dacron and Silastic (a mix of two words silicone and plastic) into a dying man. Three days later, a cadaver’s heart became available and was used to replace the artificial device. The next day, the patient died. Some 13 years later, at the University of Utah medical centre, an artificial heart powered by a 170 kilogram external system, was implanted in the chest of Barney Clark, aged 62 years. He died 112 days later of multiple organs collapse. The heart itself was in perfect working condition. This was one of the greatest breakthroughs in the creation of artificial hearts.

            In 1984-1985, several artificial heart implants were performed in the United States and Sweden. Good life spans have been achieved but at a tremendous cost.

            Humans have used artificial teeth, bones, and joints for a long time with a high success rate.

            The heart, the lung, the liver, the kidney, the adrenal glands and cornea can be transplanted from one human being to another. Success rate of transplantations of human organs is much higher than that of artificial parts. Replicable artificial parts of plastics, metals and other materials are shown in the figure given on the previous page.