Your heart is a four-chamber holding and receiving organ with a system of
valves that allow blood in and out. You have two chambers on the right and
two chambers on the left. The upper chambers are called atrials and the lower,
larger chambers are called ventricles. Fresh, oxygenated blood comes from
the pulmonary arteries into the upper left atrial and moves through the mitral
valve into the lower left chamber (left ventricle), then out into the body to
feed and oxygenate. This blood comes back around after making its journey
through miles of the vascular system, back into the upper right arterial, then
down to the right ventricle, and then off to the lungs for more oxygen. Your
adrenal glands play a major role in how strongly the heart pumps, and in its
rhythm. The heart is said to be a pump, but actually gets its pressure from the
lungs.
VASCULAR SYSTEM
Although arteries, capillaries and veins are not organs or glands, they are a
link to every cell in your body, including those that form organs and glands.
Their job is to carry vital fuels and building materials to all the cells. Your
vascular system carries your physical life force, the blood. Blood is used to
transport nutrition, hormones, enzymes, oxygen, antioxidants, etc. It works
with your lymphatic system in helping remove cellular and metabolic wastes,
and can dramatically affect your body temperatures. The health of your cells
depends upon the health and strength of your vascular system and the blood
that flows through it.
Vessels: Arteries, Capillaries, Veins
ARTERIES — These carry fresh oxygenated blood (which is also “nutrient-
rich”) from your lungs via the pulmonary arteries, to the heart; then
throughout your body to all the cells, tissues, organs and glands.
CAPILLARIES—Capillaries are tiny (minute) vessels that connect the
smallest arteries (called arterioles) to the beginnings of the smallest veins
(called venules). Oxygen and other elements are now exchanged for carbon
dioxide, other gases and metabolic wastes. These are carried through the
venous system back to your lungs, kidneys and colon for elimination. Blood
capillary walls consist of only one single layer of squamous cells