Body Systems

Here’s a quick and simple refresher and breakdown of the major body systems.

To assist in remembering these major systems, think of the acronym “IM NERD CURLS“!

Integumentary
Muscular

Nervous
Endocrine
Reproductive
Digestive

Cardiovascular
Urinary
Respiratory
Lymphatic
Skeletal

Let’s get a brief overview of what each system does.

Integumentary System

The integumentary system is responsible for actions such as the defending your body from foreign matter and maintaining consistent body temperature.  Included in the integumentary system are your skin, sweat glands, and hair.  Besides protection of the body, the integumentary system also produces the essential vitamin D.

Muscular System

The muscular system includes all the major and minor muscles in your body.  This system is key to allowing your body to move through contracting and relaxing of the muscles.  The muscular system is also vital in producing heat for the regulation of temperature.  Muscles are involved in other body systems such as the autonomous, or self-controlling,  muscles of the heart.

Nervous System

The nervous system includes your brain, your spinal cord, and all the nerves that reach throughout your body.  This system is responsible for processing information, decision making, and communication between all body systems.

Endocrine System

The endocrine system is responsible for the release of hormones into the body.  The wide array of hormones secreted by the various glands of the endocrine system are essential to all other body systems and act as a triggering mechanism for other processes.  These hormones help to sustain normal growth, development, and repair of cells and indirectly administers the actions of the other body systems.

Reproductive System

The reproductive system, unlike all the other systems of the body, is not primarily concerned with homeostatic regulation of the body.  The reproductive system is also significantly different in processes and physical structure betweeen men and women, including the ovaries, uterus, and vagina for females and the testes and penis for males.  This system is responsible for human reproduction.

Digestive System

The digestive system is tasked with the processing and breakdown of foods, the absorption of water, vitamins, and other important substances, and the excretion of the left over waste products.  The digestive system includes multiple parts of your body from your tongue, teeth, and salivary glands to your stomach, liver, and intestines.

Cardiovascular System

The cardiovascular system includes the heart, arteries, blood vessels, capillaries, and veins that run throughout our bodies.  This system’s primary role is that of transportation of nutrients, oxygen, and hormones to all the cells of the body.  Waste from the cells and carbon dioxide is also transported via the cardiovascular system to their respective organs for removal.

Urinary System

The urinary system, also known as the excretory system, is responsible for tasks such as the filtering out and removal of wastes (urine) and regulating the balance of salts and other substances in the blood.  This system consists primarily of the kidneys, but also utilizes the skin, liver, and other organs in its processes.

Respiratory System

The respiratory system’s job is to intake oxygen and expel carbon dioxide from the body.  The major player of the respiratory system is, of course, the lungs.  The proper balance of oxygen and carbon dioxide levels is critical in the regulation of the pH level in the blood.

Lymphatic System

The lymphatic system includes the tonsils, the spleen, and related nodes, vessels, and glands.  This system is charged with three main duties.  First, the lymphatic system removes excess lymph, which is the fluid between cells, in an effort to remove old blood cells and wastes.  Secondly, this system is responsible for absorption of the by products of fat processing such as fatty acids and triglycerides.  Third, the lymphatic system protects the body from harmful micro organisms by blocking infections via the tonsils and through the transporting of antigen fighting cells.

Skeletal System

The skeletal system’s most obvious role is that of support in movement of the body and protection of many of the vital organs in our bodies through hardened mineral deposits of bone.  The skeletal system is also essential for storing important minerals such as calcium for the body.  Further, some bones have a hollow center containing marrow, which is a site for the production of new blood cells.