Introduction

Health of the hair, nails, and skin is an indication of the over-all health of your entire body. For instance,  Low thyroid function is often the cause of hair loss. 

Integumentary means "cover" or "enclosure." 

This implies, that this system is  an external body covering, and even  much more.  It protects, nourishes, insulates, and cushions. It is absolutely essential to life. Without it, an individual would be attacked immediately by bacteria and  will die from heat and water loss.

The system consists of the Skin, Hair, Nails, Glands, and Nerves.

Functions :

Integumentary system acts as a shield to protect the body from the external environment.

It retains your body fluids, protect  your body's  internal tissues and cells. protect against disease, eliminates waste product, and regulates body temperature. Protects the body against abrupt changes in temperature

This system acts as a receptor for touch, pressure, pain, heat, and cold.

It  also stores water and fat.

In order to perform all these functions, the integumentary system has to work with all the other systems of your body.  

The skin  being the cardinal organ of this system, gives rise to hair, nails, pigment, and other features. The skin is the largest and heaviest in the body.

There are three layers that make up the skin, with each of those layers  divided up into even more layers. The layers of the the skin, starting with the surface of the skin and going deeper, are as follows :

Outer layer - epidermis has a protective layer;

Second layer- dermis has secretion glands, blood vessels, hair follicles and receptors;

Third layer - subcutaneous, it  has fatty cushion.

 Mechanism

The skin is one of the first defense mechanisms in your immune system.  Tiny glands in the skin secrete oils that improve the barrier function of the skin. Receiving about one-third of the blood pumped from the heart every minute, the skin and its glands help maintain normal body temperature. The system also acts as a mini-excretory system, secreting salts, water, and wastes in the form of sweat. Cells in the skin utilize sunlight to create vitamin D, which is necessary for normal bone growth and function. Finally, the skin contains sensory receptors or specialized nerve endings that allow an individual to "feel" sensations such as touch, pain, pressure, and temperature.

The integumentary system is essential to the body's homeostasis, or ability to maintain the internal balance of its functions regardless of outside conditions. The system works to protect underlying tissues and organs from infections and injury. It also prevents the loss of body fluids.

Do you know ? Immune cells live in the skin and , thus, provide the first line of defense against infections. 

What can go wrong with this system

Unlike some other body systems, the integumentary system quickly shows when it is afflicted by an aliment. Over one thousand different aliments can affect the skin. The most common skin disorders are those caused by allergies or bacterial or fungal infections. Burns and skin cancers, although less common, are more dangerous. In some cases, they can be lethal.  To name a few :  Hair loss,Acne,Abscess, Psoriasis, Warts, Wrinkles, Skin Cancer, Fungal infections.Athlete’s foot, Baldness, Burns, Corns, Cysts,Dandruff, Nail Problems....

Taking Care Of Integumentary System

Taking care of your integumentary system means that you're taking care of your hair, your skin, your nails, your glands and your sensory receptors. All of those things are part of this system and you can protect all of them.....

How Can you get Vibrant Skin and Hair ?

Amla:  used as a hair tonic, enhances hair growth and hair pigmentation. It strengthens the roots of the hair and helps maintain color and luster.

Astragalus :  Treats disorders of the skin including burns. It also has been used for the treatment of skin tumors. He shou wu has been used for centuries to help maintain the youthful color of one’­s hair and also to help diminish hair loss.

Basil:  Contains ursolic acid improves elasticity and removes wrinkles. It also shows benefits for preventing skin cancer. A poultice made from the herb is used topically for its antifungal and antibacterial actions.

Liquorice : Is used topically for herpes, eczema, psoriasis, and allergic dermatitis. Licorice has been found to boost the body’­s natural steroid hormones to counteract inflammation and irritation.

Schisandra:  Relieves allergy-induced skin conditions, including hives and eczema.

Shatavari:  root infused in oil is used topically to treat skin diseases. The leaves can be infused in ghee and applied to boils and sores.

Moreover, when you try to get to the root of any integumentry condition, you must look into  all the other systems and how they relate to the Integumentary system.  Your awareness about other systems to ascertain what might be imbalanced to cause the disorder.

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