Coop Scoop Blog
The Power of Connection in Our Body and in Our Life
By Dr. Madeline
Connection is vital to life and comes in many unique forms. This week I found myself thinking about the myriad connections that unite us through life. I thought of the beautiful earth and our community of local farmers that connect us to quality food through Honest Weight Food Co-op. Then I thought of all of our members of the Co-op itself and I could not help but feel the energies that connect us all beyond our anatomy. At that moment of mind-link thoughtful connection, my daughter snuggled up to me and I reveled in the comforting touch of a loved one. Physical touch is profound and reaches deep down, affecting our brain anatomy and chemistry, even down to the cellular anatomical fabric.
It occurred to me then, that all of these modes of connection are laced together and drive us toward a positive path and create a cognitive framework from which we can connect to health. In this article, I would like to take a turn and look inward to delve into the lesser known qualities of the many ways our cells are connected to each other.
Inside our body, when a group of cells with similar structure work together to perform a specific function, we call this collection of cells, a tissue. In our body we have four basic tissue types. In essence this means that we have four general classes of cells that come together to help our body function and maintain balance. The four tissue types are: muscle, epithelial, nervous, and connective. This article will focus on the importance of connective tissue.
Connective tissue is the most diverse tissue type. It plays a unique and fundamental role in keeping us healthy. In general, connective tissue binds, unites, protects, and insulates our body. Just as connecting with people and our natural environment is important for mental health, as it promotes optimal neurological function which helps us achieve our goals, connective tissue is essential for proper development, stability, function, and maintenance of fluid flow. Connective tissue provides an overall fabric in which human health can flourish.
The need for connective tissue’s diversity can be understood by thinking about the construction of a home. One can have all the wood, metal, and plastic in the world, but how will one bind that material together to make a frame and how will we get heat to all the rooms of the house? How will water flow in and out? The binding materials for building are diverse and each serves a specific function for its particular use; from nails, screws, and glue, to tubing and duct work. Whether the connecting material’s job is to hold together raw materials for strength, pliability, breathability, or to connect or deliver air or water throughout the home, each of these connecting materials has a unique, specific, and essential job to do. In the same way, a human body uses a diverse group of biological materials to connect us and allow for proper functioning. The following describes a few of the various and wonderful types of connective tissues in the human body.
Connective tissue proper forms a uniting sheath that is woven between your skin and muscle layer. It wraps and protects organs and vessels, and provides an overall soft yet strong scaffolding in the body. Bone is a type of connective tissue that provides support and strength as well as the lever system for muscle movement. Blood is a connective tissue! It contains cells that pick up and carry oxygen all over the body and brings carbon dioxide back to the lungs for you to exhale. The blood also carries nutrients from the good food you eat to cells, and then carries waste away from cells for disposal through the kidney’s filtration system and the liver’s detoxifying enzymatic machinery. Cartilage gives pliable strength and resilience like in the costal cartilage of your ribs and the elastic cartilage of the ear. Adipose (fat) tissue insulates the body all over, stores energy for hard times, and also makes important hormones.
These diverse connective tissue types are rarely recognized as foundational for survival, but they are vital, just as the connections we make in life are. Our connections to the earth and all its beautiful diverse life, unites us and builds our inner strength. Whether smelling a flower, hugging a beloved tree, having tea with a dear friend, or smiling in recognition of another Co-op member, each interaction is a foundational and positive connection that builds our life beyond ourselves and connects us all in harmony and health. Today, let us be grateful for our essential connective tissue and let it serve as a reminder to channel positive connections to all life we encounter as we each play a vital role in the creation of a beautiful vibrant living fabric.
The Mad Health Doc
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The Mad Health Doc has a Ph.D. in molecular cellular and developmental biology. She works at a local college where she teaches in the biology department specializing in Human Anatomy, Physiology, and Nutrition. When not at work, she can be found with her awesome family (which includes a flock of chickens).
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References
Epigenetic programming by maternal behavior (touch changes DNA expression)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15220929/
Epigenetic mechanisms for the early environmental regulation of hippocampal glucocorticoid receptor gene expression in rodents and humans
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22968814/