Page 74 - The Miracle of the Blood and Heart
P. 74

THE MIRACLE OF THE
                                      BLOOD AND HEART


                   after the period of discomfort when you climbed the slopes of
                   a mountain and felt yourself short of breath and even about to
                   faint, your body decides to make permanent adaptive mea-
                   sures for its new environment. A hormone known as erythro-
                   poietin starts to be secreted by the kidneys, and partly by the
                   liver. This hormone stimulates the bone marrow to produce
                   more red blood cells. New cells, or the support forces, will enter
                   the bloodstream in 3 to 5 days. But after 15 days, the produc-
                   tion of erythropoietin decreases, because your body has
                   adapted to the new high-altitude environment and is no
                   longer in a state of emergency. 34
                       This adaptation is really astonishing. People living
                   between sea level and altitudes of 1,800 meters (5,900 feet)
                   above sea level have around 5 million red blood cells in one
                   drop of their blood; whereas those living at higher altitudes,
                   for example at 4,200 meters (13,780 feet), have some 7 million.
                       As altitude increases, the red blood cells in the body
                   undergo various chemical changes that enable them to carry
                   more hemoglobin than before. Furthermore, the hemoglobin
                   in the red blood cells begins to be produced in such a way as
                   to load and deposit oxygen more quickly. The other organs
                   and tissues adapt to these most rational precautions in line
                   with the altitude. In order to reduce the level of oxygen carried
                   to the muscles as much as possible, there is a perceptible con-
                   traction in muscle size. Thanks to this impeccable system, you
                   adapt to the new environment 15 to 20 days after first feeling
                   a light headache. Your pulse returns to normal and there is no
                        longer any need to take deep breaths to feel comfort-
                           able. 35


               Harun
               Yahya



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