THE 3 “COMPONENTS” OF THE HUMAN BODY
I’ve recently started “thinking” again. At least about our bodies and how they “work.”
The trend these days seems to be to make everything too complex. And the Experts are the people who can present the most complex solution to any problem.
Sure, you need to be an expert to remove a tumor from someone’s brain, but understanding how the body works?
I think it’s easier than we have once thought.
In fact, I’ve been thinking of the body as a “house” of sorts.
Look at this diagram –
And yes, it’s in a “hierarchical” format for a reason, which I’ll get to in a moment.
There are 3 components:
ELECTRICAL, STRUCTURAL, & MECHANICAL
Here’s what I mean by each:
- ELECTRICAL – This is the Nervous System. It conducts/produces electrical current that carries messages/information to the rest of the body telling it what to do. Think of this as the wiring of your house – the part that runs everything.
- STRUCTURAL – This is the Skeletal System – the part of your body that actually holds everything “up” and together.
- MECHANICAL – This is everything else: The Muscular System, Cardio-pulmonary System, Digestive System, etc.
Is it “right?”
I don’t know. But it’s simple. And easy to remember.
It also seems to fit with that whole “tripartite” nature thing: solid/liquid/gas… body/spirit/soul…
BACK TO THE HIERARCHY
Why the “hierarchy?”
From what I’ve studied, the Electrical part of the body is the part of the body the governs or rules the rest. Without it, the structure collapses and no mechanical work gets done. All three are important, but this is the most important.
Think about it: Cut off the electrical system – sever the spine in the lumbar region, and you can no longer walk. Cut it off in the mid trunk, and you have a hard time breathing or moving your upper body. Cut it off in the lower cervical spine, and you’re a quadriplegic. Cut it off in the upper cervical spine and you’re either a quadriplegic on a respirator because you cannot breathe on your own, or worse – you’re dead.
The Structural, is the skeleton. And it gives the mechanical a base of support and creates leverage from which to move.
And the Mechanical, well, that’s everything else. And some mechanical pieces can be replaced – in the early 21st century, we now have transplants for most major organs: Heart, lung, kidney, liver… and you can do without your gall bladder or appendix… and doctors can remove part of your bowels and you can still live.
WHY DOES ANY OF THIS MATTER?
For the Average Joe or Jane, it doesn’t.
For the person like you or me interested in getting stronger, living a stronger, more fulfilled life, it pays to know the fundamentals. That way, when things go wrong, which the inevitably do, you know where to look to fix that which has broken.
And where do you look?
Based on rehabbing my own injuries: both hips with torn labrums, congenitally deformed knees, one of which is missing cartilage, and a once injured lower back –
The symptoms present themselves at the top of the hierarchy – in the Mechanical piece. At least when we’re talking about muscular / musculoskeletal dysfunctions and “issues.”
Like tight hip flexors or a crabby lower back.
Unless of course you have true structural issue, like having a broken arm reset incorrectly, like I did, which then alters the form of your structure.
That’s what most of us address.
But as we see from “the triangle,” the Electrical System is the foundation of the entire organism. It controls the organism. Isn’t it possible that it just makes sense that if there’s a problem in the mechanical system, we might need to check the Electrical?
Of course, I’m not talking about things like your pectoral muscle ripping off your upper arm during a heavy bench press. That is clearly a Mechanical problem.
Or tearing the labrum in your hip as you jump under a heavy-ish barbell clean. (Although we do have to ask ourselves, “WHY did that labrum tear? What caused the environment for the tear?”)
No, I’m talking about the “everyday” stiffness, aches, and pains that we get from use – overuse or underuse.
Again, this is just a simplified lens through which to look, but as Einstein said,
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
I think this new lens qualifies. What do you think?
