Kelsey Flaherty Dr. Hardin
Homeostatic Imbalances: Hypertension September 26, 2014

As a medical assistant it is vital that we are able to communicate effectively with patients of all backgrounds, including differences in education, culture, or language. To ensure the patient will be able to understand the diagnosis, it’s important to try to simplify medical terms as much as possible. I would start the conversation by defining hypertension, which is high blood pressure. Hypertension could be caused due to a person consuming too much sodium or sugar (glucose), experiencing high levels of stress or anxiety, taking illegal drugs or certain medications. It is also important that the patient knows that a homeostatic imbalance is a disruption of homeostasis; an internal balance that must be maintained to ensure our health and survival.
When the feedback system is unable to sustain homeostasis because of hypertension, signals are sent to your brain. The signals are sent through your blood vessels that work as receptors to your brain. Your heart and blood then work as effectors by relaying this memo so the brain knows the heart requires more oxygen. Therefore your heart works overtime to provide the extra oxygen that’s needed, and results in patients experiencing high blood pressure. Vasodilation causes the blood pressure to fall back to its normal limits. This is when your heart rate decreases due to the blood vessels increasing in diameter.