Homeostasis may be defined as a self-regulating process whereby equilibrium is achieved between various organs or segments of an organic system, such as the human body. The term "homeostasis" was first coined in 1932 by American physiologist Walter Cannon (Freeman, n.d.), who observed that organisms have mechanisms in place to maintain a constant state of equilibrium or balance. The term has subsequently been utilized to describe this process of maintaining equilibrium in many different situations.

Homeostasis has also been formally defined by many scientists in different ways, perhaps most accurately as the "maintenance of a stable internal environment" whether in a cell or in the organism as a whole (MSNucleus, 2004). Homeostasis is in essence equivalent to a state of equilibrium. Much like balanced scales, homeostasis ensures that too much nor too little exists at any point in time within organisms. When a state of imbalance occurs, the scale tips...
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