It is important to note the distinction between equilibrium and homeostasis. Equilibrium refers to a specific system being balanced, while homeostasis refers to the organism as a whole being stable despite internal and external factors. In homeostasis, the factors being stabilized are vital to the organism's survival, and without this balance the organism will die. For example, when homeostasis is disrupted in an organisms body, the imbalance will likely result in disease. In order to keep homeostasis in an organism, the body uses many negative feedback loops to help a reaction go back to the "normal" balance for the body. This means that a function must decrease in order to go back to its balance and reduce its change. This occurs, for example, when the body gets a fever. The fever, or stimulus, occurs when the body temperature goes above normal. When the body temperature raises, it causes the sweat glands to start working harder in order to bring down the body's temperature. On the other hand, there are positive feedback loops that work differently. Positive feedback loops work by amplifying a change in order to get a body back to homeostasis. For example, when a female is in labor, contractions get more intensified in order to get the baby out; this induces an increase in a body function in order to get back to normal.
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