Bad things happen to the human body in weightlessness. See what happens to astronauts spending time in orbit. Bones will crumble. muscles weaken. So is immunity. “Going to space accelerates aging,” says Saeed Mekali, who studies exercise physiology at the University of Sherbrooke in Canada. Ground-based experiments mimicking weightlessness have revealed similar effects. Russian scientist in the 1970s soaked Volunteers in tubs covered with large sheets of waterproof fabric can float without getting wet. In some of these studies, which lasted up to 56 days, subjects evolved I had severe heart problems and was having trouble controlling my posture and leg movements.
Weightlessness hurts us because our bodies are micro-tuned to gravity on Earth. It pulls us from birth to death, yet our intestines are tightly coiled in the stack, our blood flows upwards, and our spines are able to support our heads. You can. Unnatural distortions can ruin things. people died Prevents hanging upside down for long periods of time. But as a general rule, the G-forces that are constantly on our bodies are a part of life that we are mostly unaware of.
At least, that’s what scientists have always thought.But there is another possibility: its gravity itself making some people sick. A new, peer-reviewed theory suggests that the body’s relationship to gravity can be disrupted, leading to the long-troubling mystery of irritable bowel syndrome.
It’s a far from universally accepted bullshit idea, but at least some experts say it can’t be dismissed outright. Irritable Bowel Syndrome is a very common disease, affecting an estimated 15% of people in the United States, and the symptoms can be brutal. People with irritable bowel syndrome experience abdominal pain and gas, feel bloated, and often experience diarrhea, constipation, or both. However, the exact cause of IBS has not been determined.there is evidence behind many competing theories, There are causes such as early childhood stress, diet, and even intestinal infections, but no single explanation has emerged. It’s difficult to treat a condition where you don’t know what to target.
Brennan Spiegel, a gastroenterologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, has a different idea: People with irritable bowel syndrome are affected by a variety of factors, including stress, weight gain, and altered gut microbiota. hypersensitivity to gravity as a result of sleep patterns, or another behavior or injury. The idea came to me after watching a relative, confined to a bed in a nursing home, develop typical symptoms of her IBS. “We are upright creatures,” he told me. “We shouldn’t be lying around for so long.” Hypothesis, It was published at the end of last year American Journal of Gastroenterology, that’s a hypothesis. Spiegel does not conduct experiments or patient studies that point to a “discrepancy” in our body’s response to gravity as the cause of IBS, but the mechanics are all grounded in solid science. One of the reasons it is so popular is that it may cover all other conventional explanations of the disease. “This is meant to be a new way of thinking about an old way of thinking,” he said.
exactly so how Does someone’s relationship with gravity go awry? Think about serotonin, the chemical that carries messages from the brain to the body.Spiegel considers serotonin to be an “anti-gravitational substance” because of the role it plays in so many important bodily functions affected by G-forces, such as blood flow. to make narrow, slows down circulation.it can build certain muscles contract again relaxIt is also important digestionWithout serotonin, gravity would make our intestines “loose sacks,” writes Spiegel.because 95 percent 100% of the body’s serotonin is produced in the gut, but when levels spike or plummet due to factors such as stress, it can disrupt the gravitational handling of chemicals and affect digestion. As a result, he theoretically believes he has IBS.
Other parts of our body that respond to gravity can also be a problem. We are built to react negatively to situations where gravity can harm us. I’m here. If you walk to the edge of a cliff, your body will tell you something. The amygdala in our brain is key to our fear response and can be overreacted by many types of stress. Spiegel believes that when stress overloads the amygdala, a person begins to overreact to potential threats such as gravity. is.Sure enough, someone with IBS offal It has been shown that the amygdala is hyperactive.
It hardly comes close to proof. The idea that this painful, long-lasting condition could be a gravitational disturbance is a huge stretch that relies on rebel interpretations of basic biology. There is only one,” Spiegel said. Many of his fellow doctors disagree with the idea. The gravity hypothesis is another example in a long parade of unconvincing theories about IBS, Emeran Mayer, a UCLA gastroenterologist, told me. he’s heard them all. That’s the hysterical trait of the neurotic housewife. Abnormal electrical activity in the colon. ‘ He added, ‘I don’t think any other disease has experienced the peak of a new theory that deserves more attention.’
Spiegel’s ideas have obvious holes. David C. Kunkel, a gastroenterologist at the University of California, San Diego, suggests that if an erroneous response to gravity causes he IBS, there may be a difference between populations living at sea level compared to populations living at high altitudes, where G forces are slightly weaker. He said he expected higher rates of IBS. . But that won’tdoesn’t seem case: About a quarter of Peruvians live in mountainous areas and most Icelanders live at sea level, both countries with high rates of irritable bowel syndrome. Similarly, the incidence of irritable bowel syndrome appears to decrease with age, but “this would not be expected if the disease was caused by constant gravity,” Kunkel told me.
Spiegel recognizes that the gravitational hypothesis has little support and no evidence in the field. But the gravity hypothesis has some logic behind it. Declan McCole, a biomedical scientist at the University of California, Riverside, said the fact that the weightlessness of space travel changes the body dramatically suggests that other changes in relation to gravity may do the same. give credence to the idea.
Also, the gut may be particularly sensitive to changes in gravity.McCall i got you Its weightlessness made it easier for epithelial cells (which line the intestines and prevent intruders from entering the body) to evade. So if our internal chemistry can change in ways that make us more sensitive to gravity, it’s no surprise to McCall that such changes can take a toll on the gut. He is unsure if the hypersensitivity exists. If so, why haven’t we identified chemicals to help handle gravity? fear again libido again hungerThat molecule may indeed turn out to be serotonin, but there is no evidence at this time.
The gravity hypothesis only really matters if it makes sense for people with IBS. And it’s not guaranteed. Tying the very real pain of irritable bowel syndrome to such fanciful ideas may seem closer to myth than medicine. may prepare for the pain of If immovable gravity is your enemy, don’t bother fighting it.
But if there’s some truth to it, the hypothesis could also be a starting point for therapy. I also advocate a treatment method that “I talk to my patients about it,” Spiegel said. “I recommend certain yoga poses. I recommend a tilt table.” You may hesitate to think about it.
The gravity hypothesis may be nothing more than a hypothesis. We still have a long way to go to truly know if the human body can develop hypersensitivity to gravity and become ill, or if some people can handle gravity better than others. The weight of evidence is enough to make us think twice before dismissing the idea that our body’s relationship to gravity might go awry — including those of us who aren’t dealing with IBS. If can contribute to irritable bowel syndrome, why shouldn’t other illnesses too? And why is it permanently unavailable?Recent Mekari found Lying at a downward angle of 6 degrees reduced response time to cognitive tests, indicating a possible link between gravity and executive function. Antigravity treadmills, which help astronauts prepare for weightlessness, are being investigated for the following treatments: cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s diseaseand sports injuries.
All these unknowns about gravity can feel stuck in your head. Life on Earth has changed significantly since its first forms appeared about 4 billion years ago. The remaining incessant—perhaps the only thing that connects all living things that have ever lived. What if we still have much to learn about what it does to us? After all, now , your body is dealing with gravity as it was every other second of your life.Gravity would be even funnier it wasn’t Do something to us over time. “Every fiber in our body is in tension to manage this force,” Spiegel said.
