Currently, there is an invisible and relentless force at work in the intestines, and some people may be causing serious inflammation.
No one knows how or why irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) develops, but Brennan Spiegel, a gastroenterologist at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles, outlines an important new hypothesis. doing.
in the paper was announced in American Journal of GastroenterologySpiegel argues that irritable bowel syndrome is caused by the body’s inability to manage gravity.
Spiegel explains that our gut is like a big bag of potatoes that we have to carry around for the rest of our lives.
When the body’s normal gravity management fails for any reason, the diaphragm can slip off and compress the intestines, causing motility problems and bacterial overgrowth.
“Our nervous system has also evolved in the world of gravity, which may explain why many people feel their stomachs ‘flop’ when they’re anxious. To tell Spiegel.
“It’s interesting that these ‘guts’ also occur when you’re falling toward the earth, like when you’re riding a roller coaster or a plane with turbulence. It’s like the ancient G-force detector that warns you when – or about to experience – a dangerous fall. You may have a tendency to predict.
The nice thing about Spiegel’s hypothesis is that it is easy to test and does not rule out other theories of IBS.
There is currently no definitive test for IBS and its symptoms vary greatly from patient to patient. As a result, the syndrome is usually Diagnosis of exclusion.
Once other disorders that can cause bowel symptoms (pain, bloating, cramping, constipation, diarrhea, etc.) are ruled out, patients are usually said to have IBS.
today, about 10 percent Four people around the world are thought to suffer from the syndrome, and Spiegel is one of many scientists trying to figure out why.
He argues that gravity may be the grounding force that attracts all these different symptoms.
Under Spiegel’s framework, a disordered response to gravity could also lead to impaired gut-brain interaction. By crushing your gut, it can affect your gut microbiome and cause irritability, inflammation, or even discomfort.
“I wondered if there were many different explanations and they could all be true at the same time.” To tell Spiegel.
“As I thought about each theory—motility, bacteria, the neuropsychology of irritable bowel syndrome—I realized they could all point to gravity as the unifying factor. It seemed strange, no doubt about it, but over time it evolved. When my colleagues implemented the idea, it made sense.”
If irritable bowel syndrome is caused by the body trying to fight gravity, it could explain why physical therapy and exercise are so beneficial in relieving symptoms.
It can also explain why serotonin on the rise in IBS patients.
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter made mainly in the intestine Regulates bowel movements and mood, but too much cause diarrhea. that is also involved Regulate blood pressure in response to gravity.
Spiegel says that without serotonin, the body may not be able to stand up, maintain balance, or get blood circulating.
“Dysregulated serotonin may be a form of dysgravity” claim Spiegel.
“When serotonin biology is abnormal, people develop irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety, depression, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue. These may be forms of gravity intolerance. “
chronic fatigue syndrome/ myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) is another chronic debilitating disease with no cause or cure. often intersect with IBS.Many CFS/ME patients struggle to stand upcan cause a rapid drop in blood pressure, fatigue, dizziness, and heart palpitations.
Other symptoms that cross irritable bowel syndrome include back pain, headaches, dizziness, and postural tachycardia syndrome (POTS), a sudden drop in blood pressure after standing.
All of these conditions can be explained by the body’s inability to manage gravity properly.
Without direct investigation, Siegel says the gravity hypothesis is just a “thought experiment”. But he hopes to encourage new ways of researching and treating his IBS in the future.
“We are to gravity what fish are to water.” describe Siegel.
“We spend our entire lives in it and are shaped by it, but we are largely unaware of its current effects on the nature of our being.”
Isn’t it time to consider it?
This research American Journal of Gastroenterology.
