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From: rb@ccird2.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.sci
Subject: Re: Biorhythms
Message-ID: <797@ccird2.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 25-Apr-86 20:05:01 EDT
Article-I.D.: ccird2.797
Posted: Fri Apr 25 20:05:01 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 1-May-86 03:18:59 EDT
References: <935@cylixd.UUCP>
Reply-To: rb@ccird2.UUCP (Rex Ballard)
Organization: CCI Telephony Systems Group,  Roch, NY
Lines: 67

In article <935@cylixd.UUCP> dave@cylixd.UUCP (Dave Kirby) writes:
>
>Is there anything to Biorhythms, or is it just neo-astrology?
>

Actually, there is more to it than is described in the "popular
books".  There are several very small rythms involving such things
as digestive system, circulatory, and glandular activity which 
form the basis for biorythms.  For example, the 28 day "Emotional
cycle" is also the 28 day menstrual cycle in women.  Appearantly,
men have the same types of cycles in testosterone production.

For example, there's appearantly a 3 hour "sleep cycle", a 4 hour
digestive cycle, a 12 hour neuron cycle, and about 20+ others,
some as short as 1/60th of a second, some "sum of the cycles" run
as high as 7 years.  In fact, life itself is much like the "hump"
of a sine wave.

Of course, not everybody's "Emotional cycle" is exactly 28 days,
nor are any other of the "major cycles".  Daily measurements of
blood pressure, heart rate, fluid intake/output, weight, blood
chemistry, and galvanometric skin resistance can give you an
actual indicator of your actual periodic rates.  All of these
things have to be done at regular intervals, under carefully
controlled conditions, for two or three months.
Is it worth it :-).

Just to confuse things more, your "Emotional peak" is actually a time
when adrenaline and insulin levels are very high.  Which means you will
be very emotional.  This could be good (you could appear very
enthusiatic, full of engergy,...) or very bad (you could over-react to
bad news).  Your "Intellectual peak" is a period when your endorphamine
(sp?) and electolyte levels are very high causing higher levels of
neuron activity.  This could make you a creative genius, or make you so
easily distracted, you don't get anything done.

The one good thing about following a "biorythm" or even astrology,
is that it helps you to "pace yourself".  If you consistantly
push yourself to the limit all the time, you can overstress your
system.  If on the other hand you work extra hard for a while,
then work a lighter schedule, you can plan time for things like
extra long days, followed by some shorter days for resting up.

There are even diet plans that will put you on say, 1400 calories
for two weeks and then switch to 1000 calories for two weeks.  This
makes the body less prone to "store up" for the famine, it also
reduces the tendency to "Binge" as many dieters do.  This is frequently
done by doctors and clinics, often unconciously, due to the way
the body reacts to the diet.

The doctor figures out that at 1400 calories, you should loose weight,
say a pound per week.  You do, for a while.  Then the body starts
"storing", and the doctor cuts your intake, then after a week or two,
you start loosing too much (dehydration, potasium loss,...) and the
doctor increases to keep you from going on a binge, or loosing
strength in your immune system.  Guess what, the pattern often
corresponds with the "physical" cycle.

In some cities, police and fire department personnel are given
rotation based on their biorythms.  Furthermore, during the full
moon, many people get very emotional in a bad way, therefore
police, fire, mental health centers, and hospitals often increase
staff starting the friday night of the full moon.  Lunacy is
a "Statistical Reality" even if there is no obvious scientific
reason for it.  They also increase staff around the first of the
month, but this is because many people get paid at this time,
and like to party too much.