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How the Moon rules your life
Posted on Friday, January 26, 2007 (CST) by Thoth
 For eons, folklore has blamed the Moon for everything from lunacy to bad luck. And, for the last few centuries, scientists have scoffed. Now, according to new research they're not so sure. The Moon may not be made of cheese, but it seems to influence a lot more down on Earth than we previously thought.
According to new research, the Moon affects not only the tides of the oceans but also people, producing a range of symptoms from flare-ups of gout to bladder problems. It may even lie behind the causes of car crashes and affect people's hormonal balances.
Having carried out new research and reviewed 50 other studies, scientists suggest that doctors and the police even need to prepare for how their work rate will increase at different points in the lunar cycle.
Among the
findings examined by the researchers were studies that showed GP
consultations go up during a full moon, according to Leeds University.
Appointments rise by 3.6 per cent, which works out at around three
extra patients for each surgery. The researchers did not speculate on
the nature of the moon-related problems or why they happened, but said
that "it does not seem to be related to anxiety and depression".
Gout and asthma attacks
peak during new and full moons, according to work carried out at the
Slovak Institute of Preventive and Clinical Medicine in Bratislava,
where attacks over a 22-year period were monitored.
Data from 140,000 births in
New York City showed small but systematic variations in births over a
period of 29.53 days - the length of the lunar cycle - with peak
fertility in the last quarter. "The timing of the fertility peak in the
third quarter suggests that the period of decreasing illumination
immediately after the full moon may precipitate ovulation.''
A study in Florida of
murders and aggravated assaults showed clusters of attacks around the
full moon. A second study of three police areas found the incidence of
crimes committed on full-moon days was much higher than on all other
days. And a four-year study into car accidents found that the lowest
number happened during the full-moon day, while the highest number was
two days before the full moon. Accidents were more frequent during the
waxing than the waning phase.
Another study of some 800
patients with urinary retention admitted to hospital over a period of
three years found higher retention during the new moon compared with
other phases of the cycle. Interestingly, patients didn't show any
other daily, monthly or seasonal rhythms in their retention problems.
Even what we eat and drink
is affected by the lunar cycle, according to a study at Georgia State
University. Researchers looked at lunar variations in nutrient intakes
and the meal patterns of 694 adults. They concluded: "A small but
significant lunar rhythm of nutrient intake was observed with an 8 per
cent increase in meal size and a 26 per cent decrease in alcohol intake
at the time of the full moon relative to the new moon.''
While scientists have been
trying to prove for some time that the Moon does exert an effect, what
has not been established is why. Scientists have until now examined the
theory that the Moon triggers changes through its gravitational pull.
But the latest research points to an effect on people's hormones. "The
lunar cycle has an impact on human reproduction, in particular
fertility, menstruation and birth rate. Other events associated with
human behaviour, such as traffic accidents, crimes, and suicides,
appeared to be influenced by the lunar cycle,'' said Dr Michael Zimecki
of the Polish Academy of Sciences.
"Although the exact
mechanism of the Moon's influence on humans and animals awaits further
exploration, knowledge of this kind of biorhythm may be helpful in
police surveillance and medical practice,'' he said.
The researchers also found
links between the lunar cycle and the likelihood of people being
admitted to hospital with heart or bladder problems and with diarrhoea.
The menstrual cycle, fertility, spontaneous abortions and thyroid
disease were also affected. Just how the Moon could have an effect
needs further research. Dr Zimecki suggests that it may be the effect
of the Moon's gravity on immune systems, hormones and steroids.
He said: "At this stage of
investigation, the exact mechanism of the lunar effect on the immune
response is hard to explain. The prime candidates to exert regulatory
function on the immune response are melatonin and steroids, whose
levels are affected by the Moon cycle.
"It is suggested that
melatonin and endogenous steroids [which are naturally occurring in
humans] may mediate the described cyclic alterations of physiological
processes. Electromagnetic radiation and/or the gravitational pull of
the Moon may trigger the release of hormones.''
Whatever the root cause of
the Moon's influence over us, its hold over the imagination will endure
as long as the shining sphere of rock remains in the sky.
Only 12 people have walked
on the Moon: the first were Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin in 1969, the
last were Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt in 1972. But last
December, Nasa announced plans for a permanent base on the Moon in
preparation for a manned mission to Mars.
Construction of the base is scheduled to take around five years, with the first voyages beginning by 2020.
Copyright: Independent News
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