Respiratory System Disorders and Therapy From a New - Louis Bolk ...

Jetlag
Who does not know the phenomenon of jetlag? During every trip in which we
move around the planet going east or west, we ‘travel in time’. Moving in an
easterly or westerly direction results in our arriving at a place with a different
day-and-night rhythm than we are used to. Our body reacts noticeably to this,
particularly if the time difference is greater than two to four hours.
Curiously, not all functions ‘travel with us’ synchronically. When we examine
the circadian rhythm of excretion of various substances by the kidneys, we find
major differences in adaptation time to the new day-and-night rhythm.
Many substances are excreted in a circadian rhythm; they are not excreted at
the same rate during the course of the day. For example, the excretion rhythms
of phosphorus, sodium, and potassium in the urine differ greatly. These rhythms
do not adapt to the new time zone simultaneously. Phosphorus has an excretion
rhythm that is adjusted to the new situation within a day, the excretion rhythm
of sodium is not adjusted for a week, and it takes three or four weeks before
the excretion rhythm of potassium harmonizes with the circadian rhythm of
the new location. It is perhaps most striking of all that the adaptation time for
the excretory rhythm is not so much connected to the organ of excretion — the
kidneys, in this case — but is specifically determined by the substances involved.
This is a riddle of physiology for which there is, as yet, no explanation. It does
show, however, the degree to which our organism functions rhythmically and
how it adjusts its rhythms in health. (See also section 7.3.)
A balance that oscillates around a midpoint creates, on the one hand, the ability to adapt
to ever-changing circumstances. This supports the ability for self-preservation. However,
the fluctuating balance also makes the organism vulnerable to dysbalance in the form of
disease. We have established that, in illness, the balance is disturbed to one side or the
other (section 2.4.2.). The equilibrium no longer oscillates, it is temporarily stuck on one
side. A balance that oscillates includes the possibility of illness and in a period of disease
the body remains off balance.