Solar Timing Related Research

Multitude of Rhythms

Erhard Haus, Germaine Cornelissen, & Franz Halberg ("Introduction to Chronobiology," Chronobiology: Principles and Applications to Shifts in Schedules, 1980) wrote …

"If one examines living matter as a function of time, under appropriate experimental conditions, on the cellular level, in tissue culture or in multicellular organisms — including man — at different levels of physiologic organization, one invariably finds nonrandom variations of the functions examined.

With the use of inferential statistical procedures of rhythmometry, a large proportion of these variations can be shown to be due to a multitude of rhythms or near rhythms in different frequency ranges. The periods of these rhythms may range from fractions of seconds in single neurons to seconds as in the cardiac and respiratory cycles, a few hours as seen in certain endocrine functions, to about 24 hours as seen in the prominent circadian frequency domain which is found almost ubiquitously in all metabolizing structures.

Upon the circadian periodic variations, infradians (i.e., rhythms with longer periods or lower frequencies) are superimposed. Of interest are the circaseptan rhythms with a period of about a week, the circatrigintan rhythms with a period of about 30 days (including the period of the menstrual cycle in mature premenopausal women) and the circannual rhythms with a period of about one year (including seasonal variations)."

Sulfur Vapor

J.F. Kasting, K.J. Zahnle, J.P. Pinto, & A.T. Young in "Sulfur, ultraviolet radiation, and the early evolution of life," Origins of Life and Evolution of the Biosphere, 1989;19(2):95-108 wrote …

"The present biosphere is shielded from harmful solar near ultraviolet (UV) radiation by atmospheric ozone. We suggest here that elemental sulfur vapor could have played a similar role in an anoxic, ozone-free, primitive atmosphere. Sulfur vapor would have been produced photochemically from volcanogenic SO2 and H2S.

It is composed of ring molecules, primarily S8, that absorb strongly throughout the near UV, yet are expected to be relatively stable against photolysis and chemical attack. It is also insoluble in water and would thus have been immune to rainout or surface deposition over the oceans. The concentration of S8 in the primitive atmosphere would have been limited by its saturation vapor pressure, which is a strong function of temperature. Hence, it would have depended on the magnitude of the atmospheric greenhouse effect.

Surface temperatures of 45 degrees C or higher, corresponding to carbon dioxide partial pressures exceeding 2 bars, are required to sustain an effective UV screen. Two additional requirements are that the ocean was saturated with sulfite and bisulfite, and that linear S8 chains must tend to reform rings faster than they are destroyed by photolysis.

A warm, sulfur-rich, primitive atmosphere is consistent with inferences drawn from molecular phylogeny, which suggest that some of the earliest organisms were thermophilic bacteria that metabolized elemental sulfur."

Dynacharia

Vasant Lad (Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing: a Practical Guide, 1984) wrote …

"Like time, the bodily humors are constantly in motion. There is a definite relationship between the movement of the tridosha and the movement or passage of time. The increase or decrease of these three humors is related to the passage of time.

Morning, from sunrise to ten o'clock, is a time of kapha. Because of the predominance of kapha humor at this time, one feels energetic and fresh and also a little heavy.

At mid-morning, kapha slowly merges into pitta. From ten in the morning till two in the afternoon is the time when pitta is secreted and hunger increases. One feels hungry, light and hot.

The afternoon from two o'clock until the sun sets is the time of vata when one feels active, light and supple.

Early in the evening from about six o'clock until ten is again kapha time, a period of cool air, inertia and little energy.

Then from ten at night till two in the morning are the peak hours of pitta when food is digested.

Early in the morning before sunrise is again vata time. Because vata creates movement, people awaken and excrete wastes."

Ultraviolet Solar Rays

W.W. Coblentz, Ph.D., Sc.D. ("Ultraviolet Transmitting Glasses: Specification of Minimum Transmission," Journal of the A.M.A., Sept. 20, 1930) wrote …

"Physical tests show that common window glass transmits only 1 to 2 percent at 313 millimicrons and is completely opaque to radiation of shorter wavelengths, which, in average sea level sunlight, extend to about 295 millimicrons in summer and to about 305 millimicrons in winter.

The therapeutic range of the ultraviolet in average noonday sea level sunlight is therefore only 10 to 15 millimicrons in width.

Using the intense emission lines of the quartz mercury arc lamp, biologic tests of the activation of ergosterol (subsequently fed to rachitic animals) and of the direct action of ultraviolet rays on rachitic animals show that the maximum therapeutic effect is produced by wavelengths at 297 to 302 millimicrons; and only a weak if any effect is obtained with the wavelength 313 millimicrons or longer wavelengths. No authoritative evidence appears to be at hand showing that ultraviolet wavelengths at 320 to 365 millimicrons have a special therapeutic value. In this connection it is irrelevant as to whether or not the longer ultraviolet solar rays have any beneficial effect on plants."

Without Light Cues

Matt Jarvis, Julia Russell, & Phil Gorman (Angles on Psychology, 2004) wrote …

"Daily exposure to bright light or to regular social cues such as a telephone call at the same time each day is sufficient to keep the human clock in time (Empson, 1993). Environmental factors other than light can also entrain (that is 'set') the clocks of animals such as hamsters. They will maintain a 24-hour sleep-wake cycle without light cues in response to regular feeding (Jilge, 1991), exercise (Mistlberger, 1991) or social interaction (Mrosovsky, 1988)."

Morning Exercise

Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C., & James F. Balch, M.D. (Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Third Edition, 2000) wrote …

"If you exercise in the morning, you will reinforce healthy sleeping habits that lead to regular melatonin production. For best results, do your morning exercise outdoors in the morning light."

Insulin Hypothesis

Matthew Edlund, M.D. (The Body Clock: Finding Your Best Time of Day to Succeed in Love, Work, Play, Exercise, 2003) wrote …

"If the insulin hypothesis has any validity, we are in starvation mode every morning. Our brain will try to keep every calorie we've got. Eating little or no breakfast gives the brain the message that starvation is continuing while fuel need increases. The brain responds by making sure fuel stores are protected, and no calorie will be given up without a struggle. Not eating breakfast is probably a great way to gain weight."