Delving into Suicides and the Magnetic Field
Not too long ago, on April 19th we did an article titled, “Man in the Moon on the Back Side of Earth” where we pretty much researched the fact the full moon had nothing to do with abnormal human behavior—according to the medical and scientific field, anyway, while we discussed the moon and the magnetotail.
Yet today, an April 25, 2008 article titled, “Possible Link Between Suicide and Earth’s Magnetic Field” was found in redOrbit.com where a Russian scientist—Oleg Shumilov of the North Industrial Ecology Problems in Russia– possibly linked geomagnetism and human health, “suggesting there may be a relation to the number of suicides during certain seasonal peaks in the Earth’s geomagnetic field.” Yet it is pretty much a fact that levels of the sun or light in northern countries influence levels of depression, while Shumilov feels that geomagnetism is another factor that should be brought into retrospect.
Studying the Earth’s magnetic field—from 1948 to 1997—Shumilov found that the field grouped three season peaks a year, even though he feels that the activity does not influence people equally. Additional studies, according to Shumilov, involving cardiovascular health and geomagnetic field disturbances, show there may be a link especially in the high latitude areas.
According to another individual, Michael Rycroft with his published study in Surveys in Geophysics, additional studies that have been published in the British Journal of Psychiatry have suggested a 36.2% increase in the number of male depressed patients admitted into hospitals two weeks after geomagnetic storms. In South Africa, a review of suicide rates and their relation to magnetic storms show that high periods of geomagnetic activity [large solar flares and geomagnetic storms] are linked to clinical depressions.
In most of Shumilov’s articles on depression, suicide, and the magnetic field, he feels the most plausible explanation between them is the fact that geomagnetic storms can desynchronize circadian rhythms and melatonin production. But most experts feel there appears to be substantial relationships to warrant more research, even though almost all animals can sense the Earth’s magnetic field in its entirety. But the big question is: can humans sense it but in a different way?
This entry was posted on Friday, April 25th, 2008 at 7:39 pm and is filed under Public Relations, Space Agency News, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
