Wednesday, November 22, 2006

An A-HA! Moment

-- Carsickness is caused by confusion in the brain over whether your body is in
motion or at rest. "There are several factors that contribute," says Dr. Karen
Belson, assistant professor of pediatrics at Emory University Medical School in
Atlanta. "If the eyes see that you're moving but the body's pressure receptors
-- like your butt -- tell your central nervous system that you're stationary,
the brain can't process this input."
– Excerpt taken from an article on
msn.com

Now it all becomes crystal clear… I get carsick because my brain and my butt are in mortal combat! My butt is interfering my brain’s ability to process. Nice.

I also found out recently that your gut has “a brain” of sorts, a collection of neurons, which is why we experience cravings, avoid certain foods, and have issues.

It’s an inner conspiracy. The organs are revolting, the organs are revolting! Save the cheerleader! Save the bodily universe!

2 comments:

The Edward said...

I get car sick very easily. I found that if I eat something sweet before traveling, it is much more likely that I will get motion sick. Have you ever noticed anything like that?

Madpuppy said...

I don't get carsick, but I do experience a pretty trippy brain/body motion disconnect on occasion- if I use a treadmill for a while, and spend most of the time looking at a stationary object, when get off the treadmill, if I stand still, it looks as if the walls are coming towards me.

I guess walking in place for thirty minutes or so makes part of your body think you're moving, but since you're looking at a stationary point, the brain thinks that point is moving with you at the same rate. Once you stop, the brain has no idea what that wall is doing.

Stupid brain.