Talking about weather
In an interview with The Day, Prof. Mykhailo KURYK, Doctor of Sciences (Physics and Mathematics), director of the Institute of Human Ecology, comments on how a heat wave affects human intellectual activity, including the functioning of brain, and how to avoid body exhaustion in heat.
Mr. Kuryk, it is more difficult for one to collect their thoughts in blistering heat. How does heat impact human brain?
“The problem is that human brain consists 98 percent of bound water. But, on the other hand, one should take into account the human body’s ambient temperature, for any overheating means a partial or essential change in the phase structures of water because everything in a human body is biological molecules and water. Brain is the most sensitive to water under any circumstances. On the one hand, if an individual drinks substandard water, this adversely affects their mental abilities. On the other hand, if a certain part of brain is overstrained due to body dehydration, this also causes dysfunctions. And what is very important and occurs most often today is the fact that almost all people here are sick due to the polluted environment. The most widespread ailment is cardiovascular dystonia. In the case of brain it is also a problem because everything is being heated and changed. And should an individual have even the faintest trouble with homeostasis, their functional condition will also change. On the one hand, it is sun and heat strokes, and, on the other, a whole lot of diseases connected, one way or another, with cerebral activity. Water is an intermediary between the environment and man, and this mechanism produces both a positive and a negative effect on the human being.
“What physiologists are telling us today – not to get overheated and to be in the sun for a short time, mostly in the morning or late in the evening – is right. But there is one more serious factor: in addition to solar radiation, there is also cosmic radiation, space energy. The latter is guided by somewhat different laws. It has an additional negative effect on the living organisms. It produces a greater effect at night. Heart attacks and strokes mostly occur at about 4 or 5 a.m., also due to this radiation. I would like to emphasize that exposition of the atmosphere and the environment to radiation is a very serious factor of ecological danger to our health. Even if an individual is well, overheating may still cause cellular dysfunctions of a normal functional field, but if you have problems, they will only intensify under the influence of overheating — in this case you will behave in a manner that runs counter to your customary functional condition. Suppose, you suffer a bit from hypertension and you had to stay in the sun a little too long, you did not drink high-quality water either before or after you found yourself in the sun. Naturally, overheating may really boost your blood tension. So it is better to prevent this.”
What is the normal temperature for the brain to function?
“Not more than 37-38°C, otherwise there will be problems. It is the law of nature. And if the temperature reaches 39°C, it is very hard because there is the so-called phase transition in water. For example, the water heated, say, to the boiling point gradually goes through several phases of transition. The water, which has been heated to 40°C, has already passed a structural phase transition. This means it may change its interaction with biological molecules, which may in turn adversely affect the brain. These phases are of great importance. For example, boiled water is not living from the viewpoint of natural energy – it is even called ‘dead.’ Boiling drastically reduces water’s natural energy. Therefore, I can say that the maximum temperature which the brain can stand is up to 39°C. Cerebral cells become overloaded, but this does not mean that all the cells will be dying. But still I want to reiterate that active work of cerebral cells wears out them. They will not renew, and the more they disappear the worse it is for the functional activity of brain cells. This provokes conditions that lead to imbecility, strokes, Alzheimer’s disease, etc. Cerebral cells have been given to man for a certain time only, and the body is incapable of renewing them.”
What kind of effect do high-quality, now called “structured,” and substandard water have on cerebral activity?
“The structured, or simply ‘living,’ water is the closest to human’s intracellular water. Melt water can be said to be an example of living water. The structure of melt water remains intact under room temperature for six to eight hours because, owing to this temperature, it changes its structure and becomes plain water. So when an individual drinks fresh melt water, they revitalize their body. This leads to longevity and helps preserve water homeostasis. But, as far as brain cells are concerned, unfortunately, I do not know any instances that would prove that this is of essential importance. Another important thing is bound water. It can be found in the human body’s genomic cells, for the DNA, as the body’s principal molecule, partially consists of bound water. Amino acids and water form a chain-like structure of the DNA itself. Therefore, a DNA cannot be normal without water. We are stressing now that one must drink more water because if a human organism is dehydrated too often, and if you do not maintain the correlation of bound water and free water (which washes the cells), the body will dry up. Body desiccation means stiffness, and stiffness will cause all kinds of ailments. This means provoking various diseases in the brain.”
Is there anything special in the way children bear the heat?
“Children just have more water. The older the person grows, the less water is left in their body. When a child is born, he or she receives a certain amount of bound and free water from their mother. It is a constant. It is very important for an individual to maintain this correlation in all their lifetime. Children should drink high-quality water every day. I must say it is not a good idea to drink sweet beverages in this kind of heat, for it is not water. This especially applies to carbonated, canned, and, naturally, alcoholic drinks. The water you drink should be as much natural as possible, free of preservatives, and rich in natural minerals. The filtered water is also ‘dead.’ But if you keep silicon on the bottom of a filtered-water jug, it is a different thing – it is a home water spring of sorts.”
