A new perspective on the role of bones. We have historically viewed our skeleton as primarily a mechanical structure whose main role is to serve as a scaffold for the rest of the body. In the past few years this mindset has changed radically. We now know that bones, through producing their own hormones, communicate with other organs by participating in a network of signals. Recent studies have shown that osteocalcin, a hormone produced by bones, controls several physiological processes in an endocrine manner, such as glucose homeostasis and exercise capacity, brain development, cognition, and male fertility (1). Geneticist Gérard Karsenty, whose breakthrough research brought us this new paradigm, hypothesizes that animals evolved bony skeletons to escape danger and that evolution invented osteocalcin as a survival hormone. His most recent study builds on the newfound dynamic role of the skeleton by showing that bone, not adrenaline, drives the fight or flight response in humans and mice (2). As one can appreciate, this is an exciting and rapidly evolving field of science, with significant research and resources being committed to fully understanding all bone hormones and utilizing them to develop new drugs to potentially treat a wide array of conditions (3).
What if we could naturally and efficiently increase bone hormone production to positively impact physiology? The short answer is that we can, and Gravitational Wellness has been doing so since 1997. By progressively and safely loading the musculoskeletal frame with weights five to fifteen times your body weight, Gravitational Wellness sets in motion the increased production of bone hormones and a series of powerful physiological adaptations.
Wolff’s Law. Developed by the German anatomist and surgeon Julius Wolff (1836–1902) in the 19th century, Wolff’s Law states that bone in a healthy person will adapt to the loads under which it is placed. If loading on a particular bone increases, the bone will remodel itself over time to become stronger to resist that sort of loading. A 2012 study by Deere and Tobias provided further insight by showing that the minimum required force to trigger the formation of bone in the hip joint was 4.2x body weight (4). To put this in perspective, activities exceeding this threshold include jumping and running at speeds greater than 6.2 mph. Brisk walking and jogging do not exceed the 4.2x threshold. At loads ranging from 5x to 15x participants’ body weight, Gravitational Wellness is most certainly a bone forming activity.
Piezoelectricity, osteoblasts and bone hormones. In 1957 Dr. Iwao Yasuda discovered the existence of piezoelectricity in bones. When bones are under mechanical pressure they generate electricity, which in turn forms electrical dipoles that attract osteoblasts (5). Osteoblasts are cells that originate from skeletal stem cells and deposit minerals, primarily calcium, on the stressed side of the bone. In addition to laying down the matrix for bone formation, osteoblasts also secrete osteocalcin and other bone hormones (1), which, as noted earlier, regulate a broad range of vital bodily processes ranging from memory to appetite, muscle health, fertility, metabolism and many others.
The bottom line. Over the past decade the expansion of our scientific understanding of how the human body works has allowed us to better explain how Gravitational Wellness has delivered incredible results and life-changing outcomes for the past five decades. By loading your bones and generating electricity that triggers bone formation and boosts bone hormone levels in the blood, Gravitational Wellness dramatically strengthens the musculoskeletal frame, regulates the immune system, increases metabolic flexibility, and improves mental health.
References
Moser SC and van der Eerden BCJ. 2019. Osteocalcin—A Versatile Bone-Derived Hormone. Frontiers in Endocrinology. 9:794. https://doi.org/10.3389/fendo.2018.00794
Berger JM, Singh P, Karsenty G et al. 2019. Mediation of the Acute Stress Response by the Skeleton. Cell. 30 (5): 890-902.e8 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmet.2019.08.012
Han Y, You X, Xing W et al. 2018. Paracrine and endocrine actions of bone—the functions of secretory proteins from osteoblasts, osteocytes, and osteoclasts. Bone Research. 6:16. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41413-018-0019-6
Deere K, Sayers A, Rittweger J, Tobias JH. 2012. Habitual levels of high, but not moderate or low, impact activity are positively related to hip BMD and geometry: Results from a population‐based study of adolescents. JBMR. 27 (9): 1887-1895. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbmr.1631
Kao FC, Chiu PY, Tsai TT, and Lin ZH. 2019. The application of nanogenerators and piezoelectricity in osteogenesis. Science and Technology of Advanced Materials. 20 (1): 1103-1117. https://doi.org/10.1080/14686996.2019.1693880