Originally published August 7 2009
There is No Magic Pill for Jet Lag
by Christopher Babayode
(NaturalNews) The variously misattributed quote "If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail" springs to mind with the constant slew of articles and news snippets relating to the latest cure for jet lag. Recent articles in the news range from the serendipitous discovery of Viagra as the perfect foil for jet lag, to the use of mathematical models to help you avoid it and the launch of yet another product formulated to beat jet lag. It would seem the determination to find a magic pill solution without fully examining the facts or arguments surrounding the problem are not set to end any time soon. While well intentioned these attempts to solve the challenge of jet lag by these means lack a basis in reality.
What reality is that you might ask? It is the reality that the symptoms and experience of jet lag can vary widely according to whom you speak to. There is no denying that the jet lagged share various symptoms in common; however, if you take this as the sole measure of jet lag you miss the very possibility of a lasting solution.
Modern medicine for all its "successes" and failures continues to scrutinize through a narrow lens. A lens so narrow in its perception it habitually dissects, analyses and divides illness and dis-ease into minute pieces while forgetting the whole picture or process. This same hammer is what you find being used as the exclusive tool of choice in many areas of health where it should in fact take a less prominent role. The continued use of this tool as such perpetuates the need for solution after solution for the same problem with no end in sight.
The magic pill approach to any solution is always a symptomatic approach to the problem. In the instance of jet lag it`s a case of not understanding or narrowly defining jet lag as a sum of its symptoms. This is a fanciful simplified way of looking at the problem. Solutions will only ever be found by looking at the ways individuals interact and function within the environment. In other words the solution must be a holistic one.
The alternative is a perspective on jet lag which puts the jet lagged person first before his/her symptom picture (shared or not). It`s that same case of "not what dis-ease but who has the dis-ease". It`s not about jet lag but who is it that`s jet lagged - this is the most important factor. Once this is understood, you can look at the environments affecting the individual to provide a solution. Environments in this context refer to physical and external as well as internal states of mind which influence the person to feel stressed or relaxed.
These environments are two sides of the same coin. They are internal and external states that prompt a biological response which is an all important factor in dealing with the challenge of jet lag. For example when talking about external environments it`s important to totally understand the flying environment: the aircraft cabin at altitude and how it affects you. The cabin pressurization, the scarcity of oxygen and the lack of moisture in the cabin are some factors that provide a uniquely challenging environment - as do the prevalence of positive ions, a confined germ and bacteria supporting atmosphere and pollution through radiation and noise. All of these routinely test the limits of our physiology and contribute to the states of fatigue and jet lag experienced.
If you factor these in on their own you`ll see that magic pill approaches will always fall short because individual responses to these can be quite different based on a number of varying factors. As a hint the list above is by no means an exhaustive one !
The folly of the magic pill approach is plain to see. Not only is it a mistake, it goes further and adds to the problem in the long term by not acknowledging all the facts which contribute to jet lag before trying to fashion a solution. It`s the reactive kind of approach we are unfortunately all too familiar with in the practice of orthodox medicine.
In contrast, if you agree that health and vitality are natural states then the balance they provide becomes a guideline for what our minute by minute experience should be. Taking this as the norm, environmental cues which foster health in an ideal environment can be observed to be present or not when flying. When they aren`t present in the flying environment steps can be taken to rectify them as necessary. It is from this premise that real lasting solutions to the problems of jet lag can be found. You must acknowledge that the flying environment is an artificial one, and individuals react differently to it. This is the basis of an individual solution and it is for this very reason why magic pill solutions won`t work. It`s been said that you are your biochemistry; this is so true and is the basis of a right solution.
How do you affect a solution based on the above information? The smart money is on sustainable results; some of the solutions out there will give temporary if not sporadic relief. Sustainable results by their nature must be consistent and harmonious. The only way to achieve this is to fashion them along the lines of what is natural and familiar to the human condition as a whole. Natural health solutions intrinsically touch all the bases simultaneously and nurture that wellspring of vitality within us. They offer the possibility of relief from jet lag and the ability to thrive in the most challenging of circumstances. The repercussions of this are worth their weight in gold; however, you want to fashion the currency.
Effective natural health solutions while created for individuals do have common themes to them. This is as far as you can go to creating a one size fits all solution. Beyond that biochemical individuality plays its part in a stimulus response world. Dr Roger Williams`s term Biochemical Individuality as a means to understanding our health has to be part of the way we look at solving the challenge jet lag presents. The quirks of an individual`s response to jet lag are what he or she has to learn and master for him/herself or with the help of a competent teacher.
Future articles will delve into guidelines focusing on how to go about creating a tailor made solution. Other tools will also be discussed which complement a healthful sustainable solution. For the meantime understanding yourself biochemically, the environment you enter when you fly, and your responses to it are better starting points - definitely better than the old orthodox paradigm of health which has trouble proving its effectiveness in any case of promoting real health. As a Natural News health seeker or reader ignoring the magic bullet approach in favour of something more in harmony with your vision of health may be the best advice yet.
Sildenafil accelerates re entrainment of circadian rhythms after advancing light schedules.
PNAS 2007 104: 9834 -9839 (Agostino,.Plano, Golombek)
Biochemical Individuality:The Basis For The Genetotrophic Concept.
(Dr Roger J. Williams PhD)
Evaluate Your Own Biochemical Individuality. (Dr Jeffrey S. Bland PhD)
About the author
Wherever you go P.H.A.R.E. well.
www.jet-stress.com.
The Jet Stress Specialist.
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