Pull
How Gravity Shapes Your Body, Steadies the Mind, and Guides Our Health
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
Gravity doesn’t just pull apples from trees—it shapes our bodies, minds, and even our emotions. In PULL, Brennan Spiegel, M.D. reveals how this invisible force influences everything from digestion to depression—and how building gravity resilience can help us find balance, stand stronger, and live longer.
As long as life has existed on Earth—from the simplest organisms to Homo sapiens—gravity has inexorably shaped our world. Gravity dictated how we were built, the mechanisms that allow us to stand upright, to pump blood to our extremities, to support our capacious brains. But to what extent does gravity also shape our sensations, emotions, and overall well-being? And how can we take this force of nature into account for better health?
In PULL, Brennan Spiegel, M.D. presents a groundbreaking exploration of how gravity influences conditions of body and mind that have puzzled medical professionals for centuries. Starting with a simple observation at a family dinner and culminating in a new approach to gravity-based health and wellness, PULL is a captivating journey through the human body’s inner struggle to keep us upright and healthy.
Why do people with depression literally feel like they’re being dragged to the ground? Why do you get that butterfly feeling in your stomach when going down a roller coaster? Why do you get it when you are “falling” in love? What can we learn from astronauts with heartburn and swollen faces to inform our lives back on Earth? How do gut microbes help us fight gravity? And most importantly, how can we change our relationship with gravity for the better? To get there, Spiegel proposes the concept of “gravity resilience,” a fresh perspective on traditional interventions like weight loss, exercise, diet, and meditation. Rather than just lifestyle choices, these treatments share something profound and unexpected in common: they all enhance our resilience to gravity.
Rooted in hard science, buttressed by compelling storytelling, and punctuated with actionable strategies to boost your own gravity resilience, PULL is an eye-opening, life-changing book.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This persuasive if diffuse study from gastroenterologist Spiegel (VRx) analyzes how gravity influences people's health. He argues that not everyone experiences the pull of gravity in the same way. For some, it causes bodily distress, or "gravity intolerance." This can look like getting dizzy after standing up too fast, persistent low back pain, swelling around the ankles, varicose veins, or plantar fasciitis. It can also contribute to digestive and mental health issues: irritable bowel syndrome may be the result of the digestive system being unable to manage gravity's downward pull, while anxiety and panic may be linked to the inner ear's inability to calibrate balance. Spiegel also explores how the human body manages gravity, noting that the cardiovascular system pumps blood through veins "like an antigravity hydraulic system," and offers strategies for building resilience to gravity's force. For example, he explains how standing desks and balance boards can ease back pain, yoga poses can improve circulation, and a device that delivers electrical impulses to the vagus nerve can improve gut health. Packed with anecdotes on roller coasters, spaceflight, rock climbing, and more, the account feels scattershot at times. Still, those seeking solutions to a chronic or undiagnosed health issue may find the guidance they need.
