A sine wave or sinusoid is a mathematical curve that describes a smooth periodic oscillation. It is the fundamental waveform from which other waveforms may-be generated. It is now an accepted fact in medicine that every single organ and organelle in the body is constantly vibrating.
In a paper which was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in 2009, a team of scientists from Massachusetts Institute of Technology showed that the membrane of red blood corpuscles is in a state of constant vibratory motion. The same has been seen in cell membranes where lipids and proteins flip flop back and forth across the cell membrane.
Moving to the organ level, it is known that the heart contracts and relaxes approximately 72 times in one minute. The lungs and intestine similarly contract and relax at well-defined intervals. It is likely that the entire body functions in simple harmonic motion; in other words, the body functions as a sine wave.
Scholars would say that it is not only the human body which is governed by sine wave dynamics. It is possible that everything in the planet is governed by the sine wave; from the rise and fall of civilisations, the movement of the tides and the migration of wildebeest in the savannah. It is also known that the earth pulsates constantly — a phenomenon called the Schumann Resonance.
Although Winfried Otto Schumann, a German physicist, is credited with this discovery, it is likely that the genius Nikola Tesla realised this phenomenon much earlier, around the year 1899.
Schumann Resonances are a series of low-frequency resonances which are caused by lightning discharges in the atmosphere. These resonances envelop the entire earth; perhaps one could call these waves the heartbeat of the earth. These frequencies vary between 3 to 60 Hz. However, the ‘fundamental frequency’ or the natural pulsation of the planet occurs at a frequency of 7.83 Hz.
Is there an association between the vibratory frequencies of the human body and the rhythm of the planet? Let us take the simple example of the brain. The brainwave speed varies from a very low frequency (infra-low of <0.5 Hz) to a very high frequency (gamma waves between 38 to 42 Hz). Of all these waves, the theta waves exist between 3 to 7 Hz and the alpha waves exist between 8 to 13 Hz.
The theta waves occur most often during sleep and deep meditation. When theta waves predominate in the brain, the senses are withdrawn from the external world and focussed on signals which are originating from within the body. Very similarly, alpha waves are seen when a person is in a relaxed and calm state of mind.
Is it not strange that the vibratory frequency of the brain in a state of calm coincides exactly with the background pulsation of the earth? Several scholars have hypothesised that a human being who is in a state of peace is in that situation because his brain waves are in consonance with the vibratory frequency of the earth and these two are intertwined inexorably with each other.
Perhaps, the Indian sages were aware of this phenomenon many centuries ago. The sound ‘Om’ is revered in Hinduism and this incantation is associated with the cosmic sound.
Challenges to theory
Sceptics have argued vociferously against the importance of the Schumann Resonance in our everyday life. They contend that the earth is bombarded constantly by all kinds of waves.
The frequency of these waves varies from micrometres to several kilometres. Their reasoning is that a single wavelength of 7.83 Hz would most certainly be lost in this sea of activity and that the Schumann Resonance cannot possibly be responsible for human well-being.
In recent times, there has been a significant deterioration in the state of mental and emotional calm in the human race as a whole. Has there been a corresponding change in
the Schumann Resonance? It is known that there are temporary variations in the frequency.
However, a permanent variation in the Schumann’s frequency is an entirely different matter. It is believed that the alpha and theta waves emanating from the brains of a vast human population are responsible for a change in the Schumann Resonance and this change then affects our state of tranquillity. Other groups of researchers have just as vociferously argued against this theory.
The final truth perhaps lies between these two extremes.
Proponents of traditional Chinese medicine have used this property of the human body to their advantage. They evaluate the radial pulse on the forearm using 28 pulse positions and 80 pulse qualities to arrive at a diagnosis.
The same concept is seen in traditional ancient Indian medicine. Here, three radial pulses are evaluated and it is believed that the network of nerves and sensory organs communicate their dysfunction through the radial pulse.
Of all the phenomena which are governed by the sine wave, the Schumann Resonance would perhaps be the one which would be most relevant to the functioning of the human body.
(The writer is Senior Consultant, Surgical Pathology and Molecular Diagnostics, Neuberg Anand Reference Laboratory, Bengaluru)