Our Remarkably Resilient and Regenerative Bodies
Push conventional boundaries to live well
My husband and I recently watched Netflix’s Society of the Snow, the latest film chronicling the harrowing 1972 plane crash high in the remote heart of the Andes mountains. I was 11 years old at the time and vividly remember the flurry of articles and profiles following the mind-boggling tale of 16 people surviving 72 days of unimaginable cold, dehydration, and starvation.
If you are unfamiliar with this story, a Uruguayan Air Force flight carrying 45 passengers—a rugby team, family, and friends—went down in the rugged Andes mountains. After an exhaustive air search, all were given up for dead. Yet unbelievably, 33 people survived the initial crash, and ultimately, 16 endured until they were rescued a little over 2 months later.
What those 16 needed to do to survive is unfathomable: eventually, they resorted to cannibalizing their dead companions for sustenance. This latest retelling of the story is from first-hand accounts and chillingly close to real life, even filming at the crash site under very harsh conditions. While both my husband and I highly recommend the film, be forewarned: it’s unnervingly realistic!
Aside from the obviously ghastly activity central to their survival, I was struck by one particular scene in which one of the men worried that his urine had turned black. The first thing that crossed my mind was, “What on earth is happening in the body to cause that, and how does one bounce back without immediate intervention or permanent damage?!”
But bounce back, they did. Of the 16 original survivors, 14 are still alive. Many went on to have very successful careers, and most had families and children. Here is what I marvel at: the remarkable resiliency and regeneration of the human body and mind. Aside from the miracle of surviving those 72 days, the fact that these men continued to thrive in the following decades is what I find most fascinating.
Going past limits
Serendipitously, on the heels of watching the movie, I listened to an astonishing episode of The Darkhorse podcast (Think Fast) in which a husband-wife team of PhD biologists, Bret Weinstein and Heather Heying, recounted their recently completed 7-day dry fast. At first, I thought I was misunderstanding what a dry fast was. I had never heard of such a thing! I was almost in disbelief listening to the hour-plus conversation.
Conventional medical wisdom espouses that the human body cannot exist past 3 days without water. I’ve encountered this rule of thumb many times in my readings, and I even think I may have heard it stated in the movie. Yet, here Bret and Heather were chronicling, in-depth, 7 days without food or water. Incredibly, they still maintained their daily work routines, although I think they laid low and didn’t overexert themselves during the period.
Their account had me absolutely captivated and a little gobsmacked. (I’m running out of superlatives for this post!) Still, as I write this, I have tried to imagine myself in their shoes for those 7 days, and I have serious doubts about whether I could do it. Dry fasting is not something to be undertaken lightly. They worked up to the 7 days by doing two 3-day dry fasts. Neither is on daily medication and they have sound metabolic health. It’s worth noting, however, that they are not trained athletes but undoubtedly have tremendous willpower.
I am fascinated by several aspects of the duo’s experience. Although it is not a widespread practice, there is evidence that autophagy at this level can clear chronic ailments, including pain. (Fasting-induced adaptive autophagy removes/recycles damaged or dysfunctional cells. This is something I will dig a little deeper into in the coming year.) Also, unlike food fasting, which causes the body to utilize energy from adipose and protein storage (fat and muscle), supposedly, water fasting derives energy solely from stored fat—think of a camel's hump (comprised of fat).
I see a strong connection between this extreme dry fasting and the Andes survivors. These two seemingly unrelated stories demonstrate the same result: the body can perform beyond conventional wisdom. My strongest takeaway is that the human body is remarkably resilient, and we have tremendous agency over our health and well-being if we lead with that mindset.
Countering conventional wisdom
It’s a mindset likely shared by the “knees over toes guy,” Ben Patrick. As a young man, Ben was an aspiring basketball player who suffered from debilitating knee and shin pain. After several agonizing surgeries, he was told that his hopes of a career were over…which jumpstarted him on a quest to find a solution. Contradicting the age-old mantra, “Don’t let the knee go beyond the toe,” he developed a revolutionary knee training program that propelled him to (literally) new heights in his basketball career.
This sparked a passion for health and human performance, which led to Ben training other athletes and advancing his groundbreaking protocol to build bulletproof knees and feet, earning him the moniker the “knees over toes guy.” Lest you think this is only for avid sportspeople, his 70-year-old mom is front and center in many of his videos to help seniors push beyond their predetermined limits to stay mobile and strong.
Nature may have what we need
On a personal note, about two months ago, I developed a painful sciatica issue in my right hip. I’m unsure where it came from; it appeared out of nowhere. Although it didn’t bother me in the morning, I could barely walk by the end of some days. What on earth! I did a bit of research and discovered one contributing factor is a tight groin area, on the side of the body opposite to the pain. Hmmm. I had to admit that I had slipped a little on my regular stretching, and this was my reward.
I forwent pain meds, and instead, I started doing deep stretches daily: sumo squats to open the hips, lunging knees over toes (thank you, Ben Patrick), full sit squats, etc. Sure enough, in about a week, the pain started to subside, and now—while it’s still with me a wee bit—it has diminished considerably.
We are capable of so much
While I’m not advocating completely ignoring accepted norms, my experience and many examples have taught me to question, test, and push the boundaries. From what I see percolating in the ecosphere, I’m not alone. I believe that we are entering a new era in health and wellness in which many preconceived and erroneous notions will fall by the wayside, clearing a path for new—perhaps more common sense—thinking and approaches.
As we move into a new year, I have great hope that with the right mindset, willpower, and curiosity, we can all live well, age great.