by Fiona Nicholson, Science Writer
There is a persistent belief among public service workers such as healthcare staff, police and others, that the period of the full moon, which covers three days, will be especially busy due to lunar influences. On these days, it is generally expected that more hospital admissions, more crime, more suicides and more psychiatric illness will be seen. Explanations are sometimes given that the moon exerts a greater gravitational pull and electromagnetic force on our bodies at this time, causing unbalanced movements of body fluids and electrolytes, which are thought to affect our physiology, and our behaviour. However, the physiological mechanisms within the body which maintain balance, (or homeostasis), of body fluids, electrolytes, blood circulation, temperature and indeed all body processes, are highly effective in regulating the interior environment of our bodies within a narrow, normal range in spite of huge variations in the external environment. Can lunar influences really overcome our natural homeostatic balances?