ANTI-GRAVITY GYROS Kids’ Corner

By Sari Custer

Gravity got you down? Explore ways to overcome it by building and testing an anti-gravity device. Earth’s gravity is what keeps us on the ground and what causes objects to fall. Inertia, or Newton’s First Law of Motion, states that objects at rest tend to stay at rest and objects in motion tend to stay in motion (unless acted on by an outside force). Centripetal forces are any forces (gravitational, electrical/atomic, or tension) that move inward, toward the fixed center of the circular motion. In this activity, the string attached to the cup creates a centripetal force and when the circular motion of the cup moves faster than the horizontal motion (inertia) of the water/objects. As a result, the water/objects stay in the cup.

Supplies

• A 9 oz. paper or plastic cup

• One (1) sharpened pencil

• One to five (1-5) pennies or marbles

• Water

• Two 2-ft. long pieces of string

How To

1. Using the pencil, punch one hole in the cup ½ inch below the rim.

2. Punch a second hole on the opposite side of the cup ½ inch below the rim.

3. Thread one piece of string through each hole and tie them off.

4. Place pennies, marbles, or water in the cup.

5. Investigate how you can prevent the materials from falling out of the cup when upside down.

Repeat steps four through five with pennies, marbles, and water.

Guiding Questions

1. What direction does gravity point?

2. What is inertia?

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3. What things resist the force of gravity by moving in the opposite direction?

4. How can you prevent gravity from making the water spill out of the cup when it is turned upside down without placing your hand over the top of the cup?

5. When you tested your anti-gravity device, what was it that prevented the penny, marble, or water from spilling out?

You can learn a bunch more about gravity and more when you visit the Arizona Science Center. Be sure to stop by the Dorrance Planetarium and Forces of Nature! Visit azscience.org for more information!

Sari Custer is a lifelong science junkie, Chief Curiosity Officer at Arizona Science Center, and mom to daughter Carson, 7. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @ SariOnScience.

EVER NOTICE THAT YOUR BRAIN ISN’T AS SHARP AS IT USED TO BE?

Active Care Wellness

CAN EXPLAIN — AND HELP

By Shay Moser

Photos by Kimberly Carrillo

In our teens and 20s, most of us feel invincible, full of life with endless energy, and rebound quickly from injuries. In our 30s and 40s, our sleep quality typically decreases, causing us to feel more tired from the grind of work and kids. We rely on coffee or caffeinated drinks to get through the day and help with brain fog. If this sounds familiar, it may be a sign of the early stages of cognitive decline that can lead to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

“When people get a diagnosis, it’s like a death sentence because the medical community can’t give you a pill to fix the problem — only to slow the progression,” says Dr. Michael Jarembek at Active Care Wellness PLLC in Scottsdale. “It’s like kicking a can down the road to get the same result.”

However, Dr. Jarembek says decline is not inevitable, and his practice helps patients detect early cognitive decline and make lifestyle changes, so they don’t go down that road.

A chiropractor who has served the Valley for more than 20 years, Dr. Jarembek began his journey in functional neurology in 2020 out of intrigue. Little did he know it would open his eyes to the realities of cognitive decline and brain-based disorders. He took a course through the American Functional Neurology Institute where “I got hooked because everything that they were talking about resonated with me,” he says.

Dr. Jarembek learned that the first sign of cognitive decline is decreased focus and concentration, which can progress to anxiety, insomnia, and depression.

“When addressing brain-based disorders, you can’t look and treat only the brain; you have to treat the whole body, especially the gut, or ‘the second brain,’” he explains. “The gut is directly connected to the brain through a superhighway nerve known as the vagus nerve. So, if your gut is healthy, your brain should be healthy, right?

Unfortunately, Dr. Jarembek says 90% of the U.S. population has leaky gut syndrome, an intestinal condition in which a weakening of the intestinal walls allows bacteria and toxins into the bloodstream. These toxins can cause autoimmune disorders in the body.

“Leaky gut is typically caused by the GMO [genetically modified organism] wheat we eat daily,” he says. “Years of eating gluten breaks down the lining in the gut from inflammation, and it will slowly damage the vagus nerve over time.”

He says damage to the vagus nerve causes gut issues, such as bloating, gas, and heartburn. That’s when we often reach for antacids and may notice our brain isn’t as sharp, and we suffer from brain fog and sleep disturbances.

Dr. Jarembek warns that research shows that leaky gut syndrome will also occur six hours after a concussion, head trauma, or car accident. “The leaky gut doesn’t fix itself and progresses, worsening over decades, and, at some point, you can start to suffer with chronic pain syndromes and cognitive disorders like early dementia, Parkinson’s, or Alzheimer’s.”

As Dr. Jarembek assessed himself through his functional neurology program, he discovered at age 45 that he had early-stage cognitive decline. Diagnosing himself early allowed him to absolve his symptoms through a 10-week gut cleanse and doing neurological brain-based exercises and rehab.

“Much of the work comes from the patient,” he says, “from what they put in their mouth to doing the brain-based exercises in the office and at home. The patient must show up.”

Dr. Jarembek put his passion for his work in functional neurology and helping people toward a book. “Enough is Enough: Take Your Health into Your Own Hands” was released in early December. In the Amazon best-selling book, he explains extensively the correlation between the brain, body, and gut.

“There are seven key areas of health that I look

RightEye Vision System. Through an eye-tracking exam, it can quantify a number from zero to 100. A score of 90 or more is a healthy brain.

“We monitor and manage patients’ progression as they do home exercises and in-office treatments over time,” he says.

Active Care Wellness also offers Pulse PEMF technology. PEMF, or pulsed electromagnetic fields, infuses the body with magnetic energy at the cellular level to enhance the body’s natural recovery and healing.

“I have about $200,000 in state-of-the-art equipment to help assess and treat the brain and body for optimal healing,” he says.

New patients who sign up for the neurology exam with nerve damage screening will get a free copy of the book. Call Dr. Jarembek today if you’d like him to speak at your next gathering or group event about detecting early cognitive decline and preventing dementia and Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases.

“Don’t let your age or symptoms fool you,” says Dr. Jarembek. “Decline is avoidable.”