I started playing Silent Hill F this past weekend, and it pulled me in fast. I’ve always liked video games, but this one stuck with me in a way I didn’t expect. The story doesn’t rely on jumpscares, it creeps in, slowly taking hold the way a real infection would. I got caught up in the Silent Hill lore between play sessions, and what really grabbed me was how the horror mirrors actual human physiology. The game’s infection isn’t just a plot device; it behaves like something the body might truly face, which makes it feel horrifying believable.
The game is set in 1960s rural Japan, where a strange fungal infection spreads like a quiet storm. At first it almost seems beautiful: flowers blooming from walls, corpses, and even the living. But that beauty is a trap. The fungus doesn’t strike fast, it spreads underneath, breaking through barriers layer by layer, like roots splitting stone. The characters’ bodies become both the battleground and the soil. Physiologically, this has real parallels. When an invasive fungus enters the body, the immune system reacts immediately: blood vessels dilate, tissues swell, and white blood cells rush in to contain the invasion. This inflammation, meant to protect, can also create pathways for the infection to spread if the response is overwhelmed.
Fungi release enzymes that break down connective tissue, carving out spaces that let them follow nutrient and oxygen gradients deeper into muscles and vessels. Once they reach the vasculature, they can damage blood flow, trigger clotting, and cause areas of tissue to become starved of oxygen. It’s like watching a city’s infrastructure collapse from the inside, arteries become blocked, tissues die, and the body’s defenses turn into scaffolding for the invader. Infections like mucormycosis can invade blood vessels so aggressively that they cut off circulation entirely, leaving behind hollow, dead tissue. Silent Hill F uses flowers blooming through skin as its metaphor, but beneath that image is the same physiological story: an invader expanding, the host’s body unraveling, and beauty masking something lethal.
References (APA)
Brown, G. D., Denning, D. W., & Levitz, S. M. (2012). Tackling human fungal infections. Science, 336(6082), 647–647. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1222236
Gow, N. A. R., & Hube, B. (2012). Importance of the Candida albicans cell wall during commensalism and infection. Current Opinion in Microbiology, 15(4), 406–412. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mib.2012.04.005
Spellberg, B., Edwards, J., & Ibrahim, A. (2005). Novel perspectives on mucormycosis: pathophysiology, presentation, and management. Clinical Microbiology Reviews, 18(3), 556–569. https://doi.org/10.1128/CMR.18.3.556-569.2005
Athletes and fans of sports would probably put LeBron James and Tom Brady in their Greatest of All Time conversations in their respectable sports. While those conversations may spark debates in lunch and family tables all over the world, I have often wondered what has allowed these two giants of their sport be able to play as long as they have. It is beyond impressive for LeBron to have played 22 NBA seasons and Brady to have played 23 NFL seasons. That is just remarkable. We have to ask ourselves, are some people just blessed from a genetic standpoint to get to this level of longevity, or are there measures these two athletes are doing that set them above everyone else.
The first thing that I wanted to investigate was the diet for each athlete. There has to be something they are putting into their bodies that are doing physiological wonders for their durability. Tom Brady's diet is known as the TB12 method. He has a plant based and anti-inflammatory diet that is catered around eating whole foods, as well as eliminating the abundance of processed foods within them. In this rule, 80 percent of the meals will come from grains, vegetables, and fruits while the other 20 percent will be lean proteins such as fish chicken and beef. Brady also drinks about 25 cups of water to be able to sustain this diet, as well. It is safe to say that this all boosts his energy levels, as well as inflammation, and of course his athletic performance. LeBron also follows a strict diet and regime to keep his performance at an all time high. He eats a healthy amount of carbs for game day, moderate amounts of protein, and limits the fat consumption for satiety and hormone regulation. In the off-season, LeBron limits his carbs to focus on building muscle with protein. And during the playoffs, he restricts himself from sweets to lock in for the post season. He also will drink a substantial amount of water and healthy shakes to keep himself hydrated during this time. So, it is safe to say a balanced diet is essential for keeping their longevity.
To help aid their diets, a dive into the supplements each athletes takes is key into understanding how their physiology is supported so well. LeBron has a company called Ladder. After the 2014 Finals where he was cramping, he wanted to find high performance supplements. These daily supplements include nutrional shakes, whey protein, greens, hydration products, and pre-workout formulas. LeBron emphasizes taking the natural approach as he does have vitamins every day. He also states that he does not take creatine. In the TB12 method, Tom Brady has openly disclosed that he takes electrolytes, protein powder, ashwagandha, recovery enhancers, omgea-3 fatty acids, and mutivitamins. The blend of all these supplements are designed to help peak their athletic performance.
Along with a strict diet plan, these two Kings of Longevity will have to maintain sleep as well. LeBron will shoot to have eight to nine hours of sleep, and that is also including naps on some days. This is vital for his recovery and performance. He even ensures that his sleeping in an environment that is most optimal for his sleep hygiene. He sleeps in dark room that has to be between 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. As a sponsor for the Calm app, he also utilizes the app for deep sleep as he enjoys having sounds of rain help enhance his sleep. We can definitely credit sleep as a reason his career has been going for as long as it has. Tom Brady, also shoots for the same amount of sleep per night. He prefers to wake up very early in the morning, and he will avoid electronics up to an hour before it is time to sleep. Through Under Armour, he has sleepwear that includes bioceramic technologies to reflect infrared energy back to the body. It is vital in reducing inflammation and promoting cell regeneration. This amount of sleep is necessary for the enhancement in the sport and helps their overall health.
Advanced recovery methods are used by both athletes to keep their athletic performance to a peak. LeBron has been known to use technologies such hyperbaric chambers, red light therapy, and cryotherapy to help him recovery quicker. These technologies are why is it rumored that he spends up to a million dollars and counting on his body every year. This does not exclude the daily massages he will get on his body as well to maintain energy. His portable hyperbaric chamber helps him promote healing and reduce inflammation. More oxygen is able to be delivered to his tissues and cells. These systems also encourage stem cells and that helps recover damaged tissue. The oxygen being delivered will enhance his body's circulation, too. This helps prevent injury, increase endurance, stabilize stamina, and encourage longevity. Tom Brady, on the other hand, has a body coach that he uses for manual therapy. He focuses on Pliability. Brady will use a combination of foam rollers and resistance bands in his recovery sessions. He has a "pre-hab" mindset when it comes to working out and performing at the best of his game. He participates in floatation therapy, where he has sensory deprivation tanks to aid his mental and physical components of the body. He also will utilize a hyperbaric oxygen chamber to help his body recover tremendously.
Through some of this extensive research, I believe there is a lot to be learned from Tom Brady and LeBron James when it comes to keeping our bodies in peak condition as we age. It starts with our diet. There is far too much processing in the typical American diet. Alterations have to made in order for the physiology of our bodies to operate in the way it was intended to. We have to also aid our diet by taking natural supplements too. This must be a way of life, the consistency is what matters the most. Along with a healthy and balanced diet, sleep is imperative too. And sleep is not just your typical six to seven hours, it has to extend to eight or nine on the daily. Removing distractions and eliminating electronics before bed will help our sleep hygiene. Sleep is far too important as we should be exercising almost everyday in some fashion. To add on to that, we have to look into advanced recovery methods to supplement our recovery. While most of us cannot afford a hyperbaric oxygen therapy machine, we can take it upon ourselves to stretch and do forms of active recovery. All in all, I think it is safe to say that these two are not only the best of all time in their games, they are the best of all time in the physiology of longevity.
Bailey, Z. D., Krieger, N., Agénor, M., Graves, J., Linos, N., & Bassett, M. T. (2017). Structural racism and health inequities in the USA: Evidence and interventions. The Lancet, 389(10077), 1453–1463. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)30569-X
Ferriss, T. (Host). (2019, March 21). LeBron James and Mike Mancias on training, recovery, and sleep [Audio podcast episode]. In The Tim Ferriss Show.https://tim.blog/podcast
Fortune Editors. (2023, April 25). Inside LeBron James’ biohacking regimen.Fortune.https://fortune.com
In the midst ofstudying for anatomy quizzes and this first round of exams, I found myself wondering why one of the responses to fear is a quick opening of our floodgates. Maybe this is a question that doesn't need to be answered, but personally, I was curious. We know that our sympathetic nervous system is responsible for the “fight or flight” response. Solet's break it down. You find yourself being chased by Ghostface (I'm a fan of the scream movies), your survival instincts are activated whichquickly hands overcontrol to the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis (Dhabhar, 2018). Your brain hits the panic button, adrenaline floods your system, heart rate and blood pressure shoot up, and blood is diverted to your skeletal muscles. You’re now ready to sprint hoping you have the same luck as THE scream queen Sidney Prescott.
But what about your bladder? Stress doesn’t just rev up your heart, but it can alsoinfluence the neural “pee circuits” that coordinate bladder control. Research in animals shows that different types of stress have different effects. “Water-avoidance stress,” which mimics being placed in an uncomfortable situation, tends to cause urgency and frequency, making bathroom breaks more likely (Shimizu et al., 2021). Think of exam day nerves or stage fright. On the other hand, “social defeat stress,” would include experiences like embarrassment or bullying, pushing the bladder in the opposite direction, leading to retention instead of release (Shimizu et al., 2021). Beyond those examples, animal models also show early-life stress, chronic unpredictable stress, or repeated restraint stresscan each alter urinary function in different ways (Gao & Rodríguez, 2022). In humans, long-term psychological stress has been linked to symptoms of urgency, frequency, incontinence, and even bladder pain, suggesting that stress can actually reshape how the urinary system works over time (Chess-Williams et al., 2021).
Neuroscientists break this down into pro-micturition and anti-micturition pathways. Pro-micturition signals increase excitatory neurotransmitters we know and love like glutamate or reduce inhibitory GABA signals, encouraging urination. While anti-micturition signals strengthen the GABA “brakes,” holding urine in (Shimizu et al., 2021).
In a Ghostface moment, your body releases a combo of fast-acting neurotransmitters plus the slower-burning hormone cortisol.This mix boosts survival performanceand fires up nearly every system, sometimes indirectly inducing the bladder reflex (Dhabhar, 2018).Meaning your muscles are ready to run, but your bladder might insiston making an appearance first.Other times, stress can suppress urination altogether (Shimizu et al., 2021). All this to say, whether you pee or not under pressure depends on the type of stress you're experiencing.
So if you ever find yourself running from a man in a cheap Halloween mask, your bladder might betray you or lock down entirely. Either way, in that situation, needing a change of clothes is probably the least of your worries...
Chess-Williams, R., McDermott, C., Sellers, D. J., West, E. G., & Mills, K. A. (2021). Chronic psychological stress and lower urinary tract symptoms. Lower urinary tract symptoms, 13(4), 414–424. https://doi.org/10.1111/luts.12395
Dhabhar F. S. (2018). The short-term stress response - Mother nature's mechanism for enhancing protection and performance under conditions of threat, challenge, and opportunity. Frontiers in neuroendocrinology, 49, 175–192. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yfrne.2018.03.004
Gao, Y., & Rodríguez, L. V. (2022). The Effect of Chronic Psychological Stress on Lower Urinary Tract Function: An Animal Model Perspective. Frontiers in physiology, 13, 818993. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.818993
Shimizu, T., Shimizu, S., Higashi, Y., & Saito, M. (2021). Psychological/mental stress-induced effects on urinary function: Possible brain molecules related to psychological/mental stress-induced effects on urinary function. International journal of urology : official journal of the Japanese Urological Association, 28(11), 1093–1104. https://doi.org/10.1111/iju.14663
Oxytocin is a result of neurons sending electrical signals to the hypothalamus that then sends the action potential to the posterior petuity, which then releases oxytocin. This release of oxytocin is known to be present during stress, social bonding, and childbirth or breastfeeding. We have also come to know that oxytocin helps with nociception and pain (Valery, G. & Alexandre, C., 2017). However, we do not know how various amounts of oxytocin that are released or specific physiological changes such as Irish descent and red hair alter the pain threshold or pain tolerance in such individuals. While there is not a lot of literature or research dedicated towards these questions, we can look to a study conducted by Kathleen C. Robinson, et al. In this study, they looked at the question of red hair in relation to a higher pain tolerance.
We know that red hair is caused by a loss of function variant alleles at the melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) (Valverde, P., et al., 1955). The study conducted by Robinson, et al. specifically looked at mice with MC1R (red-haired mice) and compared them to C57BL/6J mice (black-haired). Using only male mice at least eight weeks of age (p56), they observed the mechanical nocieception and the thermal nocieception between these groups. Their data suggests that there is an elevated nociecptive threshold in the red-haired mice (MC1R). This elevated threshold suggests that there is a relationship between red hair and pain thresholds.
It would be interesting to take this study further and see if the same results are found in humans with red hair or, more broadly, of Irish descent. Additionally, to see if there is an altered MC1R or MC4R signaling across males and females, red hair/Irish descent and non, and other physiological differences between populations. We know that oxytocin levels impact our nociceptive and pain thresholds, but we still do not have very much information on how physiological changes alter these thresholds as well as the amount of oxytocin produced by each individual.
References:
Grinevich, V. & Charlet, A. (2017). Oxytocin: pain relief in skin. PAIN, 158 (11), 2061-2063. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001006.
Kathleen C. Robinson et al.,Reduced MC4R signaling alters nociceptive thresholds associated with red hair.Sci. Adv.7,eabd1310(2021).DOI:10.1126/sciadv.abd1310
Valverde, P., Healy, E., Jackson, I., Rees, J. L., & Thody, A. J. (1995). Variants of the melanocyte-stimulating hormone receptor gene are associated with red hair and fair skin in humans. Nature genetics, 11(3), 328–330. https://doi.org/10.1038/ng1195-328
