Childhood exploration

If you like to listen - hit play. If you prefer to read, click the transcript button top right on the web version.In this episode, Greg Dickens and I discuss recent news on how hanging and swinging from the arms affects the length and strength of our upper body muscles. We discuss how SSRI antidepressants alter gut function, and how new drug targets may better help new mothers. We then talk about the links between sugar and metabolic syndrome, and how the scientific understanding is evolving. We then discuss children’s independent mobility and exploration - what it is, why it’s important, and why it’s hard to provide in our culture. We then talk about how we navigate this, and how we reassure other adults in our community. Finally, we talk about what movements are important for setting up abdominal muscles that are the right length and strength.* For more information on childhood exploration and independent mobility, see this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/children-love-to-get-lost-what-happens* For more information on how sucking in your belly affects your health, see this article: https://guenbradbury.substack.com/p/should-kids-suck-their-bellies-inMy veterinary degree taught me about mammalian body systems.My career in health research taught me about Western health and Western bodies.Spending 18 months living with my three children in remote African and South American communities taught me about human health and human bodies in other cultural environments.I share what I’ve learned about child physical health and development in weekly articles and podcast episodes.Everything is free, but if you find my work useful and would like to show your support, you can now upgrade – completely optional, always appreciated.Topics covered* How does hanging and swinging from the arms (or ‘brachiating’) affects the length and strength of our upper body muscles? * How do SSRI antidepressants affect gut function in babies, and how can we reduce the risk of depression in mothers?* What do we know about sugar and metabolic syndrome?* Why do children need to explore, and why is this hard to enable in our culture?* How do we reassure other adults in our community?* What movements are important for setting up abdominal muscles that are the right length and strength?Recent episodesNotes“This theoretical paper proposes that brachiation-based movements—particularly unilateral hanging with oscillatory perturbation—may offer a biomechanically optimal approach for addressing Upper Crossed Syndrome and related postural dysfunctions by restoring muscle activation patterns consistent with our evolutionary heritage.” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1360859226000148“These findings provide fundamental insights into how the gastrointestinal tract modulates emotional behaviors, reveal a novel gut-targeted therapeutic approach for mood modulation, and suggest a new link in humans between in utero SSRI exposure and DGBI development.” https://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085(24)05751-2/fulltextGuardian article on Barnardo’s and baby boxes to reduce stress on families: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/apr/09/four-in-10-uk-parents-struggle-to-afford-newborn-babies-essentials-study-barnardos“Under modern conditions of overnutrition, chronic excess fructose drives features of metabolic syndrome. Emerging evidence further links fructose to cancer and dementia.” https://www.nature.com/articles/s42255-026-01506-y Get full access to Growing up WEIRD at guenbradbury.substack.com/subscribe