Showing all posts tagged #hormesis:
Posted on March 17th, 2015
There is a remarkable psychological theory that explains the paradox of why so often our pleasures turn into problematic addictions and, conversely, why our stressful experiences frequently lead to sustained good feelings and even happiness. This under-appreciated theory was developed in the 1970s by behavioral psychologist Richard Solomon of the University of Pennsylvania. He published his theory and findings in 1980 in the journal ...
Posted on March 17th, 2015
How much weight lifting or other exercise is optimal for fitness? What is the right amount of carbohydrate restriction or fasting for sustained weight loss and health? What level of exposure to allergens will reduce allergies? How many hours of sun tanning is healthy? How frequently should plus lenses be worn to reduce myopia? Do I need to take cold showers every day to get their benefit? How much stress is enough — and how much is...
Posted on March 17th, 2015
When does stress help you and when does it hurt you? There is no doubt that stresses of the wrong sort can lead to anxiety, emotional turmoil — and eventually depression and diseases like atherosclerosis and cancer. Yet a central theme of this blog is that certain stresses are "hormetic": at the right dose and frequency, stress can actually make you stronger and more resilient. The many posts on this blog illustrate how stress can ...
Posted on March 17th, 2015
There are many different reasons that people exercise: weight loss, cardiovascular health, strength improvement, stress reduction, recreation, and more. If you are looking for recreation and stress reduction, mildly aerobic exercise such as walking, jogging or swimming can be beneficial. If you want to lose weight, the evidence is fairly clear that dietary changes have a much more significant impact than most forms of exercise. If y...
Posted on March 17th, 2015
You may have had success losing weight on a low calorie, low carb, low glycemic or low fat diet. While I have found low carb to work best, both from research and personal experience, I think any of these approaches can be effective, and some diets work better than others in individual cases. But in many cases a restrictive diet is not enough and you find yourself regaining the weight. One of the main reasons for this is that you’re ...
Posted on March 17th, 2015
Do adaptations to stress exposure show up as changes in blood chemistry or heart function? The answer appears to be "yes". In his Newsweek article "Lessons in Survival", Ben Sherwood reported on a very interesting study of elite Army Airborne and Special Forces soldiers that probed the differences between those who could and could not endure an extremely stressful 19-day mock-prisoner-of-war camp. The Resistance Training Laborator...
Posted on March 17th, 2015
Hormetism is more than a scientific perspective; it also embodies a practical self-help philosophy for overcoming stress. The central idea of Hormetism is that organisms are inherently plastic and adaptable, and that the controlled application of stress can be used to induce adaptive changes that will increase stress tolerance. This applies not only to the physical organism, but to psychology. Just as we can adapt to better handle p...
Posted on March 17th, 2015
adaptation: a long-term change in the structure or regulation of an organism in response to the stimulus of an external stress, which enables it to better tolerate future occurrences of that stress.
cold water therapy: showering, bathing, or swimming in cold water in order to induce thermogenesis or other stress response.
constraint: an external device or internal discipline used to ensure adherence to proper form in a training exerc...
Posted on March 17th, 2015
Stoicism / Getting Stronger
Stoicism
Hormetism is a practical set of tools that can help you lose weight, get fit, or even improve your eyesight. But thinking of it as just "as set of tools" actually undervalues the benefits of Hormetism, because it leaves out the greatest benefit: a path to freedom from stress and a means of increasing your physical, mental and spiritual strength. Hormetism is at once a broad perspective on li...
Posted on March 17th, 2015
Rehabilitation
Do you wear glasses or contact lenses? (If so, click ). Use a hearing aid? Use a crutch or brace to walk? Based upon recent breakthroughs from the science of neuroplasticity, there may be a way to permanently eliminate the need for these aids — without the use of surgery or other artificial means.
Crutches or Stimulators? Correction by the use of compensatory devices or "crutches" is the usual approach to treating p...
Posted on March 11th, 2015
Hormesis is the ability of organisms to become stronger when exposed to low-dose stress. Is hormesis a basic principle of biology — or is it merely a strange but unimportant quirk of nature that only applies in exceptional circumstances?
Nassim Nicholas Taleb–the options trader turned philosopher–is intrigued by hormesis, and sees it as but one example of a much broader phenomenon: a fundamental principle he calls "antifragility"....
Posted on March 11th, 2015
Hormesis is a biological phenomenon whereby a beneficial effect (improved health, stress tolerance, growth or longevity) results from exposure to low doses of an agent that is otherwise toxic or lethal when given at higher doses. The philosophy of Hormetism, advocated in this blog, is based upon harnessing this biological phenomenon in a deliberate and systematic way in order to increase strength and resilience.
The plot below illus...