Tag: Robert Sapolsky

#Bestconferenceevaahhhhh I shipped off to Boston to attend my first ever BSMPG summer symposium. And it was easily one of the best conferences I’ve ever been to. There was an excellent speaker lineup and so much of my family. Art Horne really put on a fantastic show. If you haven’t been to BSMPG before, put it on your to-course list. It is one of the few courses that has a perfect combination of learning and socializing. I hope to not miss another. Instead of my usual this person talked about that, let’s look at some of the big pearls from the weekend.   Why Sapolsky Doesn’t Get Ulcers In one quote Robert Sapolsky summed up my current foundational premise to rehabilitation and training: “The stress response returns the body to homeostasis after actual or potential threats.” ~ Robert Sapolsky   Regardless of what your malady is, it can probably be linked back to the stress response gone awry. The specifics become irrelevant because the stress response occurs nonspecifically. This response works best against acute crises. Guess how we screw it up? Chronic stressors. Human stressors are quite different from other species’ as we have the capability of inducing this stress response psychosocially. Gazelles on the Serengeti don’t have to worry about student loans.   We can see how chronic stress becomes an issue when you look at what occurs in the stress response: Glucose travels to the bloodstream to mobilize energy. Increased cardiovascular tone, heart rate, and blood pressure. Decrease long-term building projects such as