Redefining What It Means to be Healthy and Balanced: Allostasis Explained by Friederike Fabritius and Peter Sterling

Understanding Allostasis and Social Impact on Health with Prof. Peter Sterling In today's episode Friederike interviews Professor Peter Sterling, author of 'What Is Health,' to discuss his groundbreaking concept of allostasis. Peter's extensive experience in neuroscience and with socioeconomically challenged communities gave him insight on the ways that chronic social tension and stress play a significant role in conditions like hypertension (high blood pressure). The pair examine how Peter came to discover and name allostasis, the limitations of the traditional medical model of homeostasis, and the predictive and adaptive nature of our bodies in response to emotional and social cues. Peter shares practical ways to incorporate the principles of allostasis into daily life to improve health and well-being, stressing the importance of social connections and adaptive regulation and why adapting to stress is not necessarily a good thing. 00:00 Introduction 00:54 Discovering Allostasis 02:04 Hypertension and Social Tension 05:38 Challenging Homeostasis: A New Perspective 12:27 Applying Allostasis for a Better Life 14:36 Conclusion and Final Thoughts Follow Friederike on LinkedIn to stay connected and up to date on her neurohacks. And if you're looking for more brain-friendly insights be sure to subscribe to The Brain-Friendly Newsletter.   Peter Sterling is an American anatomist, physiologist and neuroscientist, and Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. He is the author of What Is Health? Allostasis and the Evolution of Human Design (2020), and with Simon Laughlin, is an author of Principles of Neural Design.