The association between chronic stress, chronic inflammation, and altered metabolism is essential. This has significant implications for health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance.
Dr. Darin Davidson partners with Learner+, a CME/CE reflective learning platform for healthcare providers. For the opportunity to reflect on this article and earn CME/CE credits, Launch here. Check out all past articles which are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits.
For downloadable, actionable strategies and tactics to leverage biology in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance, visit the resource store, Launch here. Chapters are arranged by topic so those of interest can be selected and each are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits through Learner+.
As has been discussed throughout this article series, the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete provides a framework for a complementary perspective to integrate psychological skills and somatic practices in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance. In a recent article, the consideration of the various levels of somatic practices, including at the systems level and cellular level, has been described. It has also been detailed how a requirement for sustainable high performance is a stable platform of health and wellbeing. Without this foundation, it is not possible to pursue sustainable high performance in any domain in life.
The above understanding informs how the most fundamental consideration is health and wellbeing. It is evident that in our current modern day world, there is an ever increasing prevalence of chronic disease. Most notably, this includes coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. While the prevalence of cancer is also increasing, this condition is not further considered in this article on account of its specific nature and inherent characteristics.
The contemporary understanding of the link between all of these conditions leads back to issues emerging from disordered metabolism, metabolic syndrome, chronic inflammation, and chronic stress. An understanding of these topics and, more importantly, the perspective of the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete to address the biological issues related to these aspects is necessary to fully pursue health and wellbeing.
At the outside of this discussion, it is important to further define the various terms. When one considers metabolic syndrome itself, this relates to a combination of various conditions which lead to an elevated risk of heart disease, stroke, and type two diabetes. The associated factors include high blood pressure, increased blood sugar, increased body fat around the waist, and abnormalities in cholesterol and triglyceride levels. An associated concept is that of disordered metabolism. This specifically refers to the interaction between chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and energy dysregulation. Energy dysregulation is the result of abnormal mitochondrial function.
In addition to the concepts of disordered metabolism and metabolic syndrome are the associated concepts of chronic inflammation and chronic stress. Chronic inflammation refers to a scenario in which our innate inflammatory response is elevated on a chronic and persistent basis. Typically, under usual circumstances, the inflammatory response occurs due to an acute trigger or stressor. Once that has been addressed, the inflammatory response subsides and resolves. When the inflammatory response remains elevated, however, there are several detrimental impacts on our biology. An associated issue is the experience of chronic stress. This may relate to physical, psychological, emotional stressors, or a combination thereof. It is important to understand that in the setting of chronic stress, we will experience a pro-inflammatory response and increased cortisol which leads to increased blood glucose and mitochondrial dysfunction. The interaction between chronic inflammation and chronic stress is important to acknowledge. In fact, one can strongly influence the other, such that a vicious cycle can be easily established. Chronic stress leads to chronic inflammation via chronic sympathetic activation, as it is the sympathetic nervous system which is responsible, in part, for initiating the inflammatory response. In addition, chronic inflammation can be a further trigger for chronic stress. This recognition emphasizes the ease with which a vicious cycle can be encountered within these conditions.
In reality, the issues related to disordered metabolism, metabolic syndrome, chronic inflammation, and chronic stress all interact. The result is an increased risk of all cause mortality, as well as abnormalities across physical, mental, and emotional domains. Examples include an increased risk of neurodegenerative conditions, heart disease, stroke, and type two diabetes.
The above discussion illustrates the importance of recognizing the strong influence of chronic stress and chronic inflammation on the development of disordered metabolism and metabolic syndrome. These conditions can ultimately lead to increased all cause mortality as noted above. It is important, therefore, not only to understand these relationships, but to develop strategies and tactics in order to address these conditions.
While the contemporaneous understanding of the integrated role between chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, energy dysregulation, and mitochondrial dysfunction is becoming progressively better understood, the primary domain through which to address this is less understood. Specifically, it is not yet well established which particular element is the root cause and, therefore, best to address initially. When one considers the philosophy underlying the perspective of complementary healthcare, which has been discussed in previous articles, it can be readily understood how the recognition of the preferred initial strategy is less important. When we address and consider these issues with a complementary paradigm, many of them can be addressed simultaneously through related strategies and tactics.
While this is perhaps not yet fully proven, it appears to be the case that chronic stress and chronic inflammation are at the preliminary stages in the ultimate development of disordered metabolism and metabolic syndrome. This can be understood through the recognition that through chronic stress there becomes development of chronic inflammation, which leads to increased blood glucose through chronic release of cortisol. In response to chronic elevations in blood glucose, insulin resistance emerges. In addition, chronic elevation of cortisol and chronic inflammation can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction which inevitably results in energy dysregulation.
Utilizing the above framework, we can develop an understanding through which we can implement the psychological skills and somatic practices in a complementary fashion within the framework provided by the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete. By utilizing these strategies and tactics, we are able to address chronic stress and chronic inflammation. In fact, the issue of chronic inflammation is addressed both directly and indirectly. By reducing chronic stress through shifting to the appropriate stress-recovery quadrants, as discussed in past articles, we can experience a decrease in chronic inflammation. In addition by increasing vagal tone through shifting towards anchored and grounded states there is a direct impact on decreasing inflammation, decreasing cortisol, and improving mitochondrial function.
The above explanation provides an excellent example of the benefits of a complementary healthcare approach as discussed in the past article. When we integrate psychological skills with somatic practices, at both the systems and cellular levels, we are able to obtain an overall effect greater than the sum of the parts. This approach can be seen within the scenario described above to have the potential to result in significant benefits in reducing chronic stress and chronic inflammation. There are also direct benefits in improving mitochondrial function and energy regulation. By decreasing chronic stress and chronic inflammation, the likelihood of development of insulin resistance is decreased. This illustrates how the complementary healthcare approach can address the issues of chronic inflammation, chronic stress, disordered metabolism, and metabolic syndrome in a synergistic fashion.
It emerges from the above understanding that the complementary healthcare approach can lead to significant benefits in reducing all cause mortality, risk of heart disease and stroke, incidence of type two diabetes, neurodegenerative conditions, and improve physical, mental, and emotional function. This is primarily through a multi layered complementary approach to addressing many of the aspects underlying these various chronic disease states.
If we are considering the primary objectives of improving health and wellbeing, the above discussion informs how the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete are beneficial. For those interested in the additional layer of sustainable high performance, these practices are equally important. As noted above, without the underlying stable foundation of health and wellbeing, it is not possible to pursue sustainable high performance. As such this paradigm is an essential component. Furthermore, as discussed in past articles, the psychological skills and somatic practices within the framework of the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete are readily adapted to pursue sustainable high performance across all domains. The emerging skills, strategies, and tactics can be readily implemented to manage fear based hindrances, improve the ability to shift biological states towards ideal performance states, and further optimize recovery and restoration. These three additional layers are essential components in the pursuit of sustainable high performance.
The above discussion informs the importance of the complementary healthcare approach provided by the Practices of the Healthcare Athlete. Through this paradigm, we are able to address and reduce the risks of chronic health conditions and chronic disease by reducing chronic stress and chronic inflammation, as well as reducing insulin resistance and improving mitochondrial function and energy regulation. This ultimately leads to a reduction in all cause mortality, as well as the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and neurodegenerative conditions.
To learn more, including about biologically complementary coaching for healthcare professionals and others in high demand domains, please visit www.darindavidson.com.
Dr. Darin Davidson partners with Learner+, a CME/CE reflective learning platform for healthcare providers. For the opportunity to reflect on this article and earn CME/CE credits, Launch here. Check out all past articles which are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits.
For downloadable, actionable strategies and tactics to leverage biology in the pursuit of health, wellbeing, and sustainable high performance, visit the resource store, Launch here. Chapters are arranged by topic so those of interest can be selected and each are also eligible for reflections and CME/CE credits through Learner+.