Pursuing Health

Stress: The Elephant in the Room with Dr. George Slavich PH139

Dr. George Slavich is a leading expert in the conceptualization, assessment, and management of life stress and it's relationship to poor health. He is the founding Director of the Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research at UCLA whose goal is "to advance the science of stress and health to help prevent disease and improve human health and resilience worldwide."

Since beginning his career as a clinical psychologist, Dr. Slavich has been researching the relationship between stress and health for over 20 years.  His area of focus is psychoneuroimmunology, which studies the effect of the mind on health and resistance to disease. By integrating tools from psychology, neuroscience, immunology, biology, genetics, and genomics, Dr. Slavich’s research has provided new insights into the inflammatory response to social stress and helped to pioneer a new field of research called human social genomics. He has also developed the first online system for measuring lifetime stress exposure called the Stress and Adversity Inventory (STRAIN), and proposed a new theory called the Social Safety Theory, which hypothesizes that developing and maintaining friendly social bonds is a fundamental organizing principle of human behavior and that threats to social safety are a critical feature of psychological stressors that increase risk for disease.

Dr. Slavich completed undergraduate and graduate coursework in psychology and communication at Stanford University, and received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Oregon. After graduate school, he was a clinical psychology intern at McLean Hospital in Boston and a clinical fellow in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. He subsequently completed three years of NIMH-supported postdoctoral training in psychoneuroimmunology at UCSF and UCLA. He is presently an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA, a Research Scientist at the Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology, and the Founding Director of the UCLA Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research. His research has been covered by many media outlets, including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The Atlantic, Scientific American, TIME Magazine, HBO, NPR, U.S. News & World Report, and others.

In this episode, we talk about the science behind how stress impacts our body down to the level of gene expression and immune system activation, what type of stressors seem to have the biggest impact on our health, some of the things we can do to mitigate the negative impact of stress, and how measuring stress may improve our ability to address it on a large scale. We also talked about how Dr. Slavich's work provides insight into the current coronavirus pandemic including the impact of stress on chronic systemic inflammation, why we should be practicing physical distancing instead of social distancing, and how best to communicate with others during this time to preserve the protective effects of social bonds on our health.

Bio adapted from uclastresslab.org

 

 

In this episode we discuss:

• How Dr. Slavich got into the field of stress research and what motivates him
• Psychoneuroimmunology: what it is, and how it can be used to study health
• What happens in our body when we are exposed to an external stressor
• Which types of stressors most negatively impact health
• Social Safety Theory
• Social genomics
• Physical distancing vs. social distancing
• Whether connecting via technology can have the same impact as connecting in person
• The impact of stress on our biology relative to other lifestyle factors, and what we can do to influence our stress response and reduce chronic inflammation
• Tools for reducing the impact of stress on the body: mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy
• Quantifying and measuring stress
• Three things Dr. Slavich does on a regular basis that have the biggest positive impact on his health
• One thing he thinks could have a big impact on his health but he has a hard time implementing
• What a healthy life looks like to Dr. Slavich

 

 

Links:

• A Cold Fact: High Stress Can Make You Sick, Sheldon Cohen
• The Media Equation, Clifford Nass & Byron Reeves
• Social Safety Theory
• UCLA Laboratory for Stress Assessment and Research
• The Stress and Adversity Inventory (STRAIN)
• Donate to UCLA Stress Lab Research

Related episodes:

Ep 105 - Sleep, Stress and Brain Health with Dr. Nate Bergman

Ep 116 - How Healing Works with Dr. Wayne Jonas

Ep 135 - Immune System Strength with Dr. Leonard Calabrese

Ep 138 - Pursuing Health Pearls: Our 10 Favorite Ways to Combat Stress and Anxiety

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every other Tuesday.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice. We recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns.

 

This post was originally published on April 13, 2020.

Immune System Strength with Dr. Leonard Calabrese PH135

“What we’re talking about is systemic, low-grade inflammation where the body’s barometer for this inflammatory response is turned up just modestly.  This contributes to a whole host of diseases.  Diseases of chronic inflammation that range from type 2 diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease with heart disease and stroke, neurodegenerative disease, fatty liver– which is now epidemic in our society– as well as autoimmune disease.  So, now these diseases which are non-communicable– you can’t catch them– they are the leading cause of death on our planet right now and they’re being driven by chronic, systemic low-grade inflammation” – Dr. Leonard Calabrese

Dr. Leonard Calabrese, is a rheumatologist, immunologist, and doctor of osteopathic medicine.  He is the head of Cleveland Clinic’s Section of Clinical Immunology and manages the Clinical Immunology Clinic.  After graduating from the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, Dr. Calabrese completed his internal medical training at Cleveland Clinic, followed by a fellowship in rheumatic and immunologic disease.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Calabrese has authored more than 300 publications and become an internationally recognized HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C researcher.  He is also passionate about utilizing lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, sleep and stress management to reduce inflammation, control disease, and bolster immunologic function.  Based on growing scientific evidence that environment and behavior play a large role in immune function and gene expression, Dr. Calabrese is leading the charge in educating physicians and empowering patients so that they can feel confident in using wellness behaviors to help strengthen their immune function and improve their overall health and happiness.

Dr. Calabrese and I recently sat down to chat about the basics of the immune system and what practices we can implement in our day-to-day lives to reduce inflammation and lower our risk of chronic disease.

In this episode we discuss:

• Dr. Calabrese’s medical background and what drew him to immunology
• How the field of immunology has changed over the years
• The role of our immune system: how it interacts with our body and our environment
• How the immune system can become overactive
• What inflammation is, and what causes contributes to it
• What we can do to reduce our inflammation
• Diet, intestinal permeability and their effect on the immune system
• The role of diet, exercise, sleep and stress on the immune system
• Social genomics and how we can influence which genes express themselves
• Dr. Calabrese’s thoughts on the impact of gratitude practice
• Habits that Dr. Calabrese implements in his own life to manage stress, diet, exercise and sleep
• Dr. Calabrese’s vision for the Immune Strength program and how he hopes to help patients on a broader scale
• Three things Dr. Calabrese does on a regular basis that have the biggest positive impact on his health
• One thing he struggles to implement that could have a big impact on his health
• What a healthy life looks like to Dr. Calabrese

You can follow Dr. Calabrese on Twitter and via his CME courses.

Links:

• How Your Immune System is Affected by Diet, Stress and Exercise with Dr. Leonard Calabrese
• National Institutes of Health
• Nurses’ Health Study
• The Institute for Functional Medicine Interview with Dr. Alessio Fasano
• Our health is on your plate, Dr. Roxanne Sukol
• Why Sleep Is Important for Health: A Psychoneuroimmunology Perspective, Dr. Michael R. Irwin
• Effects of Sleep and Sleep Deprivation on Interleukin-6, Growth Hormone, Cortisol, and Melatonin Levels in Humans
• UCLA Norman Cousins Center for Pyschoneuroimmunology
• Human Social Genomics
• Stress Free Now
• 10% Happier, Dan Harris
• Headspace
• The VB6 Diet, Mark Bittman
• Pacer
• Go! To Sleep
• The Role of Gratitude in Spiritual Well-Being in Asymptomatic Heart Failure Patients
• Healio Rheumatology

Related episodes:

Ep 22 – Brigid Titgemeir on Functional Nutrition

Ep 42 – Against All Grain’s Danielle Walker on Advocating, Healing and Celebrating

Ep 78 – Lifestyle & Brain Health with Dr. David Perlmutter 

Ep 103 – What to Eat When with Dr. Michael Roizen

Ep 105 – Sleep, Stress and Brain Health with Dr. Nate Bergman

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every other Tuesday.

Disclaimer: This podcast is for general information only, and does not provide medical advice. We recommend that you seek assistance from your personal physician for any health conditions or concerns.

Healing Through Functional Movement with Dr. Amy West PH132

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The post Ep 132 – Healing Through Functional Movement with Dr. Amy West appeared first on Julie Foucher | Reebok CrossFit Games Athlete.

Dave Castro on Changes in Life and the CrossFit Games PH131

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The post Ep 131 – Dave Castro on Changes in Life and the CrossFit Games appeared first on Julie Foucher | Reebok CrossFit Games Athlete.

Kristi OConnell on Training for Joy and Balance PH130

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The post Ep 130 – Kristi OConnell on Training for Joy and Balance appeared first on Julie Foucher | Reebok CrossFit Games Athlete.

Improving Your Fitness from the Ground Up: Nutrition Basics with Nicole Aucoin PH129

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The post Ep 129 – Improving Your Fitness from the Ground Up: Nutrition Basics with Nicole Aucoin appeared first on Julie Foucher | Reebok CrossFit Games Athlete.

Dr. Jeffrey Geller on Loneliness and the Power of Groups PH128

But if my model works, I am positive people can copy it. And group visits certainly have been part of the solution. You see a lot of patients, you provide more services, you overcome barriers, you do it in a … Continued

The post Ep 128 – Dr. Jeffrey Geller on Loneliness and the Power of Groups appeared first on Julie Foucher | Reebok CrossFit Games Athlete.

Fighting Breast Cancer with Barbells: Barbells for Boobs Founder Zionna Hanson PH127

She said when she went in with the lump they basically denied her mammogram and said, Youre too young for breast cancer, and they wrote on her medical documentation mammography recommended at age 40. And, once I heard that, I … Continued

The post Ep 127 – Fighting Breast Cancer with Barbells: Barbells for Boobs Founder Zionna Hanson appeared first on Julie Foucher | Reebok CrossFit Games Athlete.

Nicole Christensen on Coaching Pregnant Athletes PH126b

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The post Ep 126b – Nicole Christensen on Coaching Pregnant Athletes appeared first on Julie Foucher | Reebok CrossFit Games Athlete.

Nicole Christensen on Growing a Thriving CrossFit Affiliate PH126a

“I think I talked about nutrition so much, and I talked about functional movements, and I talked about scaling and intensity so many times in blog posts that I was just like, Yeah, people get it now. And you forget … Continued

The post Ep 126a – Nicole Christensen on Growing a Thriving CrossFit Affiliate appeared first on Julie Foucher | Reebok CrossFit Games Athlete.