“Breathing is unique amongst the functions of the brain” if you haven’t come across the Huberman Lab podcast yet, let us introduce you to it.Hosted by a Stanford University Neurobiologist, Andrew Huberman, it provides accessible, latest science-based information on health and wellbeing in a very grounded and thoughtful way.If you are looking for the latest research on anything from the benefits of using heat or cold (spoiler, do NOT ice injuries), sports science, weight management, stress, fasting for health, this is a solid source of evidence-based information from Dr Andrew Huberman.In this episode Andrew discusses stress with Elissa Epel, Ph.D., professor and vice chair of the department of psychiatry at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) and the author of a new book entitled The Stress Prescription. She describes stress as “ A way that the body and mind mobilise energy”.Contents include: how stress impacts mood, eating behavior, mental health, physical health, and aging. She explains stress intervention tools using “top-down” techniques (e.g., radical acceptance, mindfulness, reframing), body-based methods (e.g., breathwork) including the Wim Hof Method, exercise, meditation, body scans, and environmental shifts proven to help people cease unhealthy rumination patterns. We discuss how stress can positively impact psychology and sense of purpose, how stress affects cellular aging, how our narratives of stressful events impact our mood and biology, and how to effectively reframe stress. She explains science-based techniques to break stress-induced cycles of craving and overeating and thereby improve insulin sensitivity and metabolic health. Dr. Epel provides a wide range of tools shown to be effective in reducing stress and improving various aspects of our health.
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