I get where you’re coming from, there is an over-emphasis on cortisol in the wellness and fitness industries and you’re absolutely right that chronic stress is the real issue.
That said though, you’re kinda doing the same thing you’re fighting against, by oversimplifying a complex biological system into a neat little box. You’re clearly astute on the subject, so you know there’s nuance to it. You especially know that while the hormone itself isn’t bad, chronically high or persistently low levels are an issue. Given how knowledgeable you sound on the subject, I’m guessing you also know our bodies rely on a natural diurnal curve which spikes in the morning to wake us up and drops at night so we can sleep.
Please don’t think I’m saying you’re wrong, it’s not that. For example, you’re right to point out the underlying stress factor and that chronic stress breaks that diurnal curve rhythm, which causes very real physical damage. But I fear that you assume everyone is as well educated on the subject and so knows that.
All in all, it’s definitely not just pop biology. If someone is having severe symptoms that make them suspect their system is out of sync, they shouldn’t just brush it off by any means. It’s always best to get it checked out by a doctor. And I say that as someone that knows doctors have limited time, but we’re not talking about common cold symptoms here.
You’re right! I’m coming to this from a specialist perspective. The pop biology I’m pointing to isn’t necessarily what’s in the article, but it’s everywhere. It was everywhere in the 80s, too, in slightly different form. There are people who will find “cortisol overload” or whatever they call it in literally everything and they have a laundry list of supplements to sell you. Or self-help advice. Doctors having limited time is itself a systemic issue. My point is not “don’t seek medical attention”. There is a lot of bad pop biology. There is a lot of bad vade mecum biology that uses cortisol as a proxy for systemic problems to turn blame towards individuals and encourages professionals to throw up their hands and tell people to try doing mindfulness instead of doing something more productive, whatever that looks like.
Let me start out by thanking you. If more people took the time to put effort into their conversations the way you have, the internet would be a far better place.
Honestly, I’m not well-studied enough to get into the nitty-gritty with you and it’s a shame, because this is the type of conversation I make time in my day for. At the very least, I walk away a smarter man.
What I will say is that, with the advent of GLPs and peptides in general, especially in times where capitalism is exploiting people more than ever, people are pushing their systems more than ever. As you said, we need to look at fixing the root causes rather than the symptoms, but we’re definitely witnessing a rise in cortisol levels being out of whack as a result of it all.
I get where you’re coming from, there is an over-emphasis on cortisol in the wellness and fitness industries and you’re absolutely right that chronic stress is the real issue.
That said though, you’re kinda doing the same thing you’re fighting against, by oversimplifying a complex biological system into a neat little box. You’re clearly astute on the subject, so you know there’s nuance to it. You especially know that while the hormone itself isn’t bad, chronically high or persistently low levels are an issue. Given how knowledgeable you sound on the subject, I’m guessing you also know our bodies rely on a natural diurnal curve which spikes in the morning to wake us up and drops at night so we can sleep.
Please don’t think I’m saying you’re wrong, it’s not that. For example, you’re right to point out the underlying stress factor and that chronic stress breaks that diurnal curve rhythm, which causes very real physical damage. But I fear that you assume everyone is as well educated on the subject and so knows that.
All in all, it’s definitely not just pop biology. If someone is having severe symptoms that make them suspect their system is out of sync, they shouldn’t just brush it off by any means. It’s always best to get it checked out by a doctor. And I say that as someone that knows doctors have limited time, but we’re not talking about common cold symptoms here.
You’re right! I’m coming to this from a specialist perspective. The pop biology I’m pointing to isn’t necessarily what’s in the article, but it’s everywhere. It was everywhere in the 80s, too, in slightly different form. There are people who will find “cortisol overload” or whatever they call it in literally everything and they have a laundry list of supplements to sell you. Or self-help advice. Doctors having limited time is itself a systemic issue. My point is not “don’t seek medical attention”. There is a lot of bad pop biology. There is a lot of bad vade mecum biology that uses cortisol as a proxy for systemic problems to turn blame towards individuals and encourages professionals to throw up their hands and tell people to try doing mindfulness instead of doing something more productive, whatever that looks like.
Let me start out by thanking you. If more people took the time to put effort into their conversations the way you have, the internet would be a far better place.
Honestly, I’m not well-studied enough to get into the nitty-gritty with you and it’s a shame, because this is the type of conversation I make time in my day for. At the very least, I walk away a smarter man.
What I will say is that, with the advent of GLPs and peptides in general, especially in times where capitalism is exploiting people more than ever, people are pushing their systems more than ever. As you said, we need to look at fixing the root causes rather than the symptoms, but we’re definitely witnessing a rise in cortisol levels being out of whack as a result of it all.