Allostasis Essays

1) Define the terms allostasis and allostatic load (2 marks, 1 sentence each). Allostasis is important for one’s survival, similar to the functions of homeostasis; it is defined as one’s capability to reach stability through a series of changes. Allostatic load is caused by chronic stress as one either encounters a maximum or minimum amount of activity that results the wearing and tearing of this system (McEwen, 1998). 2) Describe the 4 different types of allostatic load (Fig 3) and for each describe

What is stress? Stress is your body’s way of responding to any kind of demand or threat. When you sense danger whether it’s real orimagined, the body’s defense kick into high gear in a rapid, automatic process known as “fight or flight” or the “stress response.”(Jeanne Segal, n.d.)Stressaffects the cortisol level to skyrocket during a tense moment. This is how fight or flight response came about. I’ve often heard that too much stress can cause illnesses. We typically deal with stress every day. Whether

Pavlov’s Dogs. In Simply Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.html Verburg-van Kemenade, B. L., Cohen, N., & Chadzinska, M. (2016). Neuroendocrine-immune interaction: Evolutionarily conserved mechanisms that maintain allostasis in an ever-changing environment. Developmental & Comparative Immunology, 1-22.

Health Disparities in Lower Socioeconomic Individuals Socioeconomic status (SES) in recent times has been defined as “a broad concept that refers to the placement of persons, households and census tracts with respect to the capacity to create or consume goods that are valued in our society.” More specifically, it is the access an individual or group has to rudimentary resources that are required to obtain and preserve good health (Shavers, 2007). Socioeconomic status has been shown to impact physical

current or anticipated perceptions of the internal or external environment and this discrepancy between what is observed or sensed and what is expected or programmed elicits patterned, compensatory responses” (Goldstein and Kopin, 2007).Later the word allostasis was introduced to stress research, which is the process of adaptation to different stressors.When there is any defect in the process of adaptation, it leads to” allostatic load or overload” (McEwen, 1998). 3.2 General adaptation syndrome (Gas)