Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Your Body in the World: Adapting to Your Next Big Adventure

Finished great course about human body physiology by Anne L. Friedlander, Corey Dysick and their team.

For me, most interesting were Heat, Cold, Aging and Stress.

https://class.stanford.edu/courses/HumanitiesSciences/EP101/Environmental_Physiology/about

COURSE SYLLABUS

Cold
The storytelling adventure begins at Stanford University in a thermoregulation laboratory. Just thinking about it gives us goosebumps. Poor Corey! Look forward to learning about piloerection, hypothermia, after-drop, and some practical tips on dealing with the cold.

Heat
The EnvPhyz team is back on Stanford campus exploring the effect of heat on the body. There's no air conditioning in this section. Look forward to learning about hyperthermia, cooling techniques, heat injuries and some practical tips on dealing with the heat.

Aging
The EnvPhyz team gets old! Get ready for a trip to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to learn about the impacts of time (age) on our physiology. With age comes wisdom, so be prepared to glean a few gems from this section and learn some tips that could change the trajectory of your aging. Look forward to learning about the causes of age-associated changes; which ones are inevitable and which ones you can influence.

Stress
The EnvPhyz team throws a big curveball as last minute changes make a big impact on the story. Anne and Corey give their bodies to science to explore stress and its affect on your body. This section is sure to elevate your heart rate, so get ready for a wild ride! Look forward to learning about the stress response, chronic stress, and some practical tips on how to manage stress in your daily life.

Altitude
The team travels to the Army Research Station near Boston and to Pikes Peak, Colorado, to get you up close and personal with altitude research. Expect some adventures, good science, and rough transitions to altitude exposure. Look forward to learning about acute altitude exposure, chronic altitude exposure, serious altitude risks and some practical tips on preparing for that next trip up to the mountains.

Variable Pressures
After being subjected to so many environmental conditions, Corey finally gets his opportunity to strike back. Expect some high flying adventures into the world of variable pressures. Look forward to learning about g-forces, zero gravity, and the high pressures of deep water diving.