By: Richard Young, PhD Candidate, Nutrition Exercise Physiology
Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University
As a SERE Specialist in the Air Force Special Operations (AFSOC), I instructed select Department of Defense personnel in stress management from combat survival and captured situations in order to return with honor. I finished my undergraduate education at the University of Washington and I am a 4th year PhD candidate studying the impact of exercise on the body’s ability to tolerate and recovery from stressful events.
What I believe is of significant importance is that people understand the impact that chronic stress has on health outcomes. Beyond gastrointestinal distress, tension headaches, and lost sleep, stress can have serious consequences. Stress has been implicated in cardiovascular disease, immune dysfunction, and shrinkage of the amygdala, a part of the brain responsible for memory.
It is impossible to avoid stress in life. Therefore, your attendance will arm you with the ability to detect signs that will help you identify and counter any stress that you may be experiencing before it becomes chronic and problematic.
Richard Young will be a panelist at #StressAndHealthyU at WSU Spokane January 12th from 12:00-1:00pm in SAC 20. Students, faculty, and staff from the university district are encouraged to attend!