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Find out how the world of surgical robotics training is evolving with Surgical Robo-Talks. Each episode, our host, Jessica Butterworth (Society, KOL and Procedural Training Manager at CMR Surgical), will delve into the technological and curriculum changes making robotic-assisted surgical training more accessible to surgeons in training. Along with a cast of co-hosts from the Association of Surgeons in Training we’ll find learn about the tools and technologies improving surgical practice, how standardised curriculums are simplifying the qualification journey and much more.
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Cortisol Explained: The Stress Hormone
Cortisol is a steroid hormone that plays a vital role in numerous physiological processes in the human body. As the main glucocorticoid hormone produced by the adrenal glands, cortisol is critical for regulating metabolism, immune function, blood pressure, and the body's response to stressors. Here is an in-depth overview of cortisol - its functions, production, levels, and implications for human health and disease.
What is Cortisol?
Cortisol is classified as a glucocorticoid hormone, meaning it affects glucose metabolism along with the immune system and inflammatory pathways. It is produced naturally in the cortex of the adrenal glands located above the kidneys as part of the body's endocrine system.
Cortisol is derived from cholesterol and is structurally similar to hormones like testosterone, estrogen, and aldosterone. As the main glucocorticoid hormone, cortisol helps regulate the following bodily processes:
- Glucose levels and metabolism - Immune function and inflammatory responses - Blood pressure and heart health - Circadian rhythm and sleep cycles - Stress response - Memory formation and mood
Cortisol has widespread impacts on how the body mobilizes energy stores, defends against threats, and maintains homeostasis. The right levels allow cortisol to help the body adapt and respond to daily events and stressors. However, excessive cortisol can be detrimental over time, contributing to conditions like diabetes, hypertension, insomnia, and depression. finding the right balance is key.
Cortisol and the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) Axis
The primary pathway regulating cortisol production is called the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, or HPA axis. This describes the complex interactions between the hypothalamus in the brain, the pituitary gland, and adrenal glands that modulate cortisol release.
When the hypothalamus senses stress signals, it secretes corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), which stimulates the pituitary gland to release adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). ACTH then acts on the adrenal glands to increase the production and release of cortisol into the bloodstream.
Once circulating at sufficient levels, cortisol sends signals back to the hypothalamus and pituitary gland to reduce CRH and ACTH production via a negative feedback loop, helping return cortisol levels to a normal, healthy range. This system allows precise calibration of cortisol levels to meet the body's needs.
However, chronic stress can dysregulate the HPA axis, leading to overactivation and excess cortisol release. This can result in Cushing's syndrome or other metabolic, immune, and mental health dysfunction. Balanced cortisol production through a normally functioning HPA axis is essential for good health.
Cortisol Production and Secretion Patterns
Cortisol production adheres to daily cyclical rhythms controlled by the body's circadian clock in conjunction with the HPA axis. The amount of cortisol circulating can change rapidly based on environmental demands at any time of day. But certain patterns occur naturally:
- Cortisol levels peak in the early morning around 6-8 AM. Production can increase up to 50% at waking.
- Levels gradually decline over the afternoon, reaching a low point around midnight.
- The amplitude between the morning peak and nighttime trough can differ among individuals. Larger variations are linked to higher stress reactivity.
- Cortisol spikes during the first hour after waking known as the cortisol awakening response (CAR). The CAR is believed to help prime alertness and energy upon waking.
- Production is pulsatile, meaning cortisol is released in intermittent bursts roughly every 60-90 minutes aligned with circadian rhythms. More constant cortisol exposure can have deleterious effects.
- Release increases after eating, exercise, trauma, blood glucose variations, temperature changes and emotions. Cortisol adapts rapidly to changing conditions.
Maintaining appropriate daily cortisol fluctuations is important for health. Loss of rhythmicity such as chronic nighttime elevation can contribute to metabolic and psychiatric problems. Cortisol must remain responsive to changing needs in a sustained circadian alignment.
Effects on Metabolism and Energy Balance
One of cortisol's primary roles is regulating metabolism by controlling energy production and storage. Cortisol performs several important metabolic functions:
- Increases blood sugar via gluconeogenesis - the synthesis of glucose from non-carbohydrate sources such as amino acids. This provides fuel for the brain and muscles.
- Amplifies the actions of insulin to improve glucose uptake in various tissues.
- Stimulates fat and protein breakdown to release substrates usable for gluconeogenesis.
- Mobilizes fatty acids from adipose tissue to provide an energy source for muscles.
- Modulates insulin secretion via feedback loops to maintain glycemic control.
Through these mechanisms, cortisol ensures steady energy flow to critical bodily processes under stressed conditions that demand increased fuel. However, chronic cortisol elevation can cause tissue damage, immune suppression, insulin resistance, diabetes and central obesity over time. Finding the right balance is critical.
Anti-Inflammation and Immune Effects
Cortisol plays a complex regulatory role in immunity and inflammation pathways. The influence is both rapid and long-term:
- In the short term, cortisol mobilizes immune defenses against severe threats and pathogens by altering white blood cell counts. However, cell functioning may be temporarily suppressed.
- Over longer periods, cortisol limits immune overactivation that can lead to harmful chronic inflammation. But this comes at the cost of reduced responses to antigens.
- Cortisol generally exhibits immunosuppressive effects such as impeding cytokine production and antibody synthesis to prevent excessive inflammation.
- However, cortisol also interacts with receptors on white blood cells to modulate gene expression for balanced immune cell differentiation and proliferation.
While essential for reining in inflammation, chronically elevated cortisol can lead to detrimental suppression of immune responses. The complexity of the interactions underscores the need for proper regulation to strike the right equilibrium. Finding the sweet spot ensures protective immune activation when needed but avoidance of damaging uncontrolled inflammation.
Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Effects
As with glucose metabolism and anti-inflammation pathways, cortisol exhibits nuanced direct and indirect effects on cardiovascular function:
- Cortisol increases blood pressure acutely by altering kidney function to retain sodium and water, increasing blood volume.
- Chronically elevated production induces hypertension through sodium retention, intravascular volume expansion, and vascular reactivity changes.
- Cortisol reduces smooth muscle tone and endothelial dysfunction which can raise risk for atherosclerosis over time.
- It increases circulating fatty acids that may become deposited in blood vessels. However, it also prevents plaques from rupturing by reducing inflammation.
Thus cortisol can be characterized as chronically detrimental but acutely protective for cardiovascular health. Short bursts help maintain blood flow to critical organs during fight-or-flight stress responses. But over the long term, elevated levels contribute to hypertension, clotting abnormalities and arrhythmias.
Behavioral and Brain Effects
As the main stress hormone, cortisol unsurprisingly influences brain regions governing mood, fear response, and cognition:
- Cortisol receptors are found in critical limbic system brain areas like the hypothalamus, amygdala and hippocampus which regulate emotion processing and memory.
- Cortisol release inhibits the amygdala's fear response, enabling adaptation to stressors. However, chronic exposure can impair the flexibility of this adaptive capacity over time.
- High glucocorticoid levels damage the hippocampus, shrinking this memory-processing region. But acute cortisol may enhance hippocampal memory formation under stressful conditions as an adaptive response.
- Cortisol interacts with dopamine reward pathways. Elevated cortisol predicts reduced dopamine signaling, which may contribute to mood disorders and depression.
While essential for an acute stress response, long-term cortisol overexposure can negatively reshape limbic brain regions governing emotion, memory and executive function. Tight regulation of the HPA axis helps constrain glucocorticoid actions on the vulnerable brain.
Factors Affecting Cortisol Levels
Many extrinsic and intrinsic factors influence cortisol production, release patterns, and individual set points and reactivity:
- Stress - Physical or emotional threats from any cause trigger the HPA axis to elevate cortisol as part of the fight-or-flight response.
- Trauma - Abuse, neglect, injury or psychological trauma can dysregulate cortisol rhythms, leading to chronically high or low levels.
- Mental illness - Depression, anxiety, PTSD, addiction and other disorders are linked to cortisol irregularities either as causes or effects.
- Diet - Low protein, high sugar, alcohol and caffeine may increase cortisol, while omega-3s may decrease it. Operating within cortisol's normal circadian rhythms is most important.
- Sleep disruption - Changes to sleep timing, deprivation, or disorders like apnea can significantly alter daily cortisol patterns andCAR amplitude.
- Exercise - Acute vigorous exercise spikes cortisol to mobilize energy stores. But regular -
كاتب ومتحدث سعودي معروف بتخصصه في مجال تطوير الذات والتنمية البشرية. يعمل كمستشار ومدرب في مجالات متعددة مثل القيادة، تطوير المهارات الشخصية، وبناء العلاقات. لديه خبرة واسعة في التدريب وتقديم المحاضرات والورش حول تحسين الأداء الشخصي والمهني
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نفس هو بودكاست يشجعك ان تنظر لما بداخلك من مشاعر وتتعلم كيف تتعامل معها بطريقة مختلفة . في كل حلقة سوف نأخذ نفس عميق ونسلط الضوء على مشاعرنا المزعجة ونناقش الحلول التي بداخلنا . تقدمه المدربة سماح العثمان . مدربة في السلام الداخلي و أول مدربة سعودية لتقنيات العلاج بمجال الفكرة. سماح هي مؤسس ( أكاديمية سماح) التي تقدم من خلالها دورات و ورش عمل للتطوير الذاتي وتشافي المشاعر. بدأت رحلتها في التدريب في عام ٢٠١٧ في أمريكا و ساعدت أكثر من ٢٠٠٠ متدرب للتخلص من المشاعر السلبية مثل القلق، الخوف ، مشاكل الثقة بالنفس وغيرها من المشاعر السلبية. للمزيد من المعلومات المجانية تابعونا على الانستقرام واليوتيوب @samaahalothman
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ما تحتاج معرفته عن نفسك بدون مصطلحات برنامج شهري، يهدف إلى تقريب فهم العرب للمشاكل النفسية و كيفية التعامل معها بطريقة علمية. يهدف إلى تحديث فهمنا للمشاكل النفسية مغربلةً من الشوائب و المعتقدات الخاطئة و الخرافات. برنامج يسعى للتبسيط و الحديث بلغة مفهومة للجميع بدون تعقيدات المصطلحات إلا للضرورة العلمية أو الطبية. برنامج يهدف لأن يكون قريباً تفاعلياً يستقي مواضيعه من الواقع و المستمعين الذين هم أساس هذا الواقع. و من أهم ما يطمح له هذا البرنامج .. هو إلغاء الوصمة المتعلقة بالاضطرابات النفسية .. إعداد و تقديم د محمد صويلح طبيب طوارئ - لندن طبيب يختص في الطب النفسي- لندن ماجستير علم الأعصاب و الروابط الدماغية - كنجز كولدج لندن راسلوني بقصصكم و أسئلتكم على الإيميل [email protected] حقوق الموسيقى: أحمد فتحي -مقطوعة ساكورا الشعار من تصميم: تمام العمر
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فيه معتقدات كتير موقفانا إننا نعيش بشكل إيجابي وإننا نشوف الحاجات الحلوة.
لكن كل يوم في حياتنا ممكن يبقى بداية جديدة، عشان كده البودكاست اسمه من النهاردة. في كل حلقة، هنفتح قلوبنا، وهنعيش رحلة نكتشف فيها إزاي ممكن نشتغل على نفسنا ونتغلب على تفكيرنا المحدود في إمكانياتنا.
بودكاست من النهاردة من تقديم حنان البهيّ، حنان البهيّ هي كاتبة ومدربة تطوير ذات وأساليب تنفس. البودكاست من إنتاج ذا بوتكاست برودكشنز - TPP (The Potcast Productions) Men El naharda podcast is hosted by Hanan El Bahie, a writer, self-development coach, and breathing techniques instructor. -
This podcast is an eye-opener for all indecisive, controversial Arabs in various life situations and experiences which they go through. It also educates them about different perspectives and worldviews on culturally sensitive and groundbreaking topics.
We talk about the “shoulds” and “musts” that we are conditioned by.
We also open Pandora's box on all the "taboos" that affect our identities as Arabs in the 21st century, providing a safe space to talk about all things that are controversial, yet with respect.
We Need To Talk is a safe place for each one of us living a paradoxical life, trying to fit into a box with no borders.
Hosted by Egyptian-Canadian Yasmine El Garhy, she is the youngest certified life and addiction recovery coach by the ICF in the MENA & current therapist in the making. Tune in every Wednesday at 6 am Cairo Time for new weekly episodes. -
Welcome to a heartfelt podcast. I am Dina, Life and Leadership Coach, specialized in Emotional Well-being. Here to interact with and listen to stories of real-life success icons. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the conversation.
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نتحدث عن كل ما يخص علاقة الصحة النفسية والمشاعر بالجسد من منظور العلم والدين
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Unlock the Secrets of Passion: Dive into HotwifeWorld
Are you intrigued by the tantalizing worlds of Hotwife, Cuckold, or Stag/Vixen dynamics? Then HotwifeWorld is the key to unlocking those hidden desires and curiosities!
Why You Should Tune into HotwifeWorld:
• Real Stories, Real People: Hear from couples and individuals sharing their intimate experiences and secrets. Discover the joys and intricacies of these lifestyles.
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• Adventure and Exploration: Join us on a journey through the various facets of these lifestyles, from the psychology of pleasure to the practical challenges and rewards.
• No Taboos, No Shame: In a safe and respectful space, we discuss topics often left in the shadows. Here, it's all about empowerment and consent.
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Dive into a World of Desire and Freedom:
• Hotwife: Explore the freedom of a woman to have sexual adventures with her partner's proud support.
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Click "Subscribe" now and let each episode sweep you away. Whether you're curious, part of this world, or simply eager to learn – HotwifeWorld is your destination for honest, enlightening, and passionate conversations.
Don't Miss Out - Follow Us on HotwifeWorld and immerse yourself in the adventures of love, lust, and liberty.
HotwifeWorld - Your gateway to new dimensions of relationships. -
.رحلة داخل أعماق النفس البشرية للوصل إلى لحظة السوية
"النفسية ومافيها"
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What’s up, winners? I’m Kaylor Betts—life and business coach, no-BS truth-teller, and the unapologetic voice behind the top 1% podcast, Awake & Winning. If you’re here, you’re probably done with the BS, ready to dive into the rabbit holes, and craving some real talk about breaking free from the systems that are holding you back.
I wasn’t always winning. I know what it’s like to feel stuck—burned out, broke, and buried under the weight of a world designed to keep you small. But I decided to say f that, rebuild my body and mind, and create a life where I call the shots. Now, I’m bringing you along for the ride.
Every week, we’re diving into “awake” topics—breaking down the matrix, reclaiming your sovereignty, and winning in life and business. Whether it’s unfiltered conversations with disruptive leaders or straight-up truth bombs from me, this podcast is your ticket to leveling up and taking back your power.
If you’re ready to stop playing small, live an ungovernable life, and start winning—welcome to the rebellion. Let’s do this.
Don't miss out - stay connected and be part of the action!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thekaylorbetts/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/awakeandwinning/
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@thekaylorbetts
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@awakeandwinning -
FDA Drug Safety Podcasts, produced by FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, provide emerging safety information about drugs in conjunction with the release of Drug Safety Communications. For more information, please visit: www.fda.gov/drugsafetypodcasts
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If you’re a woman in medicine, by definition you are a badass. But juggling work and life responsibilities can be challenging. Join Psychologist and Success Coach, Dr. Sharon Grossman, each week as she shares practical tips to address the real-life struggles you are facing so that you can be unstoppable.
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A deep dive into consciousness, energy, trauma, inner child work, intimacy, holistic health, nature, plant medicine, our tribal origins, the collective and spirituality.
This is a podcast that will equip you with the deeper knowledge associated to living a fulfilling, healthy and purposeful life! -
Welcome to the High Vibe Podcast where we have radically honest and vulnerable talks centered around lifestyle, wellness, entrepreneurship, and personal growth.
This podcast is for women who want to tap into their highest self, learn about entrepreneurship, and elevate their soul and body.
Your host Tori Nishino (@torinishino) is a retired corporate girl turned full-time online influencer and entrepreneur.
Join me every week for conversations to help you conquer your life, health and happiness.
Instagram: @torinishino
TikTok: @torinishino
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@ToriNishino
Torinishino.com -
Z.World is a place where I share my podcasts, I'm just a young podcaster who wants to change the world in 5 min by Spreading Awareness..
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هبسطهالك بودكاست هدفه جاي من اسمه تبسيط كل ما هو صعب و غريب و جديد في مجالات كتير “ اجتماعيه،طبيه،اقتصاديه “ و مش عايزين ننسي بردو ان تاني اهم هدف لينا هو تسليط الضوء علي الاشخاص المؤثرين في المجتمع العربي و في خلال رحلتنا نتمي ليكم وقت ممتع و استفاده مميزه .. بالتعاون مع اركاست
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The Beyond the Pearls podcast, based on the Morning Report series from Elsevier, has been adapted for audio in collaboration with series editor, Dr. Raj Dasgupta, InsideTheBoards, and the volume editors of the Morning Report series’ five volumes covering Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Surgery.
Like the books in the series, the podcast uses an in-depth case dissection format and aims to deliver practical, concise and easy to digest information that is especially relevant for those studying for the USMLE Step 3, but students or others revising other USMLE or COMLEX exams will also find value.
Most episodes present a high-yield topic in a morning report or grand rounds format, and include must-know "pearls," an in-depth discussion of differentials and treatment, and assessment questions that support exam preparation. The Beyond the Pearls podcast also offers bonus episodes based on some of Dr. Raj’s most popular, highly-rated lectures.
Visit beyondthepearls.net to become part of the BTP community and get the Beyond the Pearls books and more ultra high yield, entertaining educational content from Dr. Raj.
