No silver bullets in a system

Before we dive in deep, I hope we can come to an agreement on something. We are composed of flesh, blood, and bone, right? We are biological entities and, as such, we are made up of many biological systems: circulatory system, nervous system, digestive system, endocrine system, etc.

We're all familiar with the idea of homeostasis - we unconsciously regulate our systems to maintain a balance. We get hot, which causes us to sweat, which cools our bodies back down to its homeostatic temperature of 98.6. That's not the whole story, though. Allostasis better describes what is actually happening in our bodies. The difference was best described by Robert Sapolsky:

"Homeostasis is the regulation of the body to a balance, by single point tuning such as blood oxygen level, blood glucose or blood pH. For example, if a person walking in the desert is hot, the body will sweat and they will quickly become dehydrated. Allostasis is adaptation but in regard to a more dynamic balance. In dehydration, sweat occurs as only a small part of the process with many other systems also adapting their functioning, both to reduce water use and to support the variety of other systems that are changing to aid this. In this case, kidneys may reduce urine output, mucous membrane in the mouth, nose and eyes may dry out, etc."

Systems are complex, especially biological/chemical systems. This is why we still know next to nothing about metabolism and hormones. Science relies on isolating and testing different variables, but an allostatic system relies on the complex interactions of many variables. Medical science has made a lot of progress, but we've only just skimmed the surface. Tangible evidence of this is the rather alarming list of side effects most drugs have.

In these cases, it's beneficial to think about systems as a series of reinforcing and balancing loops (aka positive and negative feedback) - the building blocks of systems theory.

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Two examples of how this messes with conventional wisdom. The old "calories in = calories out" equation for weight loss assumes your body will continue to burn calories at the same rate. Turns out that eating less food triggers an allostatic hormonal response to burn less energy. Hmm. But now, think about what happens if you throw increased exercise into the mix. This is what happens to many people on Jan. 1st: They resolve to eat less and exercise more. They buy their low calorie yogurt and dutifully hit the treadmill (don't get me started on that...) Some lose weight. Most get hungry, get stressed, and quit.

Or, take the long standing evidence that vegetarians are healthier than non-vegetarians. It's completely true - but why? Is it the diet? Or is it the fact that most vegetarians are more health conscious than their peers - which makes them much more likely to exercise regularly, smoke less, drink less, etc? These confounding variables and reinforcing loops make it tricky to pin anything down.

And yet we continue to look for silver bullets - the "one thing" that will make us healthier, happier, better. It's led us to seek the BEST macro-nutrient ratio. It's led us to a laundry list of micro-nutrient-de-jours. It's let us to individual "superfoods." It's led to thighmasters, 8 minute abs, and the shakeweight.

Here's the secret to health: There is no secret. There's no "one thing" you can do.  You have to treat yourself as a whole system.

But here's the good news: You don't have to change everything at once. You can't - you'll go nuts. Make one positive change - I suggest cooking your own food.  Then make another change - maybe a daily walk? Then another - socialize with friends a couple times a week? Then another - get more sleep? Each positive change will reinforce the previous changes and make the next change easier.

Nothing in that last list is particularly revolutionary - and that's kind of the point. At some level we all know what's good for us. We've known it for thousands of years. We don't need to wait for Science to finish analyzing each and every nutrient combination/interaction to know eating our vegetables is good for us and maybe we should laugh more.

So, why is it so hard to pull off?? That's a fascinating question - could it possibly maybe perhaps have something to do with the environment/society/culture we've built for ourselves?? But that's the subject for another post. Or a book.