Weekly Blog

Feb 6

It started with a knock on the door last Thursday evening. It wasn't late, but we weren't expecting anyone, so it was strange. With a firm grip on one of the two dogs, I opened the door to a person I'd never seen before, looking a little stricken. "Hi," I said, to which she responded, "I think your chimney is on fire..."

And then, somewhere shortly after "um, what?" and "ok, thanks", I closed the door and said "call 911" to my wife, who was nearby holding the other dog as we quickly sprang into action. Within seconds, I was dousing the wood in the fireplace, and she was talking to the dispatcher. Our son, a volunteer at the local fire department (who still gets the text alerts while away at school), immediately started calling, wondering what was going on, and within minutes, we were trying to make sense of a situation that now included lots of flashing lights in the driveway. Fair to say, things were stressful there for a bit.

Although I would've much rather had the uneventful and relatively quiet evening it was shaping up to be, it was a great reminder of exactly how much can (and has to) happen in the seconds between alarm bells going off in the brain and us resolving whatever is causing them, and the benefit we gain when the cycle is completed without major harm. In a world of ever-present chronic stressors - the kind we generally try to avoid - it's easy to forget how positive and even critical the acute stress response is for survival and ultimate thriving. It's an idea that a year or so ago a global research team wrote about, detailing how the immediate release of hormones and the resulting changes in the nervous system not only allow us to focus and react, but can, with an adequate recovery phase, kick start learning and growth...the upside of stress we've often talked about, which is not only for bodily health (stronger after the stress of exercise), but also brain health and mental health, as the authors make clear.

The keys then are both in the challenge and the dosage - having enough of the right stuff to stimulate the positive cascade, but not so much that we cannot adequately recover; a physiological example of "growth from adversity" (various stoics) or for those who like Nietzsche  "what does not kill me makes me stronger", in biology terms, hormesis. 

Last week, I mentioned a study on the keto diet, which can serve as a good example. While it showed mostly negative effects over the long term from the strain of "running on back-up fuel" (ketones being evidence that the body is burning predominantly fat for energy instead of blood sugar), the same may not be true with a smaller dose, such as in the shorter term. This 2026 study of studies showed a strong association between a ketogenic protocol and reduced depressive symptoms, while intermittent fasting, a similar short-term stress on the metabolic apparatus, appears to stimulate health benefits when done with moderate calorie reduction, as shown in this trial. The effect shows up in other areas as well. 

Last year, hot tubs were highlighted for their ability to raise core temperature, another "good in small doses" stress for general health, and in high-level athletes, finding methods to more precisely dose training stress to unleash full potential has gone from an idea in 2021 to a recommended practice in the present moment. There is even one new theory that suggests that the ability to heal from minor burns sustained while handling fire, a uniquely human experience that started a million or so years ago, may be one of the main drivers of our adaptation and evolution as a species. For us, thankfully, we didn't have to test that theory. 

Despite a scary hour or so, all signs point to a false alarm. The local FD didn't find anything at the scene, and earlier this week (on further inspection), the chimney was given a clean bill of health. No harm, no foul, and definitely better safe than sorry. Try as we might to avoid stressors that set off our physiological alarms...we are happy they're working well when we need them...which is far more likely if we keep them well maintained on days we don't. Spoiler, this too has roots in a healthy lifestyle.

Have a great weekend,
Mike E.