Illustration: Kieran Blakey

The Nuance

The Brain and Body Prioritize Adaptation, Not Balance

‘Allostasis’ is reshaping science’s understanding of disease and disorder

Elemental
Published in
6 min readSep 24, 2020

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In ancient Greece, the top medical minds believed that the function of the human brain and body was dependent on the proper ratio of four internal fluids which were known as the “humors.” Too much or too…

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Markham Heid
Elemental

I’m a frequent contributor at TIME, the New York Times, and other media orgs. I write mostly about health and science. I like long walks and the Grateful Dead.