"Privacy. Absolute myth. There's no such thing." Jock Goddard - Paranoia 2013
The world is set out to make us worry, and worrying is a protective stress that keeps us from harm...or it should do. As with most things, over indulgence can cause problems and in a world that is seemingly growing more dangerous by the day, do we need to be worried about being worried?
In my early days studying health I learned that we work via a hierarchy of protection, safety comes first followed by sustenance and sex or reproduction. For why we must look to the reptilian brain (R-brain), the oldest part of our brain that ensures fulfilment of our most basic biological needs. The aforementioned safety, sustenance and sex must be met in that order. As an example if one is unsafe (that could come in many forms such as when a predator looms nearby, or when you're late for work), appetite and desire (or ability) to recreate will be inhibited.
Modern day lab test show evidence of this; for example a stressed out female (i.e. unsafe) may suffer raised adrenaline and cortisol, decreased appetite and infertility. Effectively your bran is protecting you by raising cortisol to increase your alertness which should help your chances of survival. You become hyper aware (typical fight or flight response), and becoming safe rightly takes priority over food, or sex.
All this stress and cortisol gets a bad rap, quite simply it is your R-brain protecting you and ensuring safety is maintained. So, if for example you're under eating, not sleeping very well therefore waking in a stressed state, it is entirely plausible that your R-brain may focus on seeking safety via adrenaline and cortisol release to help you escape the perceived danger. Even if that danger is only the alarm clock and a calorie deficit.
Excess cortisol, as seen in Cushing's syndrome is at times linked with psychotic reactions such as paranoia [1], and cortisol has an effect on the parathyroid gland [2], increasing secretion of parathyroid hormone (hyperparathyroidism) can mimic various psychiatric disorders such as paranoia.
Could paranoia just be an extreme stress state in which your body makes you hyper aware (perhaps even too aware) of danger? Is it it potentially curable with adequate food (milk, sugar etc) and or compounds known to reduce parathyroid hormone such as caffeine, vitamin A and maybe sugar?
In my early days studying health I learned that we work via a hierarchy of protection, safety comes first followed by sustenance and sex or reproduction. For why we must look to the reptilian brain (R-brain), the oldest part of our brain that ensures fulfilment of our most basic biological needs. The aforementioned safety, sustenance and sex must be met in that order. As an example if one is unsafe (that could come in many forms such as when a predator looms nearby, or when you're late for work), appetite and desire (or ability) to recreate will be inhibited.
Modern day lab test show evidence of this; for example a stressed out female (i.e. unsafe) may suffer raised adrenaline and cortisol, decreased appetite and infertility. Effectively your bran is protecting you by raising cortisol to increase your alertness which should help your chances of survival. You become hyper aware (typical fight or flight response), and becoming safe rightly takes priority over food, or sex.
All this stress and cortisol gets a bad rap, quite simply it is your R-brain protecting you and ensuring safety is maintained. So, if for example you're under eating, not sleeping very well therefore waking in a stressed state, it is entirely plausible that your R-brain may focus on seeking safety via adrenaline and cortisol release to help you escape the perceived danger. Even if that danger is only the alarm clock and a calorie deficit.
Excess cortisol, as seen in Cushing's syndrome is at times linked with psychotic reactions such as paranoia [1], and cortisol has an effect on the parathyroid gland [2], increasing secretion of parathyroid hormone (hyperparathyroidism) can mimic various psychiatric disorders such as paranoia.
Could paranoia just be an extreme stress state in which your body makes you hyper aware (perhaps even too aware) of danger? Is it it potentially curable with adequate food (milk, sugar etc) and or compounds known to reduce parathyroid hormone such as caffeine, vitamin A and maybe sugar?
- Thompson, J, G. (2013). Psychobiology of Emotions. Springer Science & Media, pp. 44
- Au,W,Y. (1976).Cortisol stimulation of parathyroid hormone secretion by rat parathyroid glands in organ culture.10;193(4257):1015-7 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/948759
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