What Is Adaptive Medicine?
The foundation of Adaptive Medicine is simple: From a physiological standpoint – health equals function, and disease equals dysfunction in the systems needed for life.1 Once you get that, everything else falls into place.
We’ve treated disease like it’s some external invader for far too long. It’s as if we’ve been indoctrinated into believing that disease is something that just "happens" to us–some act of fate, genetics, aging, or some spontaneous catastrophe. But the reality? 80% of ALL chronic disease is within our control! This is because health and disease exist on a spectrum dictated by our environment. And here’s the good news: we can modify our environment anytime we like, and change our health in the process.
Simply put, you can train your body to adapt, improve, and thrive. That’s where Adaptive Medicine comes in.
Adaptive Medicine: The System That Upgrades Your Health
Adaptive Medicine isn’t another health trend. It’s a system designed to improve the function of life by tapping into our ancient stress-response pathways. These pathways are a unifying trait found in almost all life forms.2-5 And their purpose is simple: when something challenges an organism’s ability to function, it has three options: adapt, endure or die. Thankfully, over millions of years, these stress response pathways evolved to help life adapt by improving function, thereby ensuring survival. But there’s a catch: the functional boost only lasts hours to days.3 So to maintain the adaptive response, we must activate these pathways consistently– which in turn delivers optimal health by improving function in the systems we need to survive. 6
So how do we do that? Enter environmental hormesis—small, controlled stressors that temporarily boost function.7 Over time, these stressors transform the body, turning short-term survival mechanisms into long-term adaptive pathways.7
The result? Greater resilience, better performance, and even the reversal of chronic disease.
The Science of Adaptive Medicine: Hormesis + Circadian Rhythm
Adaptive Medicine is built on two key principles:
1. Environmental Hormesis: The Goldilocks Dose
Small-to-moderate doses of stress improve function, while too much leads to dysfunction.7 This principle is known as hormesis, and is the mechanism behind why:
Exercise strengthens muscles, but overtraining breaks them down.
Fasting improves health, but starvation wrecks it.
Heat and cold exposure boost resilience, but extreme temperatures can kill.
Brief sun exposure boosts health, but to much UV radiation harms cells.
The key is finding the sweet spot. 8
The right amount of stress triggers adaptation—making us stronger, sharper, and more resilient.
2. Circadian Rhythm: The Body’s Master Clock
Your body operates on a 24-hour cycle called the circadian rhythm. This master clock regulates sleep, metabolism, hormone production, immune function, and other vital processes.8 When this internal clock is aligned with nature’s rhythms–meaning the rise and fall of the sun—everything works smoothly. But when it falls out of synch, dysfunction creeps in and increases the likelihood of disease.9
Think of the circadian rhythm as a biological conductor, ensuring that each system needed for life plays in harmony. This rhythmic masterpiece is directed by external cues like light and darkness. And internal behaviors like when we eat, move, and rest. When these signals are in sync, our body runs like a well-oiled machine. But, when it’s not…brain fog, fatigue and chronic disease often follow.8
From a physiological standpoint, Adaptive Medicine = Environmental Hormesis + A Functional Circadian Rhythm. This pairing gives your body the right challenges at the right time for maximum impact.
That being said, adaptation improves function.10 And since health equals function and disease equals dysfunction in the systems needed for life, and form of adaptation acts as medicine.1
Adaptive Medicine is challenging the body and mind with exposure therapy to trigger adaptation—which optimizes health!
How Adaptive Medicine Upgrades Your Mind & Body
Boosts Cognitive Function & Mental Clarity
Stressors like fasting, cold exposure, and exercise increase BDNF—a brain-growth factor that strengthens neural connections, enhances focus and promotes mental resilience.8
Treats and Reverses Chronic Disease
By briefly activating the stress-response pathways on a regular basis, Adaptive Medicine improves metabolism, reduces inflammation, restores cellular health, and improves overall function.8
Enhances Performance & Longevity
By consistently training your body to adapt, you increase strength, endurance, and energy levels while slowing down dysfunction that leads to disease and aging at the cellular level. 8
Getting Started With Adaptive Medicine: No Equipment, No Excuses
The beauty of Adaptive Medicine is that it’s accessible to everyone. No fancy gadgets, no expensive supplements—just simple, effective, and free techniques.
A Few Adaptive Medicine Techniques:
• Breathwork: breath holds, inspiratory muscle training, Adaptive breath
• Temperature: Brief exposure to heat and cold stress
• Energy Restriction: Short periods of fasting and caloric restriction:
• Exercise: weight lifting, cardio, stretching, yoga, swimming…. JUST MOVE!
• Circadian Rhythm: Eat and move when it’s light. Fast and rest when it’s dark.
• Nutrition: Whole food to fuel the mind and body
All it takes is small, intentional stressors applied consistently. Over time, these brief challenges create long-term health through adaptation.
So, if you want to turn your life into Living-Breathing medicine—Take action with Adaptive Medicine!
References:
1.) Sturmberg, Joachim P., et al. "Health and Disease—Emergent States Resulting From Adaptive Social and Biological Network Interactions." Frontiers in Medicine, vol. 6, 2019, p. 404622, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2019.00059. Accessed 9 Mar. 2025.
2.) Sulmon, Cécile et al. “Abiotic stressors and stress responses: What commonalities appear between species across biological organization levels?.” Environmental pollution (Barking, Essex : 1987) vol. 202 (2015): 66-77. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2015.03.013
3.) Calabrese, Edward J, and Evgenios Agathokleous. “Hormesis: Transforming disciplines that rely on the dose response.” IUBMB life vol. 74,1 (2022): 8-23. doi:10.1002/iub.2529
4.) Saxton, Robert A., and David M. Sabatini. “MTOR Signaling in Growth, Metabolism, and Disease.”Cell, vol. 168, no. 6, 2017, pp. 960–976., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2017.02.004.
5.) Herzig, Sébastien, and Reuben J. Shaw. “AMPK: Guardian of Metabolism and Mitochondrial Homeostasis.” Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, vol. 19, no. 2, 2017, pp. 121–135., https://doi.org/10.1038/nrm.2017.95.
6.) Travis, Frederick, et al. “Invincible Athletics Program: Aerobic Exercise and Performance without Strain.” International Journal of Neuroscience, vol. 85, no. 3-4, 1996, pp. 301–308., doi:10.3109/00207459608986691.
7.) Mattson MP. Hormesis defined. Ageing Res Rev. 2008 Jan;7(1):1-7. doi: 10.1016/j.arr.2007.08.007. Epub 2007 Dec 5. PMID: 18162444; PMCID: PMC2248601.
8.) Strodtman C. Your Life Your Choice: The Rise of Adaptive Medicine. Adaptive Medicine; 2025.
9.) Panda, Satchin. The Circadian Code: Lose Weight, Supercharge Your Energy, and Transform Your Health from Morning to Midnight. Rodale, an Imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, 2018.
10.) Tu Y, Rappel WJ. Adaptation of Living Systems. Annu Rev Condens Matter Phys. 2018 Mar;9:183-205. doi: 10.1146/annurev-conmatphys-033117-054046. Epub 2017 Dec 8. PMID: 30057689; PMCID: PMC6060625.
