Calculating Stress: From Entropy to a Thermodynamic Concept of Health and Disease

Abstract

To date, contemporary science has lacked a satisfactory tool for the objective expression of stress. This text thus introduces a new–thermodynamically derived–approach to stress measurement, based on entropy production in time and independent of the quality or modality of a given stressor or a combination thereof. Hereto, we propose a novel model of stress response based on thermodynamic modelling of entropy production, both in the tissues/organs and in regulatory feedbacks. Stress response is expressed in our model on the basis of stress entropic load (SEL), a variable we introduced previously; the mathematical expression of SEL, provided here for the first time, now allows us to describe the various states of a living system, including differentiating between states of health and disease. The resulting calculation of stress response regardless of the type of stressor(s) in question is thus poised to become an entirely new tool for predicting the development of a living system.

Health and Disease Are Dynamic Complex-Adaptive States Implications for Practice and Research

“…another system characteristic-the increase in system entropy. All biological systems ultimately reach a level of entropy incompatible with life (36,37).…”

Stress entropic load: New stress measurement method?

“…Including the above equations, i.e. 1 to 6 , to the previously published formula [ 4 ] provides the following derived formula for the calculation of SEL: …”

“…Using entropy as a departure point, we previously proposed a holistic thermodynamic model of health and disease whose universal character incidentally corresponds to Selye’s general theory of stress but which does not contradict currently known concepts of environmental interactions with an individual or a population [ 4 ]. The proposed model enables the calculation of stress as well as the quantification of stress over a given period.…”

“…In our previous study [ 4 ] we introduced stress entropic load (SEL), a variable designed to facilitate the objective physical measurement of the stress load of a human body. Mathematically, SEL is an explicitly time-dependent function expressed implicitly by different types of heat and temperature changes.…”

“…Mathematically, SEL is an explicitly time-dependent function expressed implicitly by different types of heat and temperature changes. Furthermore, in our previous article, we also described an equation calculating approximate SEL for a short measurement interval [ 4 ]. In this article we present a novel approach to measure SEL development in humans and we further test this approach on healthy male volunteers subjected to prolonged mental effort.…”