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The End of Stress as We Know It provides readers with the "gold standard" in understanding how their bodies work under stress and why they have the power to avoid its debilitating effects. Bruce McEwen, Ph.D., one of the world's authorities on the subject of stress, here provides unshakable evidence of how mind and body work together either for good or for ill when we are challenged by life's events.

Describing the subtle damage that comes from failing to turn off the body's danger alert system, Dr. McEwen shows how chemicals activated during stressful situations can protect the body under acute conditions, and how, when chronically activated, they can cause long-lasting harm. He counsels that many stress management programs can help us, if we understand the powerful mind-body forces activated by stress.

The premise of this book is that knowledge is power. By learning how the body reacts to large and small challenges in our lives, by understanding how we put ourselves in situations that cause upheaval in our minds and bodies, we can make the best choices--backed up by the latest scientific knowledge.

Table of Contents

Foreword by Robert Sapolsky                                                                                          

Chapter 1: A New Way to Look at Stress                                                                 

Chapter 2: The Stress Response—or How We Cope                                            

Chapter 3: Stress and the Emotional Connection                                                    

Chapter 4: Allostatic Load: When Protection Gives Way to Damage                   

Chapter 5: Stress and the Cardiovascular System                                                  

Chapter 6: Stress and the Immune System                                                              

Chapter 7: Stress and the Brain                                                                                 

Chapter 8: How Not To Be Stressed Out                                                                  

Chapter 9: Positive Health                                                                                          

Chapter 10: Where We Could Go from Here                                                           

Appendix: Chemical Messengers of Allostatis, Their Receptors, and Their Protective and Damaging Effects               

Notes                                                                                                             

Index                                                                                                              

Endorsements

"McEwen's book is skillfully written and will appeal to a wide readership."

-Library Journal

"The Editors Recommend."

-Scientific American

"...a fascinating read...the wealth of facts have been brilliantly summarized in an often entertaining manner..."

-Nature