The superstress solution

by Roberta A. Lee

We live on little sleep and exercise but a lot of work. We eat junk and processed foods on the run and fuel up with caffeine and sugar. We are chronically overcommitted, subjected to a 24/7 news cycle, and can't take our eyes off our computers and PDAs. Is it any wonder that anxious is the new normal?Our bodies are hardwired to cope with stress, but we are biologically ill-equipped to handle the kind that we endure today. The human brain, in all its majesty, can't distinguish true physical emergencies from daily hassles, deadlines, information overload, difficult decisions, guilt, and worries. The physiological reaction is the same: a chronic hormonal surge born of our instinctive fight-or-flight response. The result is a cluster of dangerous symptoms: immune deficiencies, high blood pressure, weight gain, insomnia, and a wide range of other ailments. This is what world-renowned integrative physician Dr. Roberta Lee has defined as the SuperStress syndrome, which is caused by our overst