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By Root 927 0

set” mode, their bodies release the flight-promoting adrenaline hormones that power their muscles for the arduous task ahead. While the athletes are on hold awaiting the “Go” command, their bodies are straining in anticipation of that task. In a normal race, that strain lasts only a second or two before the starter yells, “Go!” However, in our mythical race, the “Go” command, which would launch the athletes into action, never comes. The athletes are left in the starting blocks, their blood coursing with adrenaline, their bodies fatiguing with the strain of preparing for the race that never comes. No matter how toned their physique, within seconds, these athletes will physically collapse from the strain.

We live in a “Get set” world and an increasing body of research suggests that our hyper-vigilant lifestyle is severely impacting the health of our bodies. Our daily stressors are constantly activating the HPA axis, priming our bodies for action. Unlike competitive athletes, the stresses in our bodies are not released from the pressures generated by our chronic fears and concerns. Almost every major illness that people acquire has been linked to chronic stress. (Segerstrom and Miller 2004; Kopp and Réthelyi 2004; McEwen and Lasky 2002; McEwen and Seeman 1999)

In a revealing study published in 2003 in Science, researchers considered why patients on SSRI antidepressants, such as Prozac or Zoloft, don’t feel better right away. There is usually at least a two-week lag between starting the drugs and the time the patients feel they are getting better. The study found that depressed people exhibit a surprising lack of cell division in the region of the brain called the hippocampus, a part of the nervous system involved with memory. Hippocampal cells renewed cell division at the time patients first began to experience the mood-shifting effect of the SSRI drugs, weeks after the onset of the drug regimen. This study and others challenge the theory that depression is simply the result of a “chemical imbalance” affecting the brain’s production of monoamine signaling chemicals, specifically serotonin. If it were as simple as that, the SSRI drugs would likely restore that chemical balance right away.

More researchers are pointing to the inhibition of neuronal growth by stress hormones as the source of depression. In fact, in chronically depressed patients, the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, the center of higher reasoning, are physically shrunken. A review of this study published in Science reported: “Overtaking the monoamine hypothesis in recent years has been the stress hypothesis, which posits that depression is caused when the brain’s stress machinery goes into overdrive. The most prominent player in this theory is the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis.” (Holden 2003)

The HPA axis’ effect on the cellular community mirrors the effect of stress on a human population. Picture a vibrant community back in the Cold War years, when the possibility of a nuclear attack by the Russians weighed heavily on Americans’ minds. Like cells in a multicellular organism, the members of this Cold War society actively work at jobs that contribute to the community’s growth and usually get along with each other. Factories are busy manufacturing, construction people are building new homes, grocery stores are selling food, and kids are in school learning their ABCs. The community is in a state of health and growth while its residents constructively interact toward a common goal.

Suddenly, the sound of an air raid siren rocks the town. Everyone stops working to run off, seeking the safety of bomb shelters. The harmony of the community is disrupted as individuals, acting only in support of their own survival, fight their way to a bomb shelter. After five minutes, the all-clear signal sounds. Residents return to their jobs and resume their lives in a growing community.

But what would happen if the sirens sound, the residents run into their air raid shelters, and there is no all-clear signal to release them? People would stay in their protective