STRESS AND YOUR BODY

With his perky Dr. Science speaking style and encyclopedic knowledge, a popular neuroscience professor delivers 24 lectures on how stress impacts our mental and physical health. A 379-page book with lecture summaries and transcripts accompanies the recordings, making this product a reference work for the shelf as well as a fascination for the ear. With casual, spontaneous-sounding language, Sapolsky describes how a variety of physiological systems respond to real or anticipated danger and how our immune system, brain chemistry, energy, and relationships change for the worse when our equilibrium is disturbed by chronic stress. Though the quantity and density of this information could be overwhelming for some, the overall message is optimistic. The sections on reducing or counteracting stress are clear and illuminating. T.W. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2011]