Stress and Illness

Answer each of the following questions first in your word processor. When you are finished, be sure to save your work. Then copy it and paste it all into the appropriate box below. This activity has several parts to it. Do not leave any of the parts undone. It is better to do a bit more than a bit less than you think is necessary. That way I can be pretty sure you have read through the chapter and understand it pretty well.

Please base your responses to the questions below on chapter four of your text:

From this chapter's reading respond to the following questions. Make sure you have answered them sufficiently enough to demonstrate that you have thoroughly read and understand the principles in the chapter. (Do not copy and paste from the chapter into your answers).

• Explain why the fight-or-flight response leads to the medium-term effects of chronic stress.
• Select a medium term effect of stress that you experience and relate, based on the information in the chapter, how you can explain that its occurs because of continued activation of the fight-or-flight response. (For example, if you can't fall asleep at night, why would the stress response be to blame?)
• Looking at the long-term effects of stress why do you think we can say with confidence that stress impacts nearly every disease in our culture today?
• Regarding psychoneuroimmunology, explain why two people could always be in the same environment and only one of them catches a cold.
• Explain the terms psychosomatic illness and the placebo effect. Include your thoughts about how the mind works to affect conditions of the body.
• Finish your discussion with your thoughts of how this information affects you personally including any insights you had about yourself and the stress that you experience.