Henry Charles Brennan

Introduction: Our Tower’s Weakest Point Prologue A sister’s concern Can identical twins be completely different in the way that their body chemistry responds to stress and depression? Is it their environment – or something else? Fingers of sunshine punctured ashen clouds as Grace Bailey drove through her sister’s suburban neighbourhood. It had been raining for three days straight. But as the sun emerged, a dazzling rainbow stretched across the lilac sky. Grace smiled silently at the stunning colours. It felt good to finally be in a more positive mood. Grace’s father had passed away suddenly about four months ago, plunging Grace and her family into a chasm of grief. But as the weeks and then months passed, Grace found inspiration in the smiles of her children and the challenges of her work, and her mother was comforted by a renewed interest in creating pottery. But Abby, Grace’s identical twin sister, remained inconsolable. Abby’s husband called Grace earlier that morning while on his way to work. Abby was getting worse. She’d missed a lot of work, and while her boss understood at first, he was getting frustrated. She’d lost interest in painting, one of her favourite hobbies—and she’d even stopped walking her dog, which now rarely left her side, indicating that he sensed something was amiss. David encouraged his wife to see a doctor or a counsellor, but she refused and her depression was putting a strain on their marital relationship. Maybe Grace could help. As she walked up the driveway, Grace tilted her face toward the rainbow. It seemed to make her feel stronger. Grace prayed her sister would find a similar strength. Inside, she found Abby sitting at the kitchen table, wrapped in a blanket, scratching on a piece of paper with a black pen. From the circles under her eyes, Grace detected that her sister hadn’t had a decent amount of sleep lately, which she found very disturbing. However, she didn’t comment on this. “Whatcha drawin’?” Grace asked. “Nothing,”Abby said. “Why’re you here?” “David called. He’s worried about you.” “He should mind his own business,” Abby said, uncharacteristically. She was continuing to scribble furious black spirals that resembled a tornado. “I’m fine.” Grace filled a teakettle with water and put it on to boil. She washed up a few dishes that were left in the sink and opened the kitchen window to let in some fresh air. Abby worked on a series of long black lines, drawn so close together the white between them was barely visible. “Taking a day off work?” ‘They don’t need me.” Abby worked as a framing specialist for an art gallery. “Don’t you and David need the money?” “I don’t want to talk about this,” Abby said, cross-hatching the lines. “And if you came here just to yell at me, then just go back home.” “I’m not yelling.” The kettle began to steam and shake. Abby vaguely focused on the thick black tangle she’d created, leaving miniscule bits of white. “Tea?” Grace asked. “You know, we don’t have to talk about it.” “Sure.” Grace took two heavy mugs out of the cupboard. She poured steaming water into a teapot, releasing the heady aroma of malty black tea. As it steeped, she carried a carton of milk, a bowl of sugar and a couple of spoons to the table. “‘Got any biscuits?” Grace inquired. “‘Maybe in the living room.”’ A “game” of Jenga Grace found a half-eaten packet of digestives on the coffee table, lying next to a Jenga game. “Jenga! We haven’t played this since we were kids. Where’d you get it?” Abby muttered that David’s nephew left it. Grace invited Abby to play, but she declined. However, Abby watched silently while Grace carefully composed a tower of rectangular wooden blocks. She laid three wooden blocks side-by-side, then another three on top, in the opposite direction. She continued, layer after layer, creating a cross-hatched construction that somewhat resembled the lines depicted in Abby’s drawing. “You go first,” Grace said. Abby wrinkled her nose, but eventually put her finger on a block toward the middle of the tower, poking it first to loosen it, and then pulling it gently out the other side. They took turns, tapping and wiggling blocks, trying to discern which ones they could remove easily—and which were critical to the tower’s weakening edifice. Grace studied the tower’s now-frail skeleton. She tapped lightly on a block, but pulled back quickly as the structure wavered. She squinted, chewing on her bottom lip, testing block after block. They all seemed vital to the tower’s survival. If she removed the wrong one, the game would be over. She held her breath and tapped once more. The block moved, ever so slightly. She pushed with her fingertip, then reached to the other side and slowly pulled the block. The tower shuddered. She held her breath. One more gentle tug and the block was out. The tower was still standing. She let out her breath and grinned. “You brat!” Abby exclaimed as she slid a block from her pile toward her sister, narrowly missing the tower. “That’s the last one.” “Oh, c’mon, Ab. What about this one?” Grace pointed to a block that was sticking out a bit on one side. Abby squinted at the feeble structure, wrinkling her forehead. When she tried to loosen the block, the tower wobbled. She paused and then pushed the block again. It moved ever so slightly. She pushed once more, but the blocks below buckled, and the tower tumbled down. Part 1: Understanding Stress Have you ever experienced a serious level of stress? Are you currently experiencing stress? The first step to dealing with this condition is to understand the nature of stress. In Part 1, I will provide you with some information about stress that you may not have considered before! As Abby and Grace had just observed, every block in a Jenga tower contributes to the stability of the structure, and some support more weight than others. Some blocks can be removed easily, without causing much instability. Others are riskier, but if they are handled with a deft hand and thoughtful strategy, the tower can cope with its loss. Inevitably, though, when too many blocks are removed, no matter how carefully, the tower will collapse. If you’ve played Jenga, chances are you’ve sent the blocks crashing. It happens a lot (every time the game is played, in fact). But the great thing is that you can pick up the pieces and rebuild your tower - perhaps even stacking the blocks a little tighter, while making the structure stronger than before. 1.1 – Building Blocks of Our Bodies How do the “basics” regarding the parts that make up our body, along with chemical reactions, influence our emotions? At what point do things become “critical” or “dangerous” to our health and well-being? So what does a wooden block game have to do with stress and depression? Well, the human body is made up of many individual parts—from the petite baby toe to the powerful, organisation-oriented brain. Everything works together as a cohesive, single structure (just like Jenga blocks). But, throughout our lives, we sustain injuries and illnesses that impact our various parts. While our bodies are wonderfully resilient, if we suffer too great a blow—or too many—we fall apart. And some losses are worse than others. For example, losing your baby toe wouldn’t be nearly as bad as, say, losing part of your brain. In fact, other than the initial pain and the awkwardness when wearing flip-flops, it wouldn’t be so bad at all. What’s a baby toe good for anyway? It’s just another nail to trim, right? Maybe. But the thing is, even small losses weaken your structure. This can become evident when you try running, jumping rope or attempting a “tree pose” in your yoga class, sans one baby toe. You might stumble a bit —or even tumble to the ground, as you realise just how much your balance depended on that tiny digit. Of course, with a bit of practice, your mind and body will adjust your sense of balance and you’ll conquer that 5K race or pull off a perfect “Warrior III” yoga position in no time. As you probably know, every single one of our parts is made up of still even more units—from the cells and platelets in our blood to the synapses and ‘nerve cells’ (neurons) in our brain. And during every moment of every day, whether we’re engaged in a dream, reading a newspaper, or running a marathon, each of our millions of microscopic parts work together to keep us in a state of balance and well being. But if something is off—if one of our parts (no matter how small or large) isn’t functioning properly—we’re less prepared to succeed in our day-to-day life. And for each part that doesn’t contribute, our overall structure can be compromised. Beyond our physical characteristics What are the consequences of a “chemical imbalance”? Can this situation be repaired or is it genetically “hardwired” with no way of being managed or even “changed” at the genetic level? For example, our emotions and actions—our perceptions of the world and movements within it—essentially are governed by the neurons, which populate our nervous systems. Neurons sense the stimuli in our external environment and send messages to other cells via chemicals called neurotransmitters, telling the other cells how to react to a particular stimulus. In other words, our ‘messenger cells’ enable chemical reactions that determine how we respond to our environment. The goal of these chemical reactions is to keep our bodies safe. They are why we jump back when we touch a hot stove or duck when there’s a fly ball headed in our direction. Fortunately, we don’t have to think about it—it just happens. In this case, not needing conscious control of our body is definitely beneficial. However, chemical reactions also determine our emotions. A good example of this is how our hormones can influence our moods, especially during the beginning of adolescence, menstruation and menopause. They are also the reason that we laugh at a joke—or sob during a sad movie. With neurotransmitters, their main job is to regulate how we react to stimuli. They tell us when to be afraid or angry or excited. Then, after we’ve expressed that reaction or emotion, the neurotransmitters bring our bodies back to a state called homeostasis, which is our bodies’ physiological equilibrium, or state of balance. For example, you might cry during a tearjerker, but as soon as the credits start to roll, you’re laughing with your friends and tossing back that last handful of popcorn. The sadness resolves just as quickly as it set in. But what if our neurotransmitters sent signals that throw our emotions off balance instead of keeping them on an even keel? What if we cried for days after the movie? Or became so enraged at something minor— an annoyingly poor mobile phone connection, for example—that we threw the phone against a wall, cracking the screen? When our neural chemicals are out of balance, transmitting signals that don’t make sense and failing to reinstate equilibrium, we will have trouble coping with the stimuli that govern our lives, from minor, everyday challenges to unthinkable tragedies. A point of weakness How can you tell if you’re overly sensitive to the physical issues brought about by stress? What can be done if you are genetically predisposed to being highly susceptible to the effects of stress? Every one of us has at least one point of weakness—whether it’s a chemical imbalance, damaged cells or a missing toe. Most of us have a few, some are more difficult to manage than others. If we learn how to control and compensate for our weaknesses, we can live happily and we might even become stronger in the long run. But if we allow those weaknesses to run rampant, our structure deteriorates, and we inevitably “crumble”. So why do some people seem to bounce back from ‘everything’ life throws at them, while others linger in gnawing sadness, anger or fear? Why do some people’s coping mechanisms—their neural chemicals—work better than others? Well, some people are genetically wired to deal with stress more efficiently than others—just as some of us are naturally more athletic or better at art. While one person shuts down under stressful conditions, another sees them as a doable challenge. Regardless, at some point, constant high levels of stress can take a toll on your body. And if you’re genetically predisposed to crumble under pressure, dealing with stress may seem impossible. The good news is—it’s not. 1.2 – Types of Stressors What are the various causes and types of stress? Are you able to completely avoid these or is there another solution? Despite what you may have read in certain unreliable self-help books, there’s no such thing as attaining a ‘stress-free’ life. By its very nature, life is full of change—often it’s unexpected and ‘change’ can certainly lead to ‘stress’. Even if that disruption is for the good (and especially if it’s not), it likely causes stress. Rarely does a day pass when you don’t experience at least something of this nature, whether major or minor. From fleeting annoyances like traffic jams and long lines at the grocery store to more intense situations like unemployment and illness, stress is ubiquitous. Stressors sometimes take the form of things you might not even worry about, like randomised sleep patterns and minor insomnia occurrences. Consider the things in your life that prompt you to say, “I’m so stressed out”’. Is it your job? Children? Money? All of these items? Those things are biggies. However, did you ever consider your wardrobe as a source of stress? Or your desk chair? Basically, any external stimulus that causes a physiological or psychological response is a potential stressor—whether it’s an impending work deadline, an uncomfortable pair of shoes or a baby who refuses to stop crying. The actions of these external stressors can create either a mild or serious stress reaction. In other words, an action produces a reaction. Stress is the body’s reaction to an external stressor that causes a disruption to your homeostasis, or equilibrium. Let’s look at the different type of stressors, to help us get a handle on the situation. Physical Illness is an example of a physical stressor. The action of illness produces fever and other symptoms that constitute the stress. Injury is another type of physical stressor. The action of injury can produce pain and possibly infection, which causes stress to the body. Oftentimes, your job can cause physical stress. Jobs that involve manual labour are inherently stressful on the body, but even jobs that aren’t physically demanding can cause a physical stress reaction. For example, if you work at a desk in an uncomfortable chair every day, that stress will negatively impact your body. Environmental If you’ve ever been irritated by a neighbor’s barking dog or crowing rooster, then you’ve experienced an environmental stressor. But environmental stressors can take many different forms, including pollution, pesticides and other toxins, constant noise and extreme heat or cold, to name a few. Remarkably, environmental stressors affect us beyond the temporary aggravation of a yapping pooch—they can actually change part of our genetic makeup. Sounds a little unbelievable? Well, science has shown that our environment and our lifestyle, including what we eat and drink and even how we cope with stress, can affect our genes. Intrigued? Then keep reading. We’ll discuss this incredible bit of scientific investigation a bit further in Section 2.2 – Epigenetics (but don’t be tempted to skip ahead—you don’t want to miss what comes next). Emotional Emotional stress can take the form of depression, anxiety, aggression—including anti-social behaviour. For example, this form of stress can come from your reaction to something you believe is threatening you or how you perceive cultural and economic barriers. As with any type of stress, emotional stress can eventually take a toll, both mentally and physically. What’s worse, it can be exacerbated by other types of stress, like environmental and physical. Psychosocial Psychosocial stressors are external events or conditions that can threaten the well-being of an adult, young child, or adolescent. These include stressors from interpersonal relationships, as well as simple interactions with other people. Exposure to psychosocial stressors can lead to depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues. The Family Stress Model, developed by social scientist Dr. Rand D. Conger, Ph.D. at the University of California, Davis, 1 shows how exposure to stressors can shape parenting behaviours, which play a role in the outcome of a child’s mental health. Economic factors, parental marital strife, divorce, parental mental health issues, chronic health conditions of various family members, domestic violence and child abuse are examples of psychosocial stressors that can affect the health of young children and adolescents. 1.2 – How Your Brain and Body Communicate Stress How does the human body normally deal with stress? What are the consequences if your body doesn’t follow the “normal process” of coping with stress? Stress As a normal process, your brain communicates directly with your immune and endocrine systems to keep your body stabilised. Stress interrupts these dynamic processes of feedback and regulation, causing you to feel uneasy and out of balance. When this happens, your body releases chemical messengers from the nervous and endocrine systems that respond to the stress and eventually bring your body back into homeostasis. In general, your body has an initial response to stress, followed by more specific responses to particular types of stress. Austrian endocrinologist Hans Selye2, known as the father of modern stress theory, pioneered research in 1936, which showed that the body uses the same general pattern of hormonal and physiological adjustments to respond to a wide variety of stressors. In other words, your body’s response to stress is the same in a traffic jam as when arguing with your spouse. Selye’s research describes how your body generally responds to stress through the general adaptation syndrome (GAS), also known as the stress response, which involves three phases; alarm, resistance and exhaustion. The following are descriptions of the phases of general adaptation syndrome. Alarm Phase The alarm phase is the body’s immediate response to stress, also known as the ‘fight or flight’ response. When faced with a stressful situation, the brain immediately sends signals in the form of hormones that prepare the body to either confront the stressor or flee to safety. During the alarm phase, you become more mentally alert and you experience a burst of energy. Your blood pressure and heart rate rise, your breathing quickens, and you sweat more profusely. Your organs, too, prepare for the body’s response by slowing certain types of production—especially in the digestive system. This is so blood can move away from organs like the kidneys and toward organs that are active in the stress response, like the muscles, brain and heart, to help support the increased energy output. Resistance Phase Next, the body moves into the resistance phase. After its initial fight or flight response, the body attempts to recover from the effects of stress and return to homeostasis. It does this by releasing additional hormones that elevate blood-sugar levels to sustain the high energy needed to bring the body’s functions back to normal. If the stressor subsides, the body returns to homeostasis and all is well. However, if the stressor persists, the body still attempts to return to ‘normal’, but it must do so by adapting to the stress. This means the body must maintain those high energy levels and, as time goes on, the body’s adaptation levels increase, requiring even higher levels of energy. During the resistance phase, you might find yourself more tired than usual, your work production may decline, and your appetite may increase or decrease. You also might be anxious, irritable, or sad, and find yourself turning to things like alcohol, drugs, or excess food, just to get through the day, as a means of ‘self-medication’. Exhaustion Phase When your body simply cannot cope with the stress any longer, you enter the exhaustion phase. The body has broken down, worn out both emotionally and physically. You’re angry, confused, lethargic, and you feel helpless and hopeless. Things like overeating, lack of exercise, or drug and alcohol abuse often accompany this stage, hastening the downward spiral. Severe depression, anxiety, and heart disease have been linked to this phase and, if left untreated, may lead to death. 1.3 – When Stress Becomes Disease Is it possible for your failure to recover from a bout of stress/depression to occur on an on-going basis? At what point can excessive stress be considered a “disease” or a “chronic illness”? Now, imagine life in the sweltering African savannah. You’re a slender gazelle, blazing sun on your back and moving casually through the heat and humidity with your herd. You eventually reach a peaceful, glistening pool so you stop to lap the cool water, refreshing your weary body. Suddenly, something feels terribly wrong. You look up. A blur of gold and black is racing toward you. Before you can fully process that the cheetah is planning to eat you for dinner, you’re running as fast as you can, faster than you ever have before. Consider a highly trained martial artist who, after a long day at his training facility (dojo), is walking towards the local bus stop. It’s night time and there are only faint, discernible sounds that come from the traffic on the main boulevard, three blocks away. Then, suddenly, another sound intrudes on the crisp night air. It’s the sound of quickly approaching footsteps. Our 7th degree Karate master spins around just in time to see the dark blur of a dangerous mugger, brandishing a razor-sharp knife, lunging towards him. At that moment, there is no conscious thought involved, just highly trained reflexes honed over 35 years of self-defense study. One minute later, we find that martial artist, standing over the unconscious form of the mugger, while dialing the police on his cell phone. Now think about Abby’s response to her father’s demise. Chemical responses to stress Every animal, from reptiles to mammals along with humans, undergoes a chemical response to stress that increases their heart rate and blood pressure, among other bodily changes during the alarm phase. But unlike humans, you won’t find birds or fish stuck in a resistance or exhaustion phase for extensive periods of time. So what makes us susceptible to chronic stress and depression while animals return to homeostasis quickly and efficiently? Doesn’t escaping the jaws of a ferocious cat sound ‘slightly’ more traumatic than losing your job? Why aren’t the recurring (and routine) episodes of a gazelle’s swift, deadly encounters far more emotionally devastating, lasting over longer periods of time? Well, actually part of the answer lies within that episode’s description - namely, the depiction of the gazelle; running as fast as it could. That’s because, since the body’s stress response is essentially a fight or flight reaction, it makes perfect sense to have an elevated heart rate and excess energy, so everything can be put into running for one’s life. But, this is an action that would occur for a short period of time. However, if you’re stressed about mustering enough cash for an overdue bill or grieving over the death of a loved one, there’s typically no real major physical outlet for those bodily changes. For example, shedding tears is not the same physical release as running or delivering a lightning-fast side kick! And when your body repeatedly experiences these heightened reactions to non-life-threatening stressors, you’re at risk for many side effects, some very serious. GAS pioneer Hans Selye also established that the start of chronic disease is related to your body’s internal processes. In 1936, Selye advanced the concept that stress is related to chronic disease3, and scientific literature published over the past 50 years has supported his findings. Essentially, when excessive stress continually triggers your stress response, your response system starts to break down and is no longer able to effectively counteract the stress and make the physiological adjustments. Your body becomes out of balance and vulnerable to disease. Monkey Business Do you live and/or work in a social environment that promotes stress? Here is a good example. Renowned neuroscientist Robert Sapolsky of Stanford University has spent much of his career studying precisely how and why stress can cause disease. While Sapolsky’s studies involve the typical lab rat (and human subjects), some of his more interesting creatures of study are found in the African wilderness – namely, baboons.4 As part of a research project that has spanned 30 plus years, Sapolsky has travelled to Kenya, on many occasions, to study stress reactions of these highly social primates. Specifically, how stress impacts their behavioural and physiological responses. His findings are astonishing. Because baboons spend only about three hours a day gathering food, and don’t really have to worry much about predators, the remainder of their waking hours are spent socialising with other members of their troop. If you’ve ever spent nine or ten hours a day, every day, with the same people, you know it’s not always perfect harmony. And where there’s social conflict present, there’s bound to be stress. It can be similar to working in a corporate office, surrounded by one’s colleagues. “They’re just like us. They’re not getting done in by predators and famines, they’re getting done in by each other”, Sapolsky said, in an article originally published by Stanford University.5 “We've found that baboons have diseases that other social mammals generally don't have. If you're a gazelle, you don't have a very complex emotional life, despite being a social species. But primates are just smart enough that they can ‘think’ their bodies into working differently. It's not until you get to primates that you get behaviour that looks like depression.” Even more fascinating is that, like humans, all baboons are not created equal when it comes to stress. Those who rank low in the troop’s pecking order, as well as what Sapolsky calls ‘Type A baboons”, seem to be more vulnerable to negative effects of stress. ‘Type A” baboons are the ones who experience stressors that other animals don’t”, Sapolsky said. “For example, having your worst rival taking a nap, just 100 yards away from you, gets you agitated.” This type of non-life-threatening stress can wreak havoc on their bodies, just as in humans. Through blood and tissue samples and tests like electrocardiograms, Sapolsky has discovered a host of stress-related health issues in those baboons. ‘Their reproductive system doesn't work as well, their wounds heal more slowly, they have elevated blood pressure and the anti-anxiety chemicals in their brain, which have a structural similarity to Valium, work differently”, Sapolsky said. “So, physically, they’re not in great shape.” Baboons likely aren’t our only “stressed-out” counterparts. Sapolsky believes other intelligent, socialised animals capable of emotional complexity, like elephants and whales, may experience similar stress-related problems. The Slippery Slope from Stressed to Sick While completely avoiding stress is considered impossible for “normal” folks like you and me (I’m afraid you’ll have to give me the benefit of the doubt), what is the point where we tread the path between normal to heavy stress levels to an actual “disease”? Unlike baboons, as humans, we have the opportunity to learn about what causes stress and why we react the way we do—and how to manage it. However, if we don’t get it under control, we jeopardise our health in some frightening ways. Regularly heightened blood pressure and heart rate, slowed digestion and overproduction of stress-related hormones along with other chemicals can put you at risk for myriad diseases; including heart and inflammatory diseases, stroke and digestive disorders. It can even ‘fray’ your chromosomes, meaning your DNA ages faster than it should. All these reactions can also exhaust you, meaning you’re less likely to exercise. In addition, equilibrium imbalance throws off your sleep cycle. To compound the issue, the constant release of so-called “stress hormones”, like serotonin and glucocorticoids (we’ll learn more about those later), causes your body to crave carbohydrates, which often take the form of sugary foods. Making matters worse, as part of your body’s digestive response to stress, a chemical called neuropeptide Y (we’ll discuss this later, too) slows the processing of fats and sugars, encouraging your body to store them, putting you at risk for things like obesity and diabetes.6 With the wear and tear of a constantly triggered stress response exacerbated by a poor diet, irregular sleep schedule and lack of physical activity, your body simply cannot exist in a happy, healthy state. As indicated earlier, diseases associated with stress include: Stroke Heart disease, including hypertension and angina Digestive disease, including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GERD) Inflammatory disease, including migraines, asthma, and multiple sclerosis Obesity Cancer Unhealthy aging There’s another major disease so entwined with stress that the two are regularly mentioned side by side. You might have heard of it. It’s called depression. 1.4 – Stress and Depression What is the difference between “stress” and “depression”? Under what conditions does depression present itself? How often does it occur? Is it possible for you to experience a debilitating episode of depression? About 121 million people worldwide suffer from depression, a debilitating illness that’s capable of destroying relationships, killing careers, and even ending lives. According to a 2011 study, 15% of adults living in high-income countries (11% for middle- to low-income countries) will experience serious, debilitating depression at some point during their lives.7 For many people, it will follow a highly stressful event like the death of a loved one, job loss, or divorce. For others, it’s a chronic condition they struggle to comprehend and explain. Of those who chronically battle this disease, suicide and drug/alcohol dependency claim the lives of about 850,000 people each year.8 In most cases, depression resulting from a traumatic event lasts for days or maybe weeks, but eventually the body’s chemicals are able to regulate moods, bringing that person back into homeostasis. But sometimes depression loiters for months or even years. What might have begun as a response to a harrowing experience becomes “serial sadness” that is triggered by minor stressors or possibly nothing discernible at all. Sigmund Freud was the first to publicly distinguish between these two forms of depression, calling them “mourning” and “melancholy”.9 Mourning is considered a normal response to a stressful event. It’s the process of reacting to the stress, experiencing sadness and the many other emotions that come along with grief, then moving into a healing period and eventually emerging from the depression. Melancholy, on the other hand, is when the person simply doesn’t move through that healing process. It’s as though they are perpetually mired in sadness and grieving. Freud offered a psychological explanation that involves the repression of emotions. In other words, those who can’t (or won’t) express their anguish to others simply turn it inward, on themselves, wallowing in a cesspool of their own grief. While psychology (and not just Freudian psychology) does offer some viable theories as to why people deal with stress and depression the way they do, it’s not the whole story. However, recent advances in neuroscience have shed light on some remarkable genetic explanations for a predisposition for stress and depression (the subject of Part 2 of this book). The Goal of This Book My intention, with this book, is to explore one of the most remarkable and important developments in the scientific community. It represents study and events that are destined to change the world as we know it. In effect, it addresses our very nature as human beings, both physiological and psychological. Imagine a world in which major diseases, such as cancer, can be prevented or the scourge of chronic depression dealt with effectively! Today, we are moving towards the possibility of eliminating many health concerns by addressing them at the genetic level. While it was once thought that our genetic makeup represented a pre-determined, hardwired future, we now know otherwise. Changes in our genetic expression, once thought impossible, are systematically and effectively addressed within ongoing and evolving scientific research. In this book, you’ll find that I have utilised two very different approaches when it comes to relating this information. One approach involves outlining and discussing the straightforward biology that serves as a backdrop to this incredible study. My secondary approach is designed to deal with the subject matter in a more simplified, “real world human experience” format that is detailed with examples of life’s everyday encounters. These two descriptions have been designed to complement one another. However, even the more ‘complex’ biological material can be accessible to those who may not have a scientific background, but who are willing to spend a little additional time following along and piecing together the information, as well as looking over the references noted in the footnotes. That’s because I have kept the technical information as basic as I could, in order to reach the largest audience possible. But the best part, however, is that I’ve received a number of reports from those who have reviewed my original manuscript, which indicated that reading the ‘simpler’, real world experience illustrations actually made it far easier for them to understand the more technically-oriented material! It was also the case that, after reading both the less complex subject matter and the technical material, the incredibly engaging nature of the topic(s) discussed, fostered a strong desire to pursue researching and understanding additional scientific background material concerning the topics that were presented! So, if you are somewhat scientifically oriented, then great. You’re in for an astounding journey into the world of epigenetics. If you just want the basics of a subject that you may have recently heard about or possibly seen on the cover of a magazine,10 that’s no problem either. This book is designed for you to skip over the sections that you may find too technical and either ignore them completely or you can read them later and/or use them as reference material. In any case, be prepared to embark on a journey through a subject that will not only draw you in and lock your attention, but may one day physically affect you and those around you!