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Show Ideas for Better Living . . . Stress Causes Illness by Dr. Ford McBride Timpanogos Community Mental Health Center Fatty diets, cigarettes, and lack of exercise are not the of it" is probably under stress. Stress can also effect appetite. ap-petite. The person either eats too much or too little. Compulsive eating puts added strain on the heart and can also affect self-esteem. Next week I will discuss ways of reducing stress. Dr. McBride can be seen every Wednesday on Channel ll's "Newsroom" at 6:00 p.m. If you have a question or topic you would like Dr. McBride to discuss in his column, write: Dr. M. Ford McBride, 1161 East 300 North, Provo, Utah 84601. main factors responsible for many of the chronic diseases hitting hit-ting American Ameri-can males in middle age, it is stress. Stress is the rate of wear and tear y A on the body. It is anything that speeds up, keys up, or tenses up our bodies. We are all under stress every day. Without it we wouldn't move, think, get out of bed or care. We need it, but we don't need an excess of it. In order to deal with stress, we must understand how it works so we can learn to recognize it and cope with it. We must also learn to recognize when too much stress becomes more than we can handle alone. Then help is needed. Understanding some of the major symptons of stress can help us cope more effectively with it. The American Psychiatric Association points out that muscle tenseness is one of the most common symptoms of stress. A person under stress may be so tense that muscle cramping occurs. Tight neck, shoulder and upper back muscles may lead to head and backaches. Many of us have experienced a tension headache brought on by stress. Problems with sleep are also associated with stress. Trouble falling asleep and early waking are not uncommon un-common with a person experiencing ex-periencing stress. Fatigue can be a symptom of stress if it is not brought on by extreme physical exertion. Boredom, depression, dullness and lack of interest are also prevalent under stress. A person who is constantly in any of these states and does not "snap out |