When Cathy Perry’s blood pressure and cholesterol began climbing and her waist expanded by a few inches, she blamed middle age. When her memory became fuzzy and she frequently forgot familiar names and phone numbers, she attributed it to impending menopause. And when she seemed to catch every cold and virus that went around, she pointed to her two kids.

Her doctor, however, said just one culprit could be responsible for many of her symptoms: stress.

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