Not long ago I heard about one more study done with rats. This particular study seemed to indicate that the amount of stress experienced by baby rats in their first ten days set their bodies for the rest of their lives as to how the rats would react to stressful situations. As I recall, there are at least two factors at work. First of all, in a stressful situation a chemical is produced that triggers the stress response throughout the body. Secondly, there are receptors throughout the body which sense that chemical and alert the appropriate glands and organs to get ready for "fight or flight." 

If during those first ten days of life the baby rat experienced a lot of stress, especially from the mother, then the brain is programmed permanently to produce a lot of the stress chemical and a h…