We’ve all heard of those Tibetan monks who can control their physiology — slow their metabolism, change their heart rate and brain waves, and adjust their body temperature at will — simply by meditating. Unfortunately, most of us are not trained to address the stressful psychic loads that are the burden of the 21st century. And they are killing us.

Just consider these facts:

• Some 95 percent of all illness is caused or worsened by stress.
• Low socioeconomic status is associated with poorer health outcomes and higher risk of death from all causes. This is not related to poorer health habits, but to feelings of powerlessness and loss of control.
• Internalized stress from feeling discriminated against is associated with high amounts of belly fat.
• Stress hormones damage the hippocampus — the memory center in the brain — causing memory loss and dementia.
• In a study of people who volunteered to have cold viruses injected into their noses, only people with a high level of perceived stress got colds.
• Women with metastatic breast cancer may survive twice as long if they are part of a support group.
• Belonging to a group — a religious group, a bowling club, a quilting group, for example — reduces risk of death from all causes and increases longevity regardless of other health habits.
• In a study of doctors, those who scored high on hostility questionnaires had an even higher risk of heart attacks than those who smoked, were overweight, had high blood pressure or didn’t exercise.