Book Club: Reading When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress

Our 42nd book club meeting! We'll be discussing When the Body Says No: The Cost of Hidden Stress by Gabor Maté “Western medicine achieves spectacular triumphs when dealing with acute conditions such as fractured bones or life-threatening infections. It is less successful against ailments not susceptible to the quick ministrations of scalpel, antibiotic or miracle drug. Trained to consider mind and body separately, physicians are often helpless in arresting the advance of most of the chronic diseases, such as breast cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn’s disease, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Gabor Maté has found that in all of these chronic conditions, there is a common thread: people afflicted by these diseases have led lives of excessive stress, often invisible to the individuals themselves. From an early age, many of us develop a psychological coping style that keeps us out of touch with the signs of stress. So-called negative emotions, particularly anger, are suppressed. Dr. Maté writes with great conviction that knowledge of how stress and disease are connected is essential to prevent illness in the first place, or to facilitate healing." As always, don't worry if you haven't finished reading the book -- everyone is welcome! We'd love to see you and hear your thoughts. You can join in person at the store, or virtually on Zoom. For a Zoom link and/or to get on the Book Club email list, drop us a line at info@cavershambooksellers.com.