When the Body Says No: Understanding the Stress-Disease Connection

Book Description

Praise For WHEN THE BODY SAYS NO

"Once thought to be in the domain of genes, our health and behavior have recently been revealed to be controlled by our perception of the environment and our beliefs. Gabor Maté, M.D., skillfully blends recent advances in biomedicine with the personal insights of his patients to provide empowering insight into how deeply developmental experiences shape our health, behavior, attitudes, and relationships. A must-read for health professionals and lay readers seeking awareness of how the mind controls health."
-- Bruce Lipton, Ph.D., cellular biologist

"The interviewees' stories are often touching and haunting. . . . Maté carefully explains the biological mechanisms that are activated when stress and trauma exert a powerful influence on the body, and he backs up his claims with compelling evidence from the field. . . . Both the lay and specialist reader will be grateful for the final chapter, `The Seven A's of Healing,' in which Maté presents an open formula for healing and the prevention of illness from hidden stress."
-- Quill & Quire

"Medical science searches high and low for the causes of cancer, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and a host of other conditions. Yet it often ignores one of the most pervasive factors leading to illness: the hidden stresses embedded in our daily lives. In this important book, Dr. Gabor Maté combines a passionate examination of his patients' life histories with lucid explanations of the science behind mind-body unity. He makes a compelling argument for the importance of understanding stress both in the causation of disease and in the restoration of health."
-- Richard Earle, Ph.D.
Director of the Canadian Institute of Stress/ Hans Selye Foundation

Praise For SCATTERED

"One of the most comprehensive and accessible books about Attention Deficit Disorder."
-- Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Utterly sensible and deeply moving."
-- The Vancouver Sun

Customer Reviews:

For everyone who is concerned about their health.......2006-03-25

This book is fascinating! It has information that we all know intuitively but is good to see all the studies that have been done that confirm the facts. I am reading it very slowly, even putting it down to read a novel, then picked it up again. It is intense but forces me to look at how I relate to all those I love.

The Best Book I've Seen on Mindbody Causes of Illness.......2005-01-03

Life and society put an endless series of demands and requests on us. If we can't or won't say "no" to some of them, our bodies may say no for us, by getting sick or even dying. This is not a new idea. Many healers have taught it, and many books, including my own "Art of Getting Well" have described it.

But Gabor Mate explains it better than anyone, with powerful scientific evidence and moving stories to back it up. This Vancouver physician and health writer gives us the latest research on how emotions, thoughts, the nervous system, immune system and hormones work together to create health or illness. He interviewed more than 100 patients with various conditions, and he shows how always giving in to others and denying our own wants and needs makes us vulnerable to a wide variety of illness.

If you or someone you love is living with an autoimmune disease, an inflammatory condition, or cancer, you may find this book powerful and healing. If you are a health professional looking for better ways to help people with these "incurable" illnesses, you may find it here. If you just want to know more about body and mind and how they work, if you want to be entertained and moved, this book is for you. I wouldn't necessarily say buy it INSTEAD of Art of Getting Well, but they're complementary, and they're both great reading.

At times, I felt that Dr. Mate must have read my diary. The stories he tells of people with multiple sclerosis, ALS and other autoimmune diseases all sounded familiar. I'm pretty sure that my own inability to say no - to be open about my own fears and desires - contributed to my MS, although there were many other causes.

Gabor Mate sees the big picture-the combination of genes, physical and social environment, stresses and behaviors that lead to health problems. He doesn't blame us for not standing up for ourselves. He understands and explains the family dynamics and social forces that make it hard to say "No," even when our lives depend on it. He says, "Personality does not cause disease. Stress does. If we speak of a disease-prone personality, it is only in the sense that certain traits - in particular, the repression of anger - increase the amount of stress."

He knows, for example, that many of us feel guilty when we say no to others' demands, and he wants us get over it. He says, "For many people, guilt is a signal that they have chosen to do something for themselves. If you face a choice between feeling guilt and feeling resentful, choose the guilt every time. Resentment is soul suicide."

I had read a lot on PNI, or psychoneuroimmunology, the science of mindbody medicine. But I never understood exactly how these organs and cells all communicated and worked together until I read When The Body Says No. Mate has a gift for explaining difficult concepts in simple language. You will learn a lot, even if you don't completely buy the central idea.

A couple of criticisms - I wish he had written more about economic and political factors that make saying no difficult. The less power you have, the harder it is to protect yourself. Obviously, you can't say no if you're a slave. I write about the power aspects of disease in my new book, The Politics of Diabetes (out in 2006).

But a lot of people have lost their power not by being severely oppressed, but by things that happened to them in their childhood, even their infancy. There may be things we can do to reclaim some of our power and regain the freedom to say no. We may help ourselves heal in this way.

"When the Body Says No" is strong on these issues but doesn't give a lot of advice on what to do about them. The last chapter, the 7 A's of healing, provides some hints. The A's are Acceptance, Awareness, Anger, Autonomy, Attachment, Assertion, and Affirmation. Most of these get fairly short introductions, but I found the section on anger extremely valuable. Anger can be a life-giving force, or it can be a killer if suppressed or acted out as rage. We need to get in touch with the energy of anger and use it to empower ourselves and make needed changes. The other A's could have used some fleshing out, in my opinion.

As someone who has been immersed in mindbody medicine personally and professionally for 20 years, I recommend this book to all of you. It has meant more to me than anything I have read in this area for a long time.

David Spero RN. www.davidsperorn.com

Great Book.......2004-12-05

I disagree with the reviewer who said that this book does not offer solutions. Again and again the author reports that people need to be heard, and need to stop repressing emotions to get well. As a counselor working with battered women, I was amazed at the number of them who also had auto-immune disorders such as fibromyalgia. This book is a must read.

Proves a connection, but offers no tools to correct things. .......2004-10-28

I wanted to love this book because I think the theory of how stress affects the body is sound. However, I could not love this book because although the books seems to show connection between stress and frailties or illness in the body, it fails to help us learn how to effect change and find solutions. It is filled with many discouraging examples of patients with extraordinary problems, but not with success stories, not with stories of achievement, not with stories of people beating these problems, not with solutions that could turn the tables in the favor of the patient. Knowing a problem is one thing, and I believe most of us who purchase this book already believe the connection of stress and disease exists, however, we really need tools and solutions to understand how to change things. It could have been a great book, a best selling book, if that was included. I'm extremely disappointed.

Bravo! An aspect of healing that is grossly overlooked........2003-06-02

When the body says no is one of the most enlightening books I have read on the subject of living with cronic illness.
After re-reading this book a few times, I find myself looking at my own life very differently in a very positive and hopeful way.
Gabore makes some otherwise very complicated issues very readable for everyone.
If anyone suffers from any type of cronic illness or pain, this is definitely a must read.
Thank You Gabore.

Understanding Teenage Depression: A Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management

Average customer rating:

If you are or a loved one is suffering from depression, you should read this book.
A Teenager with Depression
As a Teenager with Depression
Well-organized, eye-opening, and informative!

Understanding Teenage Depression: A Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management
Maureen Empfield , and Nicholas Bakalar
Manufacturer: Owl Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Depression | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Emotions | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Family Health | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

Teenagers | Parenting | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books

General | Parenting & Families | Subjects | Books
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Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0805067612

Book Description

A comprehensive guide to the diagnosis and treatment of teenage depression. Each year thousands of teenagers are diagnosed with clinical depression. If ignored, poorly treated, or left untreated, this can be a devastating illness for adolescents and their families. Drawing on her many years of experience as a psychiatrist working with teenagers, Dr. Maureen Empfield answers the urgent questions parents and teens have about depression. This book provides the latest scientific findings on this serious condition and the most up-to-date information on its treatment.

Customer Reviews:

If you are or a loved one is suffering from depression, you should read this book........2005-08-23

As someone newly trying to grapple with the complicated topic of adolescent depression, from understanding what it is, to thinking about how to cope with it, this book is tops. It is easily readable and yet thorough in discussing every aspect of adolescent depression. Thank you to the authors for publishing this important work.

A Teenager with Depression.......2003-10-18

As a teen with depression I read a lot of book on the topic. THIS IS THE BEST ONE! I was diagnosed with a certin depression, that is hard to find information on -double depression. This book explains all about the differnt kinds of depression, also differtent methods to help feel better. I liked and related so much I would leave the book out with a note teeling my parents or friends to read parts. This book explains all parts if depression, and makes it a good read for a teenager that is depressed, or for some one that knows a teen.

As a Teenager with Depression.......2003-10-18

I dignosed with Depression in my teens and I have read many book out there over the years. THIS IS THE BEST ONE! I realted to it so much and I was able to show other people pages and sections that I tought would help them, help me. This book explains about differnt kinds of depression, and one of them is what I was diagnosed with. This is the only book that I have found that has a whole section of it. I love this book and if you are a teenager, or know a teenager with depression I would recomend this book.

Well-organized, eye-opening, and informative!.......2001-11-29

When you think about someone being diagnosed with depression, teenagers might not come first to mind. But teenagers are not exempt from things that can make adults experience an extreme feeling of being overwhelmed and saddened. They are just as vulnerable as adults when it comes to having fights and disagreements with friends or family, and problems at school could intensify their negative emotions. With all the problems teenagers encounter these days, how can you determine whether a teenager's depression is serious enough to warrant treatment?

The book "Understanding Teenage Depression: A Guide to Diagnosis, Treatment, and Management," addresses this information. Readers will become more familiar with depression -- how common it actually is; who is likely to be at risk; how to determine if a teenager is depressed; and what treatments are available. Other important information in the book discusses life events that could lead to teenage depression; various therapies; and other disorders that may afflict teenagers.

Book Description

If you are frequently depressed or feel as if you are on a careening roller-coaster ride of emotional ups and downs--a ride that sometimes indicates a bipolar-related disorder--your moods may well control you. But there is a better way. Mastering Your Moods explores depression and what you can do about it. No matter how deep your depression or drastic your mood swings--even if you've struggled for years--you can experience a fulfilling, joyful life. Thousands have struggled for years and then turned to these men for wisdom and direction--and found hope and a new way of living victoriously.

Customer Reviews:

very understandable, relative to the topic, fantastic!!!.......1999-08-06

I especially enjoyed this book because I'm Bipolar, & washelp by the information contained within. The authors really comeacross as knowledgeable & caring people. A must read for people w/ mood disorders or their families/friends.

Understanding Depression: A Complete Guide to Its Diagnosis and Treatment

Average customer rating:

I do not hate, I am not alone, I am depressed
DARKNESS INTELLIGIBLE
DARKNESS INTELLIGIBLE

Understanding Depression: A Complete Guide to Its Diagnosis and Treatment
Donald F. Klein , and Paul H. Wender
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Emotions | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Pathologies | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0195086694

Book Description

Recent studies have found that one woman in five, and one man in ten, will suffer from depression or manic depression sometime during the course of their lives. This is a disturbing statistic, but there is hope, because more and more evidence has surfaced to indicate that many psychiatric disorders are biological diseases that can be successfully treated with medication. Most people, however, know little about these recent findings. They don't know how to tell if the depression they are suffering from is biological or not, nor what they can do to recover from it if it is. In Understanding Depression, Donald Klein and Paul Wender offer a definitive guide to depressive illness--its causes, course, and symptoms. They clarify the difference between depression (which is a normal emotion) and biological depression (which is an illness), and include several self-rating tests with which readers can determine whether or not they should seek psychiatric evaluation to determine if they have a biological depressive illness. They describe the symptoms of biological depression, among them loss of energy, changes in eating habits, sleep disturbances, decreased sex drive, restlessness, poor concentration and indecisiveness, and increased use of intoxicants and drugs. And they paint a clear picture of how depressive illness can affect people's lives, using excerpts from patient histories to show the progress of each patient from the onset of depression to treatment and recovery. The authors also discuss the different types of treatment available, including antidepressant drugs, electroconvulsive therapy, and psychotherapy, and they examine the benefits and side effects of psychopharmacological drugs (including the new antidepressants, lithium, and the controversial Prozac), related disorders (such as panic attacks, atypical depression, seasonal affective disorder, and PMS), and how to get the right kind of help. Most victims of biological depression often fail to seek help, whether out of guilt or ignorance, and many are often misdiagnosed by physicians or psychotherapists who fail to recognize the symptoms of the illness. Understanding Depression seeks to make the public (both lay and medical) aware of the issues of biological depression, providing a highly informed and readable guide to this much misunderstood disease.

Customer Reviews:

I do not hate, I am not alone, I am depressed.......1999-12-21

It was with initial fear that I read the book. However, as reading progressed I was able to identify with so many cases and situations.

You see, no one would every imagen, not even I, that I was depressed. During work, and at home my responsibilities would require me to have a smile on my face, be positive, give great advice to others, be there for everyone.

And yet, during those moments, my moments alone, I realized and would tell myself how unhappy I was, how much I did NOT LOVE ANYONE, not my husband, not my children, not even my ailing mother, who had a terminal illness. I couldn't be intimate and intense, everything was superficial, I felt all alone.

Upon reading the book I realized that I was not an evil, cold person without feelings, I was in fact in some sort of depression. The book gave excellent advice on how to identify what stage I might be in.

I read the book as many times as I need to review and remind myself that I can somehow overcome these feelings.

I am not "cured", but the book has wonderful advise and guidance enabling me to identify where my feelings are coming from and how I can help myself.

DARKNESS INTELLIGIBLE.......1999-06-15

The handy book of Prof.Klein & Prof.Wender is readily comprehensible without lacking profundity and effectively assists a layperson with grasping the ominous and agonizing burden of depression darkening the lives of millions. The information it conveys is concise and relevant in any respect. In addition to the theoretical account of the depressive syndrome and its treatment the medical histories of several patients are vividly portrayed. Unfortunately there is one matter that affects my general contentment. The book should have a further subtitle: ...seen from a biologistic point of view! For the authors clearly go too far by claiming sole predominance of psychopharmacology over any kind of psychological psychotherapy (like cognitive or interpersonal therapy), whose practical value they are degrading to mere "comforting support" that "is not actually treating the underlying depression"(p.106). In a somewhat biased way they reduce the psycho-social impacts on the genesis of depression to secondary trigger-factors and deny them being genuine pathological causes. There can be no doubt that heredity plays an important role, but to treat the considerable moulding influence of nurture and socialisation on the individual person as marginal and minor remarks upon a purely neuro-physiological etiology of the insidious mood disease, focusing almost exclusively on genetic determination, is surely inadequate and exceeds the actual explanatory and therapeutic skills of bio-psychiatry at the end of the 20th-century. The book's sophistication notwithstanding, a bit more self-critical modesty and cooperative fairness against the so-called 'communicative therapies` and their verifiable usefulness would have redounded to the authors' scientific credit.

DARKNESS INTELLIGIBLE.......1999-06-15

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Understanding Emotion at Work
Stephen Fineman
Manufacturer: Sage Publications Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Organizational Behavior | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

General | Mental Health | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Industrial Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Organizational Behavior | Business Management | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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ASIN: 0761947906

Book Description

`Most folks in organizations dichotomize reason and emotion, often treating emotion as an uncommon or marginal occurrence. Written in a clear and lively style, Steve Fineman's book, Understanding Emotion at Work, dispels this notion as he demonstrates how emotions infuse most practices in organizational life, including leading, decision making, organizational change, gender relations, stress, and downsizing. Sprinkled with vivid examples, Fineman captures the positive benefits of emotions at work as well as the darker side of feelings and despair. Scholars, students and practitioners alike will glean important insights from the lens of emotion that Fineman brings to the subtleties of organizational life' - Linda L Putnam, Texas A&M University

`Stephen Fineman has written a wise and engaging text about emotions and how they play out in and around organizations. He underscores, with a range of fine examples, thoughtful commentary and careful scholarship, the essential role of emotions in organizational life. He applies his lens to such issues as recruitment, leadership, decision making and change. He extends the reach of emotions into the virtual world of work and he makes apparent the heavy costs to people and their organizations of toxic emotions that stem from bullying,harassment and downsizing. A must-read in any curriculum dealing with the study of organization' - Peter Frost, Edgar F. Kaiser Professor of Organizational Behaviour, Faculty of Commerce and Business Administration, University of British Columbia, Canada Author of Toxic Emotions at Work HBS Press 2003

`Going to work can be a great joy, a great pain, or a mixture of the two. This clearly written, engaging and authoritative book demonstrates the vital necessity of understanding how emotions permeate work organisations at every level and in every situation. No student of work and its organisation can afford to neglect this important area of study. And no writer on work and organisation is better placed to go to the heart of these matters than Stephen Fineman' - Professor Tony J Watson, Professor of Organisational and Managerial Behaviour, Nottingham Business School

`In this book, Professor Stephen Fineman has done more of what he does best writing eloquently and perceptively about emotions in organizations. In this case, he is writing directly for students, both undergraduates and postgraduates, and uses a wide range of disciplinary insights to show how emotions are inextricably embedded in organizational life. His book helps to launch students on a voyage of self-discovery to learn for themselves how emotions impact upon them and their colleagues. As someone who has long challenged the "emotion-less" view of emotion that characterizes much of the research on this phenomenon, he uses his considerable skills to convey the importance, richness and nuance of emotion. Nor does he shrink away from tackling the darker side of organizational emotional life challenging students to reflect on the agony, as well as the ecstasy, that passionate emotions can cause. This book is a valuable resource for teachers wanting to introduce students to organizations, and a fascinating and astute aid for students interested in learning about them - Professor Cynthia Hardy, Department of Management, University of Melbourne

`Organizational life is shot through with emotions, spawning a growing interest in topics ranging from emotional intelligence to violence at work. Stephen Fineman provides a much-needed survey of these topics, capturing their sprawling breadth without sacrificing depth. Moreover, he succeeds in conveying the everyday feel of emotions in organizational life in a way that is both engaging and informative' - Blake Ashforth, Jerry and Mary Ann Chapman Professor of Business, W P Carey School of Business, Arizona State University

Understanding Emotion at Work gets to the heart of what binds and breaks organizations: emotion. It explores beyond the surface of work to the rich emotional life bubbling underneath, showing what employees and managers constantly deal with but are often ill-equipped to do so.

This is the first introductory book on emotions and it's aimed specifically at students of management and organization studies. Written accessibly, it avoids pat prescriptions, but leaves the reader with challenging questions about the intrisic nature of emotions to the design and management of organizations.

Drawing on a rich discipline-field, including psychology, sociology and organizational theory, Stephen Fineman explores a number of familiar and not so familiar work arenas. He examines the way emotion penetrates leadership, decision-making and organizational change as well as newer topics like the virtual side of organizations. Finally, he addresses the darker side of emotion in the context of bullying, violence, sexual harassment and downsizing.

Book Description

If you have OCD, or suspect that you do, take heart-you're not alone. More than 5 million people suffer from the disease in the United States and there are a number of treatment options available. With The EverythingÂ® Health Guide to OCD, you'll learn to cope with a variety of behaviors, including:

Excessive touching
Hording
Compulsive handwashing
Disturbing thoughts
Germ-phobia
Repetitive checking

From coping strategies to medical treatments, this reassuring guide gives you everything you need to keep your cool when anxiety attacks.

Chelsea Lowe is a professional writer who has been living with OCD for almost ten years. She has written about OCD for the Philadelphia Inquirer, the New York Daily News, and TV Guide. Her other publication credits include National Public Radio, Newsweek, Newsday, the Los Angeles Times, the Boston Globe, Technology Review, and the Boston Herald. She lives in New England.

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