In When the Body Says No, Gabor Maté explores the mind-body link and the connection between stress and disease. Can a person literally die of loneliness? Is there a relationship between the ability to express emotions and Alzheimer’s disease? Is there such a thing as a “cancer personality?” Maté provides answers to these and other questions about the role chronic stress and one’s individual emotional make-up play in an array of common diseases, such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, IBS, and multiple sclerosis.

Drawing on scientific research and years of experience, Maté explains the biological mechanisms activated when stress and trauma exert a powerful influence on the body. He illustrates his ideas with accounts of famous people who've experienced chronic illness, interspersed with intimate life stories collected through his years of practice. Dealing with stress, emotional repression, hormones, the "cancer personality," the biology of relationships, and the power of negative thinking, Maté backs up his claims with compelling evidence, citing many controlled studies that demonstrated correlations between psychosocial factors and disease.

Born in Budapest, Gabor Maté immigrated to Canada at the age of twelve. He spent some time working as a teacher before returning to university to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming a doctor. He ran a popular family practice for many years, and spent twelve years working in Vancouver's downtown eastside, caring for patients suffering from mental illness, drug addiction, and HIV. In the 1990s, Dr. Maté was a regular medical columnist for the Vancouver Sun and the Globe and Mail. He is also the author of four works of non-fiction. His most recent book, In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters With Addiction, won a Hubert Evans Award in 2010. In addition to being a physician and bestselling author, Dr. Maté is a highly sought after public speaker. He has three grown children and currently resides in Vancouver, BC, with his wife. Please visit drgabormate.com.

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