**A thrilling scientific detective story, The Balance Within tells how
researchers finally uncovered the elusive mind-body connection and what
it means for our health.
**
Since ancient times humans have felt intuitively that emotions and
health are linked, and recently there has been much popular speculation
about this notion. But until now, without compelling evidence, it has
been impossible to say for sure that such a connection really exists and
especially how it works.
Now, that evidence has been discovered.
In this beautifully written book, Dr. Esther Sternberg, whose
discoveries were pivotal in helping to solve this mystery, provides
first hand accounts of the breakthrough experiments that revealed the
physical mechanisms - the nerves, cells, and hormones - used by the
brain and immune system to communicate with each other. She describes
just how stress can make us more susceptible to all types of illnesses,
and how the immune system can alter our moods. Finally, she explains how
our understanding of these connections in scientific terms is helping to
answer such crucial questions as Does stress make you sick? Is a
positive outlook the key to better health? and How do our personal
relationships, work, and other aspects of our lives affect our health?
A fascinating, elegantly written portrait of this rapidly emerging field
with enormous potential for finding new ways to treat disease and cope
with stress, The Balance Within is essential reading for anyone
interested in making their body and mind whole again.
