When the Body Says No

by Gabor Maté

For those habituated to high levels of internal stress since early childhood, it is the absence of stress that creates unease, evoking boredom and a sense of meaninglessness.

Fibres issuing from the central nervous system supply both primary and secondary lymph organs, allowing instant communication from the brain to the immune system. The hormone-producing endocrine glands are also directly wired to the central nervous system. Thus the brain can “talk” directly to the thyroid and adrenal glands, or to the testes and ovaries and other organs.

the hormones from the endocrine glands and substances produced by the immune cells directly affect brain activity. Chemicals from all these sources attach to receptors on the surfaces of brain cells, thereby influencing the organism’s behaviour.