The Myth of Normal

The instant New York Times bestsellerBy the acclaimed author of In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, agroundbreaking investigation into the causes of illness, a bracingcritique of how our society breeds disease, and a pathway to healthand healing.In this revolutionary book,renowned physician Gabor Maté eloquently dissects how in Western countries that pride themselves on their healthcare systems, chronic illness and general ill health are on the rise.Nearly 70 percent of Americans are on at least one prescriptiondrug; more than half take two. In Canada, every fifth person has high bloodpressure. In Europe, hypertension is diagnosed in more than 30 percent of thepopulation. And everywhere, adolescent mental illness ison the rise. So what is really “normal” when it comes to health?Over four decades of clinical experience,Maté has come to recognize the prevailing understanding of “normal” as false, neglecting the roles that trauma and stress, and the pressures of modern-day living, exert on our bodies and our minds at the expense ofgood health. For all our expertise and technological sophistication, Western medicine often fails to treat the whole person, ignoring how today’s culture stresses the body, burdens theimmune system, and undermines emotional balance. Now Maté brings his perspective to the great untangling of common myths about what makes us sick, connects thedots between the maladies of individuals and the declining soundness ofsociety—and offers a compassionate guide for health and healing. Cowritten with his son Daniel, The Myth Of Normal is Maté’s most ambitious and urgent book yet.