CMO’s Message: Finding ways to heal
From a physical perspective, books are fairly limited in their utility. I have a stack of them holding up my laptop, but I can’t use them to hang a door straight or clean my kitchen. Their value is almost exclusively internal. They give me an enjoyable experience, new knowledge, an opportunity for personal reflection.
There’s a specific emotional connection to home that gives local books an added dose of value, makes them a little more special. At the same time, local books offer us the same degree of knowledge and can even be our own carry-on life coaches.
Through our work on multiple local-book projects and publications, including ABT, I’ve become increasingly curious about this intersection of understanding, where place meets knowledge and creates wisdom. We’re proud that this issue explores another facet of local books: finding ways to heal. Heal ourselves as individuals and heal our society as a greater whole.
There are many complex approaches society uses for healing the sick. There is a vast array of pharmaceuticals, therapies, equipment. These are usually expensive, making them unavailable to many. Collectively, they have not yet solved many of our greatest health challenges.
Books, while not a cure for disease, do offer a certain healthful quality, while being non-invasive and readily available. At their best, they can equip us with insights to help us find our own pathways to healing.
Evidence of the health benefits of books abounds in a new project, Books by Heart, which aims to provide local eBooks to patients and staff in the QEII cardiology department (details on Page 14 of our special digital edition). In partnership with Dr. Gabriel Horne, Books by Heart seeks to answer the question, “Can local books reduce the propensity for depression for cardiology patients during treatment?”
Hm, perhaps books aren’t so limited after all.
Written By: