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The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing During the Change » (REV)

Book cover image of The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing During the Change by Christiane Northrup

Authors: Christiane Northrup
ISBN-13: 9780553384093, ISBN-10: 0553384090
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Date Published: October 2006
Edition: REV

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Author Biography: Christiane Northrup

Christiane Northrup, M.D., trained at Dartmouth Medical School and Tufts New England Medical Center before cofounding the Women to Women health care center in Yarmouth, Maine, which became a model for women's clinics nationwide. Board certified in obstetrics and gynecology, she is past president of the American Holistic Medical Association and an internationally recognized authority on women's health and healing.

Book Synopsis

Menopause is every woman s awakening a stage that holds enormous promise for healing our bodies, minds, and spirits on the deepest levels.

Dr. Christiane Northrup destroys myths and challenges convention. Now in her groundbreaking new book, The Wisdom of Menopause, she will forever change your views on menopause. Filled with remarkable new health choices, research, and Dr. Northrup s own candid personal experience, The Wisdom of Menopause is the ultimate guide for every woman ready to come into her own.

Publishers Weekly

Northrup (Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom), cofounder of the Women to Women health-care center in Maine, offers a celebratory, "psychospiritual" approach in her comprehensive guide to menopausal health and well-being. Beginning with the premise that, though difficult, the "hormone-driven changes that affect the brain... give a woman a sharper eye for inequity... and a voice that insists on speaking up," Northrup details hormonal imbalances, mood swings, serious illnesses, treatment options and all the other symptoms, side effects and decisions women face in midlife. Middle-aged herself, Northrup writes from experience and, more important, from her professional expertise as a physician who has treated many women and researched menopause. While much of the health-care material here is available in other sources, Northrup's approach a description of symptoms, followed by both traditional and alternative treatment options along with some anecdotes is particularly useful. Occasionally she veers off into New Age jargon, but she is a firm believer in the relevance of tangential influences on physical health, including emotional and financial well-being. The specific medical advice on sleep, diet, breast health and the empowerment motif will bring insight, comfort and confidence to women embarked on "the change." Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Table of Contents

List of Figuresxiii
Acknowledgmentsxv
Introduction: The Journey Begins1
Midlife: Redefining Creativity and Home3
Why I'm Writing a Menopause Book Now5
Blazing a New Trail6
Chapter 1Menopause Puts Your Life Under a Microscope9
"Not Me, My Marriage Is Fine"10
The Childbearing Years: Balancing Personal and Professional Lives12
Why Marriages Must Change at Midlife16
My Personal Fibroid Story: The Final Chapter20
Feeling the Joy of Co-creative Partnership23
The Forces That Change the Goose Also Change the Gander26
Real Menopause Hits27
My Marriage Goes Bankrupt28
Armadillo Medicine: The Power of Vulnerability31
Celebrating the Past While Creating a New Future33
Chapter 2The Brain Catches Fire at Menopause36
Our Cultural Inheritance36
Our Brains Catch Fire at Menopause38
Learning to Recognize and Heed Our Wake-up Calls39
Is It Me or Is It My Hormones? Debunking the Myth of Raging Hormones42
The Multiple Roles of Your "Reproductive" Hormones48
Embracing the Message Behind Our Menopausal Anger53
Emotions, Hormones, and Your Health57
How Our Midlife Brains and Bodies Are Set Up to Heal Our Past66
Finding a Larger Meaning71
Chapter 3Coming Home to Yourself: From Dependence to Healthy Autonomy76
The Empty-Nest Syndrome76
Boomerang Babies80
Powerful Feelings, Powerful Healing82
Caring for Ourselves, Caring for Others: Finding the Balance84
Hitting Pay Dirt: Getting Clear About Money at Midlife90
Coming Home to Yourself97
Vocational Awakening at Midlife99
A Road Map for Navigating Unknown Territory102
Chapter 4This Can't Be Menopause, Can It? The Physical Foundation of the Change105
What Is Happening in Your Body: Hormonal Changes106
Perimenopause Is a Normal Process, Not a Disease107
The Three Types of Menopause110
Perimenopause and Hormonal Levels112
Is There a Test I Can Take?114
Menopause and Thyroid Function118
Menopause and Adrenal Function119
What to Expect in Your Transition124
Chapter 5Hormone Replacement: An Individual Choice134
A Brief History of Hormone Replacement134
Bioidentical Hormones: Nature's Ideal Design138
A Hormone Primer: Essential Information Every Woman Should Know142
How to Decide Whether or Not to Take Hormones154
A Dusting of Hormones169
How Long Should You Stay on Hormones?170
Chapter 6Foods and Supplements to Support the Change172
Basic Principles of Herbal Therapy at Menopause174
Menopausal Healing Foods178
Traditional Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture for Menopause187
Start Somewhere190
Chapter 7The Menopause Food Plan: A Program to Balance Your Hormones and Prevent Middle-Age Spread191
Making Peace (Once Again) with My Weight192
Five Steps to Midlife Weight Control194
The Elements of Imbalance199
The Hormone-Balancing Food Plan205
Optimizing Midlife Digestion219
The Final Frontier: Accepting Our Bodies225
Chapter 8Creating Pelvic Health and Power227
What Is Yours, What Is Mine, What Is Ours? Reclaiming Our Boundaries228
Hormonal Imbalance: Fuel to the Fire231
Menstrual Cramps and Pelvic Pain231
Heavy Bleeding235
Fibroids240
An Empowered Approach to Surgery or Invasive Procedures247
Strengthen Your Urinary Health and Pelvic Floor Muscles254
Chapter 9Sex and Menopause: Myths and Reality264
The Anatomy of Desire265
Sexuality at Menopause: Our Cultural Inheritance267
Menopause Is a Time to Redefine and Update Our Relationships274
Hormone Levels Are Only One Part of Libido277
Secondary Libidinal Support: Estrogen and Progesterone279
Testosterone: The Hormone of Desire?281
Aids to Lubrication283
Telling the Truth287
Nine Steps to Rekindling Libido289
Chapter 10Nurturing Your Brain: Sleep, Depression, and Memory292
Enhancing Midlife Sleep296
Depression: An Opportunity for Growth304
Memory Loss at Menopause: Is This Alzheimer's?314
Estrogen and Alzheimer's316
Non-hormonal Ways to Protect Your Brain319
Maximizing Midlife Wisdom323
Chapter 11From Rosebud to Rose Hip: Cultivating Midlife Beauty328
Making Peace with Your Changing Skin330
Preventing or Treating Wrinkles336
Midlife Acne347
Rosacea351
Hair in the Wrong Places354
When Good Skin Care Isn't Enough: Deciding on Cosmetic Procedures360
Varicose Veins364
Chapter 12Standing Tall for Life: Building Healthy Bones369
Osteoporosis: The Scope of the Problem370
We're Designed for Lifetime Sturdiness371
How Healthy Bone Is Made372
Are You at Risk for Osteoporosis?377
Measuring Bone Density381
Bone-Building Program385
What About Bone-Building Drugs?393
Get Strong394
The Sunlight-Bone Health Connection403
Shore Up Your Earth Connection with Plant Medicine408
Chapter 13Creating Breast Health409
Our Cultural Inheritance: Nurturing and Self-Sacrifice410
The Emotional Anatomy of Breast Cancer412
Lifestyle and Breast Health417
Eating for Breast Health420
Breast Cancer Screening423
Putting Breast Cancer Risk in Perspective431
The Breast Cancer Gene: Should You Be Tested?433
The Effect of HRT on Breast Health434
Bioidentical Hormones and Cancer Risk437
The Tamoxifen Dilemma444
Chapter 14Living with Heart, Passion, and Joy: How to Listen to and Love Your Midlife Heart449
The Heart Has Its Say at Menopause: My Personal Story450
Cardiovascular Disease: When the Flow of Life Is Blocked454
Palpitations: Your Heart's Wake-up Call456
Gender Bias and Heart Disease: Our Cultural Inheritance459
Arteriosclerosis: Reducing Your Risk462
Carbohydrates, Sugar, and Heart Health: What Every Woman Should Know472
Cardioprotective Supplements475
Foods for Heart Health480
What About Aspirin?482
Get Moving!483
Is Estrogen Replacement Necessary to Prevent Heart Disease?487
How to Love and Respect Your Midlife Heart492
The Heart-Opening Effect of Pets493
Epilogue: The Calm After the Storm495
Notes499
Resources538
Index567
About the Author591

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