Ask Dr. Marie: Straight Talk and Reassuring Answers to Your Most Private Questions [Hardcover]

Marie Savard (Author), Sondra Forsyth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 4, 2009

By addressing women directly and honestly, but with compassion and understanding, ABC News Medical Contributor Dr. Marie Savard reveals that there are no off-limits questions, no dark secrets of womanhood . . .

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Best Health Books of 2009" Selection

- The Wall Street Journal

 

“Dr. Marie has crafted a straight up, accessible summary of the most important questions on female sexuality and reproduction. She will help move you from embarrassment to empowerment.”

—Dr. Mehmet C. Oz, author of Healing from the Heart and coauthor of the best-selling YOU: The Owner’s Manual

 

Library Journal;  Savard, Marie, M.D. Ask Dr. Marie: Straight Talk & Reassuring Answers to Your Most Private Questions. Globe Pequot. Aug. 2009. c.352p. illus. index. ISBN 978-0-7627-4944-7. $24.95. HEALTH
In this medical guide for women, Savard, medical contributor for ABC News and an internist specializing in women’s health, addresses basic anatomy and physiology, sexuality, and the importance of health care. She examines life stages and the accompanying bodily changes: puberty, childbirth, and menopause. The book's final sections cover the brain/body connection and such common health problems as urinary tract infections and digestive ailments. She also discusses the differences between men and women as they age and takes a liberal approach to hormone replacement therapy, arguing that perimenopausal women with no risk factors can take HRT and FDA-approved bioidentical skin patches safely.
Verdict While less comprehensive than Our Bodies, Ourselves, this book takes a conversational tone and employs a supportive approach that will appeal to women in need of basic information.—Barbara M. Bibel, Oakland P.L., CA

Book launch on Good Morning America: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=8246221

“For this book, Marie Savard draws on a lifetime of head-smart and heart-felt experience in caring about and for women. And she knows how to communicate in a manner that is both informative and supportive. Information that is both accurate and understandable—a winning combination.”

—Dr. Timothy Johnson, ABC News Medical Editor

 

"I continue to marvel at Dr. Marie's ability to break complex medical issues into digestible, easy-to-understand nuggets. Her care and concern for women is evident and women are better for it."  -- Rene Syler, Journalist and author of Good Enough Mother

"Dr. Marie is one of America's most trusted voices in women's health, and her ability to make complex topics simple and understandable has made her my go-to person for health information."

--Marissa Jaret Winokur, Tony Award-winning actress

 

 

 

From the Inside Flap

Whatever they call it, for many women the area “down there” is only half-familiar, its problems mysterious and  hard to discuss. They tend to think their concerns are unique, specific, unsolvable, and embarrassing. But after fielding thousands of women’s health questions during her career, Dr. Marie Savard can safely say that she has heard it all at least twice. In Ask Dr. Marie, she explains what’s what, what’s normal, and what to do when problems occur—as if she were a sister or best friend with all the time in the world to discuss symptoms and solutions.

Beginning with a primer on what goes on down there—including “A Guided Tour of Your Inner Terrain,” and “The Thinking Woman’s Guide to Having Fun in Bed”—Dr. Marie then goes on to
address related issues by life stages, sharing advice on how to get the health care you need and answering the questions women have about everything from hemorrhoids to urinary tract infections, menstruation to menopause, fibroids to fat cells, explaining causes and treatment options, and how they affect the rest of you (including your sex life). She also lists specific concerns and questions to bring to your doctor’s attention, so you can make the most of the little time you have during an appointment.

Written by an exceptional doctor with equal parts compassion and experience, Ask Dr. Marie is an invaluable resource for women of all ages and all backgrounds.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: GPP Life; First edition (August 4, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076274944X
• ISBN-13: 978-0762749447
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,058,390 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dr. Marie's Thoughts on Writing This Book In Her Own Words, July 19, 2009

By 

Marie Savard MD "Marie Savard MD" (Philadelphia PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ask Dr. Marie: Straight Talk and Reassuring Answers to Your Most Private Questions (Hardcover)

I'm Marie Savard, M.D., ABC News Medical Contributor and the author of ASK DR. MARIE. I want to share with you my reasons for writing this book for you. I am fascinated by the many challenges that women face when making the best decisions about their health, hormone, or birth control options. I never hesitate to weigh in on the latest research and how it can be applied to women in the real world - far removed from these often faulty research studies. My earliest research in women's health helped women decide for themselves if they had vaginitis or cystitis and how best to treat these conditions safely, naturally and with as little medication if possible. So it is no surprise that women often pull me aside to ask sometimes difficult - but almost always embarrassing -- questions about what is going on "down there." Is this discharge or dryness normal? How long will this last? Is this what menopause, sex after childbirth, having painful cystitis or bacterial vaginosis - the list goes on - really like? Will this cream or pill work for me? What hormones, vitamins, and supplements do YOU take? Are bioidentical hormones were the safest way to go? I thought that my bleeding was just a hemorrhoid. I didn't realize it could be something else. I am newly divorced - what precautions do I need to take before having sex again? How will I know if he is okay? The list of intimate questions from women (and often men want to know the answers to these questions, too) goes on and on. In the pages of ASK DR. MARIE, I share with you what is normal, when to get help, what you can treat on your own, what are the best and most up-to-date tests to get, and how best to make the right decision for YOU for pretty much all that goes on "down there." But that's not all. I also talk about my all important "lifestyle pill", how to manage your weight and waist size as you get older, why stress can be different for women, and much, much more. I honestly believe this is the book women - and men -have been waiting for. Advance reviews from top physicians and lay people alike have confirmed that belief for me. I hope you'll order your copy today!

Here's to your health!
Dr. Marie

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a MUST READ for the library of Every Woman of Every AGE!!, July 27, 2009

By 

L. Kost "Shop Girl" (USA - NJ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ask Dr. Marie: Straight Talk and Reassuring Answers to Your Most Private Questions (Hardcover)

I enjoy the ABC Good Morning segments with Dr. Marie and when I learned she had a new book out, I ordered it immediately and began reading this weekend. Just now, I sent our 20 and 25 year old daughters this book as a present, taking advantage of Amazon's gift wrapping! I included a note about how I am enjoying reading it myself and wish I had such a guide when I was their age; that the way Dr Marie presents the topics reminds me of some of the special `girl' talks we've had over the years as mother and daughter!

I also have placed a copy in my office on the round conference table for all to notice (even the MEN with wives or significant others) - I will recommend to each and every woman (man) that walks in my office! As I was writing my review I was interrupted by my manager and without my suggesting it she picked up the book and peaking at some pages, which I had marked, she looked up and remarked, with a smile, "I need to order this book!" The book surprisingly addresses all women of all ages...I was up until 1:00 a.m. reading because I couldn't put it down...I even learned a few new words (ken, etc.)

I smiled each time the author let the reader into her private life a bit! It's good to know a woman of Dr. Marie's intelligence and success is NO DIFFERNT than the rest of us on these issues. I truly think this book is the most reaching one I've read because generally books are about sex OR health but not one in the same, the way Dr. Marie addressed the topics!

She should be proud and happy as her book becomes A SMASHING SUCCESS as it will definitely further her mission to engage many women with the necessary tools to be their best health advocate, and their partners will enjoy parts of it, too!

Thank you, DR Marie

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Kudos to Dr. Marie!, August 6, 2009

By 

C. A. MacCurtain (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ask Dr. Marie: Straight Talk and Reassuring Answers to Your Most Private Questions (Hardcover)

With one single book, Dr. Marie has given women answers to questions we may never have asked our own doctors. This is the kind of book that could change your life. I would recommend this book to women of all ages.