Customer Reviews

Endometriosis : The Complete Reference for Taking Charge of Your Health

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(2)
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Out of all the Endometriosis books that I have purchased, this is the only one that I refer to over and over again. I have lent it to friends that were in great need. It has dramatically helped them to make correct choices for them that their own doctors either did not mention or tried to undervalue its use because the procedure is too modern and/or they do not know how to do it. It's procedures, prescriptions and other information is very up to date. If you have been to many doctors, and have gotten the "learn to live with the pain or just get a hysterectomy" line, then buy this book and read it thoroughly. It will answer all of your concerns and help you make the right decision for you.

My doctor specializing in endo treatment gave me this book, and I have found it very useful. I also have Mary Lou Ballweg's previous endo book, which is also great.

This Complete Reference compassionately discusses the pain, the symptoms, the medical diagnosis and treatments, immunotherapy and nutrition and how they help decrease symptoms, how endo can affect fertility, connections it may have to cancer, how it impacts menopause, how it affects teenagers...It also has motivating chapters on how we can stay strong and continue to be productive through our endo, but with reassuring messages that if the pain and procedures do affect our energy and mental health, what we can do to manage this stress. It also talks about new research and finally, how important it is to share our experience with other women.

I've had endo for probably over 10 years now. I've had 4 laparoscopies (need another one soon), and I've tried every procedure available. Women need to KNOW that there IS NO CURE. Pregnancy does NOT CURE endo. Some undereducated doctors that do not specialize in this disease mistakenly persuade hundreds of thousands of women to have a child when they may not be ready in hopes of curing their disease. Also, some of the procedures MAY cause temporarily symptom relief, but they WILL NOT CURE you of endo. I've been treated in a clinical trial by the best endo team in the world in Maryland, and with research, one day we may have a cure. At this time, we only know it is a stubborn and sometimes debilitating disease. But it does NOT define us. Surround yourself with supportive friends and family. If your doctor doesn't take the time you need to answer your many questions satisfactorily, find another. Respect your right to the best-possible healthcare. Do not be afraid of participating in clinical studies: You can help progress our understanding of the disease and possibly find a cure. They saved me tens of thousands of dollars on much-needed endo treatment for several years, and they supported my mental and emotional health as well.

This book is a follow-up to the Endometriosis Sourcebook, and makes more sense if you've read that one first. The first book has more details about causes and treatments. This book focuses on adding information learned in the ten years after the first one was written. I recommend both. If you can only afford one, buy the Sourcebook - even if you think you have found all there is to learn about this disease. I found the Sourcebook to be the most comprehensive of anything I could get my hands on. As a follow-up, this is really good reading, and I find myself looking forward to the next book to see what researchers can do to finally find a cure.

I would also like to add to a previous reviewer's comments ("Extremely Helpful Endo Reference Guide") and say that a total hysterectomy with removal of the ovaries is NOT necessarily a cure, either - despite the fact many women desperately seeking relief undergo this drastic measure. Women who have their ovaries removed go through tremendous suffering, only to find out their endo is still there, and they are still in pain.

After a laparotomy with one ovary removed, I woke to find myself suffering even more than before the surgery. Finally, years later, I was able to get a copy of the surgery report and found out that despite what I was told, the surgeon did NOT remove ALL the endo - only the active endo. Well, needless to say, I am about to go through yet another surgery with yet another doctor to remove the rest of the endo that is still causing me trouble. The best treatment is TOTAL removal of ALL endo. Read your surgery report. It is likely different and more detailed than what you've been told.

This book bills itself as a "complete reference for taking charge of your health," but much of it reads more like a compendium of personal anecdotes and rants (toxic chemicals are bad! very bad!) than a practical reference work. The information on drug therapies is potentially useful as a starting point, but for more substantial information on commonly used medications it repeatedly refers the reader to Ballweg's earlier "Endometriosis Sourcebook" (presumably to save space -- yet this book devotes 15 pages to reprinting a series of badly drawn cartoons from the earlier volume.) The section on surgery is padded with first-person narratives and fretful digressions about certification of surgeons and the risk of getting accidentally poked with a trocar or poisoned with hidden PVCs. The book is slanted toward alternative treatments and diet modification, with an inordinate amount of space devoted to a diet supposed to cure yeast allergies. While nutrition is obviously important to general health, the evidence presented for the success of this diet in treating endometriosis is anecdotal (and some of the anecdotes themselves are highly dubious or even comical, such as the letter from a woman who claims to have discovered that she is highly allergic to "grains" -- in which category she includes potatoes!). Given that the book is quick to point out the flaws in conventional medical treatment, it seems a bit irresponsible not to give equal time to the damage that desperate women can do to themselves with self-treatment and "natural" remedies. There are as many bad acupuncturists and quack nutritionists out there as there are bad gynecologists. What we really need is more solid, serious medical research, not more miracle diets or personal tales of suffering and empowerment. If you already own previous books by Ballweg and the Endometriosis Association and like their approach, you might be satisfied with this book, but if you're looking for a definitive reference on this agonizing and perplexing disease, you'll likely be disappointed. I certainly was.

I needed to know more about this disease and found this book the perfect resource. It is difficult to know just what people with this disease have to put up with but it doesn't pay to keep your head in the sand and this book will educate you.

A must have for all women with endometriosis. It is a bit technical at times, but comprehensive in its medical content. If you have Endo you NEED this book to make it through life! I felt validated, empowered, and knowledgeable and even learned things about my health and other related conditions (allergies to fragrance) that a doctor never thought to tell me in 6 years of the disease. Please buy it, you wont regret it!

This book is the Holy Grail for endometriosis sufferers. I have read many books on this disease, and this one is by far my favorite. I have referred to it so many times, the pages are actually worn from use. It details EVERYTHING you need to know. The fact that the author is the one who really pushed for the initial research for a cure/treatments for endometriosis should tell you that the book is good. I consider it VERY important to have. You will be surprised by all the many aspects that this disease touches. I agree with Mary Lou in that endometriosis should be classified as an autoimmune disease, and do feel that, in time, it will indeed be. I promise you, if you purchase this book, you will NOT be dissapointed. I would even recommend that the important people in your life read it as well, as they will have an eye-opening experience into why/how you suffer and feel. Please purchase this book...it is TRULY essential.

I was excited to find a big thick book dedicated to endo. It seemed as if it quite possibly had to have everything that I needed to know about this disease. Wrong.

As noted by a previous reviewer...the book constantly refers back to another book, which after reading this book I can't even say I am tempted to read. Most of the book was dedicated to 'natural' therapies, the dangers of chemicals in our enviorment, and cancer.

I truly feel that there are very few women with endo who are going to benefit from this book. It is a giant list of DON'T's with very few do's. Any worthwhile information it actually provides has probably already been presented by a woman's doctor and/or any woman with this disease probably already knows about through previous research.

If you have endo, I wouldn't recommend this being your first book you pick up about it.

This book breaks down Endometriosis and for the first time I realized it is not crazy complicated, and I am NOT alone. Great explanations, wonderful stories shared by other women, and a resource I plan to keep going back to. If you have questions, get this book as a resource. Don't be afraid, be informed.

i have been living with endo since i was 11. i have suffered through pain for a long time-i am now 27. i have seen countless drs and finally found one in nyc who not only believes me but supports me. this book describes everything i have been dealing with and i recommend it. the only complaint is that sometimes the text is chopped off. if you have endo get this book.