Customer Reviews

Hormonal Balance: Understanding Hormones, Weight, and Your Metabolism

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was somewhat disappointed with this book on a number of issues. Whilst I do not doubt that the author is an excellent endocrinologist, I do really think he should stick to what he knows best.

I was expecting a layman's guide to how our hormones work. Instead I got drawn into a lecture on nutrition and positively cringed at some of the misinformation, such as don't chew your food thoroughly as it will cause an insulin surge - simply untrue as slow eating has been proven to improve satiety over a longer period.

And telling us that saturated fats cause cardiovascular - again not true as meta analysis has proven this to be a fallacy.

That coconut oil is unhealthy - it's positively one of the healthiest oils going!

That we need to drink at least eight 8oz glasses of water a day. A fad which can lead to dangerous overdrinking of water. Fluid intake from watery foods and other incidental drinks when thirsty is the more natural way to proceed.

And so on.

A lot of the information in the book in now common knowledge - e.g. on insulin resistance - or very dry and off track. In the end, I just couln't continue reading any further and put the book down a third of the way through.

The most comprehensive book I have read thus far on total hormones.

Easy reading, easy to understand. Book covers many hormones, their function in the body & how to get/keep them healthy.

If you have felt tired, depressed, exhausted, moody, forgetful - READ THIS BOOK. It is not just a matter of ageing.

I read Dr. Isaac's book cover to cover and found it not only informative, but fascinating and easy to read. He make the highly complex endocrine system easily understandable in layman's terms, and his writing is very conversational and straight-forward. He has an open-minded approach to endocrinology, meaning that he understands there's not always a one size fits all approach to treatment. Patient lab results are a good baseline, but patient input and symptom description is also important. For this reason I made an appointment with him and was equally impressed with his bedside manner - he listened - and his thorough review of my case history. He even went as far as requesting all of my previous records from other doctors who I've seen for thyroid disease. The book covers all the hormones, their roles, and the various illness that can result from improper balance. His diet recommendations are very sensible and easy to follow. I'm looking forward to trying some of the recipes in the book and the diet section has inspired me and given me ideas to include more fruits and vegetables in my diet. For the first time in several years I feel optimistic that a) I understand what's going on in my body, and b) I've found a doctor that cares enough to work with patients until they are well enough to enjoy life without worrying about chronic health problems. I too was a bit concerned that he's not an Armour thyroid fan like so many of us who've felt better on that drug. I thought it would be my panacea based on internet research, but instead it seems to be doing more harm than good. And the way he explained his thoughts to me on that topic made perfect sense. He supports the use of Armour for patients who do well on it, but it must be prescribed properly and carefully monitored. I would recommend this book for anyone with weight or other endocrine or metabolic disorders who wants to understand the role of hormones in the body in language that's clear and easy to understand.

I was enjoying this book until I came upon the Thyroid section where he stated that natural thyroid meds, like Armour, are actually dangerous and should not be used if you can take a synthetic version, like Synthroid. He says the dosage in Armour varies and is inconsistent. This is not true, as many many people, including myself, take it everyday and feel great instead of taking the synthetic stuff.

I was shocked to read that.

A must read for anyoone going through menopause and considering bio identical hormones.

They changed my life and this doctor has many more helpful facts in this book.

I haven't read the book but wanted to comment on the person who said he's misinformed about Armour's. Perhaps this is something he didn't explain clearly. I'm an RN who is also a homeopath and clinical nutritionist who no longer practices but does copywriting and consulting in holistic medicine. When possible, it is best to take something closer to nature. Armour's, in my opinion, is preferable when it is indicated - but it isn't always indicated. Armour's comes from a pig. So for a vegetarian, it might not be a good choice. But it is what makes it more bioidentical to a human. However, it is higher in T3 than T4, the active form of thyroid hormone. It also contains the other forms of thyroid hormone that we don't know much about. Which you would think is a good thing. But for some people, it's too much T3 and they do better with T4, hence Synthroid. While Synthroid is synthetic, it is still bioidentical. If someone is taking too much T3, it causes hyperthyroid effects - increasing heart rate and blood pressure. I would suspect this is what the dr is referring to when he says it can be dangerous. A hyper state can also cause bone loss and many other problems over the long term. Some people do best with one over the other while others may actually do best on a combination.

Isn't the lack of progesterone the actual cause of PMS and severe water retention, bloating and mental disruption? This book provides complete opposite information from what you would find from Dr. John Lee's book on the discussion of PMS.