Customer Reviews

Hormones and the Mind

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This is a marvelous book that explains, in clear language, what hormones do in the brain and why they affect depression, memory, mental abilities, and sexual desire. I found it incredibly helpful on a number of fronts for me personally. At perimenopause many of these problems cropped up and I always thought they had something to do with hormonal changes--Dr. Klaiber helped me realize that my instincts were right. And now I see a variety of ways to use hormones, and not just standard hromone replacement but different types and combinations, along with testosterone, to manage my mood problems and sexual problems. I can raise these issues now with my doctors with some real scientific and medical back-up. The book is really reassuring and helpful and realistic about estrogen and testosterone and it is packed with info and really good case examples. I've tried alternatives and they help a bit but not enough; I'm hopeful that this will make the difference in my life.

I feel incredibly fortunate that I was referred to Dr. Klaiber. A therapist I occasionally saw for depression-related problems said that she had had great success sending women to this endocrinologist....that many of our emotional/fatigue problems, which we fight and tell ourselves are "all in our heads," are in fact hormone imbalances, and that this doctor had spent 30 years investigating the hormone-mind connection. I had just had yet another checkup with my internist at Mass General and had been told that I was perfectly fine, healthy, blah blah blah. I decided to see Dr. Klaiber.

I had never had a doctor's appointment like the one I had with this man. He sat with me for well over an hour, asking detailed questions about my health and family history. He knew after talking to me that my hormone levels would be low, and drew blood. Two weeks later when I received the results, which were appallingly out of whack, I was overwhelmed and relieved and very, very grateful that fate had sent me to him. I had always *known* in my gut that there had to be a real, biological reason for my poor energy levels and persistent depression....now, finally, a doctor had (rather easily) documented WHY. I have been seeing him for three months now. I have never felt better. I am delighted that he wrote this book. I think every OB-GYN doc and every woman over 35 should read it.

I now own 3 copies of Dr. Edward L Klaiber's book-"Hormones and the Mind". 1 book for myself, 1 book for my husband (he's on the road alot), and 1 book for my Family Doctor.

I have been ill for a long time!! Circumstances led me to research 'hormones' as a possible link to my health problems. I went to our City's Public Library and checked out 6 books that contained information pertaining to 'hormones'. As I began the daunting task of reading through these books, Dr. Klaiber's book-"Hormones and the Mind"- kept drawing me back to it's pages, again and again, until finally, his book was the ONLY book I was reading-and paying ALOT of attention to.

I eventually began to tell my husband about this book and many of the 'case histories'-stories that sounded remarkably like MY OWN story!

My husband began to read the book himself, and after trying to call and discuss 'my case' with several of our local 'endocrinologists', decided that he would try to contact Dr. Klaiber, himself.

My husband did reach the office of Dr. Klaiber, and set up an appointment for me to see him at the end of this April.

Women having trouble with PMS, menopause, and/or menstrual problems may find new hope in this book with it's NEW APPROACHES to old problems!

I was disappointed with this book's reliance on prescription drugs as the "cure all" for PMS, depression, etc. It seemed that once the hormonal problems were "discovered", they were simply treated with an antidepressant, and the doctor added a "low trial dose" of hormones to the mix to lend credibility. High on drugs, his patients would report "feeling great." No kidding. Psychostimulants can do that.

Dr. Klaiber mentions and/or prescribes Prozac 29 times, Paxil 9 times, SSRI's 18 times, Zoloft 13 times, offering glowing reports of each of his "case studies" whom he has "hormonally corrected" with drugs (see page 138 for an example.) Yet, he neglects to mention any dangerous (and proven) side effects associated with these "happy pills", their addictive qualities, the dangers of SSRI withdrawals, and proven long-term health risks. This book made me wonder who granted or "sponsored" his research, or what kind of "benefit" he was getting back from Big Pharma (Eli Lily, GSK, etc.) The word "hormones" in the title is misleading. "Anti-Depressants and the Mind: A Woman's Guide to Enhancing Mood, Memory, and Sexual Vitality with Drugs" is more fitting.

I don't recommend this book to anyone who is interested in whole body-mind wellness. If you want to live a drug-free, healthy, balanced life, this book has little to offer. Other books (The Hormone Survival Guide for Perimenopause: Balance Your Hormones Naturally by Nisha Jackson for example) are much more informative .

Excellent source of information for women suffering from depression, symptoms of menopause, and PMS. This book thoroughly explains peri- and post-menopausal symptoms such as memory loss, low libido, depression, etc. and how horomones (estrogen and testosterone) can relieve the symptoms. The book is well written and easy to understand. I highly recommend it for any women who has these symptoms.

This is a perfect book to learn about how our hormones effect our mind. I learned about the testing that went on back in the 50's on women who were put into institutions because people thought they were crazy. When these women were given large doses of estrogen they reacted positively to the hormone supplement. Although I don't prefer the synthetic hormones, I do believe strongly in the bio-identical hormones and the support a bit of cream daily can do to help women who have moderate to severe symptoms through mid-life.

I sought Dr. Klaiber out and eventually became a patient of his for a period of time. A wonderfully smart man and he helped me through a rough time.