Customer Reviews

The Miracle of Natural Hormones

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4 star:		(1)
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This is a book for anyone who has struggled to feel well or "normal" and who has suffered from chronic health problems without having any reasons as to why. It gives an easy-to-read overview of the hormonal connection to optimal health. He addresses many key hormones in separate chapters and gives some real life patient case studies to illustrate how these hormones can make a difference. Plus, Dr. Brownstein also touches on diet and other daily life choices that can affect our overall health. He stresses that natural hormones are better than synthetic and explains very simply why that's true. This book very clearly shows the reader that this doctor has compassion and empathy for his patients. Kinda gives you hope that there are others out there.

The miracle of natural hormones is a wonderful book! It is concise and easily readable. As an M.D. I am constantly confronted with patients that I can not help. This book provides a fresh look at a number of common complaints. It provides a framework for good health with its section on nutrition, and an alternative way of looking at a number of conditions that are often very hard to improve. I recommend it highly to anyone who feels that their doctor has not been able to help them, or for anyone seeking a more natural alternative to the usual prescription remedies

This book is a wonderful introduction to the use of natural hormones to treat a variety of conditions. Dr. Brownstein presents a compelling case for the use of natural hormones (as opposed to synthetic hormones which are commonly used) through his easy-to-read explanations of the benefits of natural hormones and through the use of the case studies. I found Dr. Brownstein's holistic approach to the treatment of many illnesses including menopause, PMS, migraines, chronic fatigue syndrome, heart disease, and many others very enlightening. Dr. Brownstein also discusses the use of vitamins, minerals, and a proper diet to treat all of the above conditions. I could not believe all of the information contained in this book. I highly recommend this book to everyone interested in taking an active role in their health care.

I bought this book to get a better understanding of hormones. I was disappointed to find that the argumentation was shallow and almost entirely based on "Actual Case Studies". The most important thing I was reminded of from reading this book was how the pharmaceutical industry makes more money on synthetic hormones and other drugs than natural substances because natural substances cannot be patented.

As a physician, the author treats adverse symptoms and disease with natural hormones (though it is unclear whether all the hormones he mentions exist in natural form, such as melatonin, pregnenolone and growth hormone). The author does emphasize "physiologic" doses and warns against "pharmacologic" i.e. too large doses. Yet, because of lacking citations, I am not convinced that administering even physiologic doses improves health in the long run.

A good thing about the book is that the author shares his observations about hormonal status in ill patients, for example that he has "yet to see a patient ill from cancer that does not have a decreased growth hormone level." (Though the preceeding sentence is actually somewhat contradictory to this: "In my experience, most patients with cancer have suppressed growth hormone levels.) (p.164-165). I found these observations interesting, they certainly point out the important role of hormones in health.

Especially one mistake dented my confidence in the author. On page 162 he refers to the Rudman study on growth hormone (results after 6 months) without mentioning that more than half of the participants had to discontinue growth hormone administration due to serious side-effects after one year. Generally, the author doesn't thoroughly discuss the long-term effects. One becomes dependent on the hormone(s) because when no other lifestyle changes are made, symptoms will, as the author mentions, return when stopping to take the hormone(s)).

While the author illuminates the role of hormones in health and departs from the conventional drugs, he does not show a great understanding of how to enhance one's own hormones naturally rather than administering them. For example, he mentions that 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per day is good for enhancing growth hormone levels, without considering that resistance exercise is significantly more effective (and in many people, low-intensity aerobic exercise may not affect growth hormone status at all). Clearly, although administration of physiologic doses of natural hormones may be helpful in many cases, we ought to be aware that we can do a lot to enhance our hormonal health and thereby our health without the risk of side-effects and long-term complications. Before following the recommendations in this book, therefore, I urge you to read Natural Hormonal Enhancement by Rob Faigin.

I skimmed the book in 2 or 3 hours, skipping most of the case studies. Went back and reviewed what I felt were important to me and acted on the Doctors advice. I observed some effects from taking the substances per recommended dosages. My muscle tone improved. I'm am male age 62. My skin complexion reverted back to young adult levels, skin blemishes I have not experienced for 35 years. I am satisfied the book answered the questions I was looking to answer. If you have questions about these matters this book is worth the time and expense.