Natural Prescriptions for Women: What to Do-- And When to Do It-- To Solve More Than 100 Female Health Problems-- Without Drugs [Paperback]

Susan Berg (Author), The Editors of Prevention Health Books (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 8, 2000

The best cures combining:

Herbs * Stretches * Vitamins * Aromatherapy * Yoga * Homeopathy * Foods * Relaxation * Baths * Lifestyle Makeovers * Mental Pick-Me-Ups * Weight Loss * And More

Nondrug prescriptions for more than 100 everyday complaints and emotional concerns, including:

* Herbal prescriptions like St.-John's-wort for depression (page 395) and dandelion tea for urinary tract infections (page 137)
* Stretching prescriptions for a stiff, aching back (page 16) and post-workout soreness (page 96)
* Yoga prescriptions for stuffy sinuses (page 109) and fluid retention (page 276)
* Nutritional like magnesium for migraine headaches (page 125) and a B vitamin formula for chronic fatigue (page 178)
* Aromatherapy like essential oil of rosemary for menstrual cramps (page 275) and lemon scent for morning sickness (page 285)

Doctor-approved regimens for major health concerns, including:

* Dietary to control blood sugar (page 182), lower cholesterol (page 211), prevent breast cancer (page 172), and manage other serious conditions
* Exercise to control high blood pressure (page 208), lose weight (page 230), tame trouble spots (page 366), and more
* Lifestyle makeovers for the married and harried (page 475), chronic dieters (page 468), shift workers (page 503), and people in other stressful circumstances

Match natural remedies to your body's daily, weekly, and monthly cycles!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Nondrug prescriptions for more than 100 everyday complaints and emotional concerns, including:

* Herbal prescriptions like St.-John's-wort for depression (page 395) and dandelion tea for urinary tract infections (page 137)
* Stretching prescriptions for a stiff, aching back (page 16) and post-workout soreness (page 96)
* Yoga prescriptions for stuffy sinuses (page 109) and fluid retention (page 276)
* Nutritional like magnesium for migraine headaches (page 125) and a B vitamin formula for chronic fatigue (page 178)
* Aromatherapy like essential oil of rosemary for menstrual cramps (page 275) and lemon scent for morning sickness (page 285)

Doctor-approved regimens for major health concerns, including:

* Dietary to control blood sugar (page 182), lower cholesterol (page 211), prevent breast cancer (page 172), and manage other serious conditions
* Exercise to control high blood pressure (page 208), lose weight (page 230), tame trouble spots (page 366), and more
* Lifestyle makeovers for the married and harried (page 475), chronic dieters (page 468), shift workers (page 503), and people in other stressful circumstances

Match natural remedies to your body's daily, weekly, and monthly cycles!

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Introduction Programming Your Body to Heal Faster, with Nature

You probably knew that jet lag, blood sugar problems, and menstrual cramps are affected by changes in body physiology over time. But did you know that asthma, arthritis, migraines, and a whole host of other health conditions also vary from day to day, month to month, season to season?

We know our bodies can and do change significantly from year to year. But evidently, our bodies change from hour to hour, day to night, week to week, month to month, and season to season. And that's enough to affect our health. For years, botanists and biologists were the only people who paid attention to the study of daily rhythms on plants or animals. Now, scientists are taking a closer look at how daily, monthly, or seasonal changes affect not only animals, but people.

What's more, medicine is beginning to take these changes, called circadian rhythms, into account. Doctors notice that a host of conditions--from asthma and heartburn to arthritis and high blood pressure--fluctuate within the course of a day or month. If you have asthma, for example, and your triggers are molds, pollens, and cigarette smoke, you are more likely to have an attack in the morning. But if your asthma is triggered by dust mites, you are more prone to attacks in the middle of the night. Similarly, the pain of rheumatoid arthritis tends to be worse when you first awaken. But with osteoarthritis, you may feel fine in the morning but have pain later in the day.

Because of monthly fluctuations in the amount and type of female hormones released during the monthly menstrual cycle, chronobiological changes are most notable in women. In fact, according to a poll conducted for the American Medical Association, three out of four doctors surveyed agreed that the female reproductive system is influenced by chronobiology, the relationship between time and your health.

Many of the same physicians polled said that they give consideration to the body's natural rhythms when prescribing treatment. Synchronizing treatment with the chronobiological patterns of a specific condition, such as asthma or migraine headaches, is called chronotherapeutics.

Within the scientific community, there is a general trend toward taking a closer look at how the dimension of time can help people get the most benefit from their medications, says Timothy Monk, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry and director of the human chronobiology research program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Doctors are starting to prescribe medication so that it is taken when the body can use it most efficiently. Doctors are also giving more consideration to the delivery of powerful drugs, such as those used in chemotherapy, so that they are administered at a time when they are less likely to be toxic to the body.

The idea is simple. By taking medication at the time when your body can make the most of it, you may benefit in three ways: The disease may be better managed. You will experience fewer side effects. And you might need less medication.

Growing evidence reveals that prescribing nondrug remedies at the right time of the day, month, or season can also go a long way toward relieving symptoms.

Modeled after the kinds of prescriptions that you are accustomed to receiving for medical treatments, the natural prescriptions you'll discover in this book are very specific. You'll find out what to do, when, how often, and for how long. Throughout, the focus is on timing your actions to glean the most benefit in the shortest period of time. As a quick reference aid, you'll find advice keyed to certain biological rhythms flagged with symbols. These handy icons spotlight remedies best used at certain times of the day or night, month, or season.

Sometimes all it takes is the right action at the right time to relieve the problem. A gentle stretch when you wake up in the morning. A cup of a healing herbal tea in the afternoon. A restorative food at dinnertime. A calming visualization at bedtime. The right supplement at the right time of the month. These natural prescriptions may ease your ills, often without drugs--or at least reduce your need for medication, if your doctor approves.

Part 1 of the book offers natural prescriptions for the health problems that most concern women. Chapter 1 presents self-care measures for everyday ailments--the kinds of things that we are all apt to encounter sooner or later, such as colds and heartburn. Chapter 2 has time-oriented advice for fighting disease, with timely tips on high cholesterol, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other preventable problems. Chapter 3 pays special attention to hormonal and reproductive problems experienced exclusively by women, such as menstrual discomforts and hot flashes. Chapter 4 features dozens of natural tips and techniques for looking your best.

Because our mental and spiritual well-being affects our physical health, chapter 5 offers nondrug tactics for emotional health. And of course, since so many ills can be traced to less-than-healthful lifestyles, part 2 features "prescriptions" for healing 11 potentially harmful lifestyles, such as inactivity, chronic dieting, and life on the go.

Natural is better. But timing is everything. You'll see.

Sharon Faelten Editor

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Rodale Books (December 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875964346
• ISBN-13: 978-0875964348
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #287,626 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Resourceful, December 16, 2008

By 

T. Carey "mother of 3/healthnut" (Saint Louis, MO) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Natural Prescriptions for Women: What to Do-- And When to Do It-- To Solve More Than 100 Female Health Problems-- Without Drugs (Paperback)

Ok so I have been a health nut for going on 6 years and have a large library of natural healing books and blah blah blah. This book is one of the few that I go to regularly to use because it is very accurate. I get calls from friends and family asking what to do for this and what to do for that so I need some good accurate resourceful books in my posession and this definetly one of them. So if you are into natural and interested in learning more I highly recommend this book.