Okay, So I Don't Have a Headache: What I learned (and what all women need to know) about PMS, hormones, stress, diet, menopause--and sex [Paperback]

Christina Ferrare (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 031226366X | ISBN-13: 978-0312263669 | Publication Date: May 5, 2000 | Edition: 1

Christina Ferrare shocked the country-and herself!-when she revealed something very personal on her live talk show, Home and Family-that over the last few years she had experienced a lack of sexual desire. Her relevation prompted appearances on Oprah and Dateline NBC, and she began to hear from hundreds of women who described their own experiences and were glad to know that they were not alone.

Based on information from her own doctors and other medical experts and authoritative sources, Okay, So I Don't Have a Headache helps women understand their own bodies and begin to find answers for themselves. Ferrare talks about nutrition, stress, and sexual desire, dealing with the symptoms of menopause and PMS, and how diet, exercise, and relaxation rituals work to keep the body in balance. The book also includes Ferrare's own recipes designed to help out-of-whack hormones.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Former model Christina Ferrare has been a familiar face on TV for more than a decade, hosting and appearing on talk shows. Now she's famous for another reason: she bared all--in the emotional sense--on Oprah® and in this book about the perimenopausal lack of sexual desire that changed her from lusty wife (making love in every room, greeting her husband at the airport wearing only an overcoat and high heels) to the mistress of avoidance maneuvers: "I have a headache/backache/wet nails." She shares her search for a solution to other perimenopausal symptoms ("I had my first hot flash at Neiman-Marcus, and initially I thought it was from seeing the bill from my purchases"), exploring changes that made her feel better outside the bedroom as well. Ferrare doesn't hold back, confiding her PMS-fueled chocolate rituals (she stuffed as many as seven unwrapped peanut-butter cups in her bra and walked them by her husband). Eventually she gave up foods that weren't good for her, turned to whole foods and exercise, and balanced her diet with herbs and vitamins. She decided against synthetic hormone replacement therapy in favor of natural alternatives: soy, natural progesterone, and herbs. Testosterone cream helped put the zing back in her sex drive. She wisely warns that she is not a doctor and that the program she presents is what worked for her. Readers will need to consult a doctor who knows about alternative medicine to find what will work for them--but she stresses that there is help out there. The book includes about 50 of her favorite healthy recipes. --Joan Price --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Review

"Christina Ferrare has opened a Pandora's box and exposed our shared secrets: We're not perfect, we get PMS, we gain weight, and yes, we even lose the desire to make love to our partners. Her personal odyssey and discover will help women stop looking for excuses and begin to take charge." --Judith Reichman, M.D., author of I'm Not in the Mood: What Every Woman Should Know About Improving Her Libido.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Golden Guides from St. Martin's Press; 1 edition (May 5, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031226366X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312263669
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,851,311 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars I was disappointed, December 6, 1999

By 

Shannon (Blue Springs, Missouri) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Okay, So I Don't Have a Headache (Hardcover)

I expected something that would really help me out and all I found was a small cookbook. It really wasn't worth the price.

40 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Totaly not what I expected..., September 22, 1999

By 

K. Rush (Fallon, NV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Okay, So I Don't Have a Headache (Hardcover)

I saw Cristina Ferrare on Oprah discussing her book. Im 23 and thought I was alone in not having the drive anymore... After seeing the interview, I went and ordered the book. I have to agree with others. It was more of a cook book than anything else. It also seemed to focus only on those women that are close to menopause, not us young women barely out of our teens that also need help with these issues.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars if info is what you're after-don't look here!, August 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Okay, So I Don't Have a Headache (Hardcover)

I am a woman looking for serious information about a very serious problem. I mistakenly purchased this book in hopes that it could help me piece together the last 13 years of doctors, medications,and surgeries. I knew that something was very wrong, but got little response from my doctors. They just seemed to be treating the symptoms and missing the problem. I was recently diagnosised with a microadenoma of the pituatary gland (a very small tumor). I told my doctor of my lack of interest in sex and he told me that it is very common in women with my condition-end of story. Back to the book- this is a nice story of Cristina's experiences, but if you are looking for information that can help you understand what is going on-do not waste your money on this book. I guess this national television focus was a great opportunity for a book with a celebrity name attached to be written, and if that is what you are after, this is for you. For serios answers to serious questions about lack of sexual desire, get the book by Dr. Reichman "I'm not in the mood".