Customer Reviews

The Triple Whammy Cure: The Breakthrough Women's Health Program for Feeling Good Again in 3 Weeks

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

When I was given the opportunity to review a book purported to help women feel better, deal with stress, sleep more soundly and feel happier, it caught my attention but didn't necessarily call out to me - that is, until I saw one chapter devoted entirely to dealing with migraines. As a long-time migraineur, I'll try just about anything to help get them under my control and make them manageable. So I agreed to take a look at The Triple Whammy Cure.

Upon receiving the book, I found myself devouring it over the next two evenings. Here was a book that talked about stress, serotonin and hormones, and the multitude of afflictions women suffer from as a result of any one of these being out of balance. Reading further, I found a synthesis of research I'd come across here and there in my own struggles to deal with eatings disorders and depression in the past, as well as my own on-going ordeal with migraines. Not only that, but I'd found a book that was easy to read, with a clear plan of action, written by an author who seems genuinely concerned about his readers.

Says Dr. Edelberg, in his introduction:

Follow this carefully: what you're experiencing is not a disease, as doctors think of disease, but rather the consequences of a susceptibility you have as a woman on three separate fronts. Your symptoms are the result of a three-pronged assault - a "triple whammy" so to speak - consisting of:

-stress
-a shortage of a chemical in your brain called serotonin
-your ever-shifting female hormones

I decided that before I would write my review, I would try to follow Dr. Edelberg's plan myself for at least six weeks, as best I could, so that I could more fully reflect on the strengths and weaknesses of his book. I started following the plan in mid-December, 2005, and it has now been about six weeks. I chose to focus on two areas: migraines and PMS. I chose to add in thePMS plan because my migraines have always been hormonally driven, coming on particularly strongly during ovulation and at the end of my cycle.


In a nutshell, my course of action has included greatly increasing my daily intake of fruits and vegetables, walking outdoors for at least 20 minutes, five days a week, and adding a multitude of vitamins and other supplements to my diet. None of these was easy for me right from the start, but with time they are slowly becoming new habits for me. Because I take different pills at different times of day, I bought a small pill holder at the drugstore to keep track of them. Every night I sort out the next day's supplements so that they're waiting for me. Some of what I'm taking include B-2, feverfew, 5-HTP and fish oil.

Walking almost daily is getting easier, as I work it into my day as something that is non-negotiable. The exercise helps boost endorphins and serotonin, as does being out in the sunlight. I think the most difficult aspect of following the plan has been eating enough fruits and vegetables every day. Dr. Edelberg recommends 4-6 servings of fruit and 5-6 servings of vegetables. I have yet to have a day where I've met those expectations, but I'm making progress.

So how am I feeling, you may be wondering? On a day to day basis, I feel better. I am sleeping better, I feel healthier, and the exercise has been good for my mental state. I wish I could say I haven't had any migraines since starting, but that hasn't been the case. I've had a couple bad ones. However, I am feeling encouraged by what I've seen and felt so far, and I am sticking with it for at least another two months, to give it a real chance to affect some change. One thing I haven't done since the first couple of weeks is keep a daily stress journal, and that is something I intend to work back into my nightly routine.

There are other parts to the plan, such as timing one's carbohydrates during the day and cultivating a positive attitude, and that means that for me, there is still more to do before I can really render my final verdict. I think it would be hard to do all of what Dr. Edelberg suggests in just three weeks, as it requires many changes in one's day to day life if you're not eating well, not exercising, not journaling and so forth. But given time to work through the process, I think it can be helpful for women who feel "depressed, exhausted, achy, stressed-out, bloated, and forgetful." Dr. Edleberg lists 13 other issues that he considers Triple Whammy ailments, in addition to migraines and PMS, including irritable bowel syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome and anxiety disorders.

A final thought from the author:

And that's why I wrote this book. I decided that the five finest words any doctor can ever hear are "I think I'm feeling better," and my patients tell me they do feel like they've got their lives back.

For years I have had stomach aches.. I've seen numerous doctors, and while I have seen some improvement, The Triple Whammy Cure gave me simple, yet effective ways that I could control and cure my aches. Unlike some others I have leafed through, Triple Whammy provides feasible and economical solutions to problems that plague women : depression, PMS, lack of energy.... I'm so happy to have this on my bookshelf as a constant guideline on how to improve my quality of life.

I've been going through night sweats, sleeplessness, mood swings, some brain fog--and so have all three of my sisters and many of my women friends who are in their 40s and 50s (and have some type of perimenopause and menopause symptoms). This book is 'information dense' and has given me lots of valuable advice. I needed more than a scrip for Prozac and an estrogen patch to cope with with these "triple whammy' symptoms. This book is literally a lifeline! I liked the multi-dimensional remedies, including alternative healing methods. I am getting this book, some fish oil and B complex for all my women friends and my sisters...and keeping this book as a reference guide.

When I think of all the time, effort and money I have wasted over the years, and the true discomfort! I wish I would have had this book 20 years ago!!! I am definitely getting copies for my niece, sisters, and friends. Dr. Edelberg explains very thoroughly and in a way that is interesting what the heck has been going on all these years with these hormones! His book is enlightening and gives great practical solutions and allowed me to implement my own Triple Whammy Cure with unbelievable results. I want to share this with everyone I know. Even some men suffer alot of the same symptoms Dr. Edelberg describes and can really benefit from employing his Triple Whammy Cure techniques. Dr. Edelberg has truly given us a gift with this book - all of his years of experience, observation, and working with patients that we can benefit from. Thank you.

Deb Morrin

You might recognize my name from the book. I helped Dr. Edelberg write and edit The Triple Whammy Cure.

I started the 3-week cure a couple years ago when Dr. E and I began working on the book. Back then I was having night sweats that woke me from a sound sleep and hot flashes during the day. All this was making me feel very disoriented during the day--my mind felt out-of-focus pretty much constantly.

Once I started the basic 3-week cure, after a couple of weeks my menopause symptoms subsided and then just stopped. It was stunning.

The Menopause Transition chapter in the book is one of my favorites. Here's why: it's tailored for 3 different levels of symptoms that women experience during the menopause transition-light, medium, and industrial strength. Dr. E describes a specific plan for how each group can use lifestyle changes, nutritional supplements, and sometimes bioidentical hormones to get back to feeling really good again.

If you're having any menopause symptoms, I recommend it highly.

I found this book to be so helpful, down-to-earth, and sensible it was a true relief for me to read it. I'm already implementing many of DR. E's suggestions, and the book also corroborated what my holistic Dr. and I have been doing, and reassured and motivated me about the exercise I'm getting. His explanation about serotonin and whole grain carbohydrates was very helpful, and the section on weight was very comforting. I'm 63, post-menopausal, and live an exhilarating but high-stress life, with a great marriage and a satisfying career. My exhaustion wasn't terrible, but I never could understand it, except as a "natural part of aging" which was very discouraging. This book has given me hope that the energy I had for most of my life has not gone away forever, and I can get it back. The suggestions are so sensible and simple it was easy to follow them right away.

This book is truly outstanding. It brings together current, insightful information about topics that are critical for some women but nearly impossible to get quality medical acknowledgement of, let alone constructive advice on. The book offers an integrative medical approach to understanding and treatment of the very debilitating but surprisingly commmon ailments covered; there is every validation of the person's individual experience as defining the ailment as well as the cure and no presumption that one size fits all, either in terms of symptoms or solutions. This book brings both hope and direction to understanding and fixing these problems. And, if that weren't enough, the writing conveys such warmth and is so accessible that it is, indeed, a genuine pleasure to read the book. I began it one evening and did not move from my chair for 7 hours while I completed the book in one sitting (and I am a fairly slow reader). In my opinion, there is no better book on the subject, and this book is a must read for anyone who is interested in any or all parts of the subject. You will immediately feel better for knowing that you are understood at last!

I "discovered" Dr. Edelberg years ago, when I was researching a book of my own and seeking an expert in fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue. In leading support groups for the partners of adults with ADHD, I found so many female members complaining of CFS and fibromyalgia symptoms. Could it be that the stress of dealing with a partner's undiagnosed/untreated ADHD symptoms was at least partially the reason? I needed an expert to comment on the role of stress and these conditions.

(Only later did I learn that women with unaddressed ADHD symptoms also seemed to suffer CFS and fibro symptoms in greater-than-average numbers. Perhaps that is because they also face an inordinate amount of stress--from running late, feeling under pressure, being disorganized, and so forth.)

I contacted Dr. Edelberg because, from reading a few of his articles, I felt he had a solid holistic approach to dealing with these CFS/fibro conditions and he understood the role of stress. But then I was surprised when I told him about my writing project, and he immediately said, "Oh yes, adult ADHD. I recently attended a lecture on that and thought, 'why didn't I know about this before?'" He immediately made the connection between some of his female patients and their male partners' undiagnosed ADHD. I felt I'd hit the jackpot.

Please understand how RARE it is to find an MD who can make these kinds of connections--who doesn't have to be dragged kicking and screaming into understanding the very real facts of adult ADHD and who understands how ADHD symptoms can wreck havoc on couples and entire families. Even if you don't care about his knowledge in this area, though, consider that it represents Edelberg's deep awareness on the broad variety of factors that affect our mental and physical health. Some of us run ourselves into the grave going to the various specialists without ever finding a doc who can see the "big picture"--and bring it sharply into view for us. If you can't find a doc like Dr. Edelberg in your area, then at least you can read his book.

Given Edelberg's articles that I'd read and my knowledge of him through the interview, I was very excited to learn he'd written a book. I knew it would be a life-saving resource for so many women. And I was right. Because I also have first-hand experience with these conditions, I feel qualified to say that this book is so well done--a potential lifesaver for so many women who are walking around half-alive or half in pain. Discouraged from the side effects of medications offered by their physicians. Feeling old before their time. It seems that whenever docs can't identify the physical core issues with women who suffer these symptoms, they pin it on a psychological reason.

I wish I'd had this book 10 years ago, before I became almost completely incapacitated by such issues as Edelberg describes. Instead, I lost a big chunk of my life and felt knocked pillar to post trying to find care providers who could help me feel better instead of worse. All the lessons I learned the very hard way--plus many more--Edelberg has compiled in this highly readable and useful book.

You don't have to feel half-alive. You can feel good again. And Dr. Edelberg shows you how. (He now has a newsletter, too, which I highly recommend.)

Gina Pera

This book is so well written and organized, that I read the sections that do not necessarily pertain to me just to gain insights and ideas for others I know. I have recommended it to several friends who I know will benefit from certain sections. There isn't a woman I know who would not get something useful from the book--something that would change her life for the better. Really!

This book has some excellent advice. It says that women are more vulnerable to the bad effect stress has on your body because they naturally have lower serotonin. Then it goes on to describe many illnesses that are caused in part by stress that women certainly get more of than men. It gives very helpful ways to increase your serotonin naturally and to balance your hormones.
He says you need to be outside taking in the light with your eyes. If you are inside all day and then when you go out you have sunglasses on, your body will not produce enough serotonin. This was a revelation for me because all these female symptoms are in my family but my sister doesn't get them. And I realize that she doesn't wear sunglasses. Also, I didn't have symptoms for a few years when my child was small- during that time I didn't wear sunglasses because he would pull them off. It's very interesting.
The only thing I wasn't sure about in the book was when the author said that fish oil supplements were tested and don't contain any Mercury. That made me lose some trust in him because the supplements didn't contain any "detectable levels of Mercury" according to the website he recommended. That is very different to "no Mercury."
I think this book is worthwhile for women to check out. I have started to follow many of the suggestions in it.