Customer Reviews

The Wisdom of Menopause

5 star:		(162)
4 star:		(34)
3 star:		(21)
2 star:		(22)
1 star:		(30)

 

 

I do understand why some people have rated this book only one star. The book gets into a lot of areas outside of mainstream medicine. However, I felt most of what she had to say was medically sound. If you are looking for a book that gives only AMA-approved advice, this is NOT the book for you.

I think this book is actually quite valuable. Who would benefit from it most are people who want BOTH AMA-approved advice, AND who want to consider things like herbal remedies, acupuncture, and other natural treatments. These discussions are particularly valuable for anyone who cannot take traditional hormone treatments for various reasons--such as if you have deep vein thrombosis (which I do). She covers alternative therapies very well, in depth, and from the perspective of a physician who has had many years experience in trying these natural therapies with patients, and with herself. So, here you can get a POSITIVE physician's viewpoint on alternative therapies. Yes, it's true she discusses her personal life, and I personally enjoyed those parts. It's also true that she sometimes gets readings from Tarot cards, but if something comes out of them, she always checks into those areas which have come up in the readings with traditional medical tests and treatments. If you're not into "nurturing your fibroid," or tarot cards, just ignore those parts of the book. Ignoring these parts was not a problem for me. The important thing is, this book is NOT trying to convert people to new-age treatments. It is seriously discussing a number of alternative therapies, from a medical standpoint, that MANY people have already been using on their own for many years--but these people can't find any doctor who will seriously discuss the merits and demerits of any of these treatments. Furthermore, she DOESN'T concentrate ONLY on these alternative therapies--she discusses all the traditional therapies very well.

Should you buy this book? If you are the type of person who is only comfortable with traditional medical advice, you will NOT like this book. Buy another one. If you are someone who is looking for a SERIOUS discussion of alternative therapies, you will think this book is wonderful. I fall primarily in the former camp, but am also open to the latter camp for consideration. I found the book very useful, and felt it was well worth the money I spent on it. The main reason being that it discussed SO MANY MORE aspects of menopause than I ever would have dreamed of thinking about!! It is not a book you can sit down and read cover-to-cover. It has to be read slowly, and digested. After reading this book and another one, I went to see my doctor with a list of pre-prepared questions, and he said I was the best-informed patient he had ever had (here in Morocco). I suggest that you DO buy this book, but you might want one or two other books which cover different aspects of the menopause transition. The other book I chose was a paperback called "The Silent Passage," and between the two books, I feel very satisfied.

This book is highly readable and packed with information about menopause, and perimenopause. However, if you already own or have read Northrup's "Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom", or if you subscribe to her newsletter, or if you've read Dr. John Lee's "What your Doctor may not tell you about Menopause", then you can save your money and skip this book. Most of the information contained in this book can be found in the other sources mentioned. Especially if you want more info natural progresterone -- read Dr Lee's books.

Northrup takes a stronger "new-agey" tone in this book than in her previous one. The Tarot and astrology references, while not repugnant to me, got a little tiring. If this book had been my first encounter with Northrup, I think I might have been turned off to her message.

This book was recommended to me by a holistic therapist when I was talking about all the chaos that has decended into my life. She said that "its part of menopause" and refered this book. She was so right. From the moment I started reading it, I started identifying with a lot of the things that she was saying.

In reading many of the other reviews, I feel that most the one star people never got beyond the first few chapters. They never saw the indepth discussions on building bones, the discussions on why you start gaining weight even though you haven't changed your diet or excercise, or the discussion of heart health. They were turned off by her discussions of her personal life and experience...everyone of which mentioned the tarot card references which were such a small part and only mentioned in the beginning! I thought it made her more human. Nor did I feel she was telling us to ditch everyone in our lives. What I picked up and what I really do feel is important is that we need to constantly reevaluate our live, keep what IS working and change (not neccessarily discard)what isn't and unfortunately, most of us don't do that till our lives go haywire. Menopause is a major haywire occurances.

One of the things that drew me to the book and her attitude is that she approaches everything from an 'understand what is happaning, understand your options, decide what is best for you' point of view. In particular, in this 'here take a pill for that' world we live in, her change your lifestyle first and if that doesn't work, then let's look at the medication and surgical answers was very refreshing.

Menopause is so much more than hot flashes and night sweats and to have one book that goes into all the health issues (physical, mental, and emotional) that we face in this stage of our lives was extremely helpful to me. I highly recommend this book...and if you don't want to hear about her personal experiences, skip Chapter 1, and only want to deal with the medical part, start with Chapter 4.

I had to comment, because our magazine, The Pulse of Oriental Medicine, has received several "heads ups" about some advice Christiane gave... she suggested taking the Chinese patent herb remedy "Yunnan Baiyao" before surgery. I and other Chinese Medical experts believe this is an extremely risky idea.

#1- Yunnan Baiyao stops bleeding... it affects wound-healing. Herbs of this type can have life-threatening interactions with some drugs.

#2- Because of #1, Yunnan Baiyao could alter your response to procedures or drugs, placing your surgeon in an unfamiliar medical landscape, especially if he/she doesn't know you've taken the herbs. Even if they did, not enough is known about how it might interact with the drugs administered before and during surgery.

Don't risk it!

Christian says that the patent "has been used successfully" in this way. There is no reference or source for this. I have no idea what made her think this was a good idea, and she doesn't tell us.

Dr. Northrup offers a powerful and positive message for midlife women but betrays our trust with dangerously misguided dietary advice. Of particular concern is her recommendation of soy as a safe, all-natural hormone replacement therapy. The US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality concluded that the studies on soy and menopause are inconsistent,contradictory, of poor quality & too short duration. POSSIBLE benefits are far outweighed by PROVEN risks, including thyroid damage -- already a weak point for midlife women. Dr. Northrup herself has been diagnosed with hypothyroidism, which is not surprising given her endorsement and avowed consumption of the very high-isoflavone product Revival. Soy also can increase breast cancer risk. I am not alone in this concern. The Israeli Health Ministry has warned that women should exercise caution because of increased breast cancer risk and the French Food Agency will soon require warning labels to this effect. Cornell University's Center for Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors has also warned women at risk for breast cancer to take it easy on soy. Clearly, a good policy is "better safe than sorry."

I recommend that women read Dr. Northrup's book before they need it! That way, the reader can start at the beginning of the book, read it from cover to cover, and enjoy the book. Then it can be used as a reference when the signs and symptoms of menopause begin. If that's not possible, and you're dealing with perimenopause or full-blown menopause, then skip the first few chapters. Otherwise, you'll be ready to divorce your spouse, thinking that's the answer to your mulititude of problems. Bloated? Get a divorce. Night sweats? Get a divorce. No sexual drive? Get a divorce. Instead, look for the chapters that deal with your symptoms. The information on diet and diet supplements is extremely useful. It's also helpful to be able to "talk the talk" when going to an ob-gyn. You will with this book. You'll know what tests to request and what questions to ask. I now feel prepared and educated instead of defeated.

Dr. Northrup gives us a lot of not only emotional insight; but, more importantly and why I bought her book, she gives so much factual information that doctors are too busy to give their patients (it would take hours to relay half of this information!) The information is even more valuable with all of the references and notes she has printed in the back of the book. I have ordered the saliva and urine tests she suggested and will see if I learn anything new; but, even if I don't, I feel better about taking responsibility in educating myself about my own health! A TREMENDOUS EDUCATION - even if you want to supplement it with other informational sources!

Dr. Northrup's book, The Wisdom of Menopause, provides women with a clearly marked roadmap for making the biologically scripted transition to menopause from an informed, confidant position. Her carefully considered discussions about hormone replacement--bioidentical or synthetic, foods & supplements, libido issues, osteoporosis, breast and heart health, as well as the "Resources" section brimming with detailed information on each major topic, help arm women with the understanding and tools needed to intelligently consult with their physicians about this perfectly natural process. The pharmaceutical industry tends to encourage the misguided view that menopause is a "disease" best treated with standarized doses of synthetic hormones; ones that bolster company profits--naturally! Yet, as Doctor Northrup makes clear, transition is not a "one size fits all" experience. Women's bodies and life experiences differ tremendously; hence the logic of individualized, holistic transition programs. Thanks to caring doctors like Christiane Northrup, gone are the days of blind deference to physicians who think that a pat on the head and a prescription for synthetic hormones will get you out of their hair! Bravo Doctor Northrup! Her book should be required reading for any woman (or man, for that matter) over the age of 35.

I would give this book 50 stars if I could! At first I only "spot read" portions that I felt would give me quick answers to my most pressing problem - hot flashes. Not only did Dr. Northrup tell me what causes them, but gave me several viable options on how to alleviate them! I immediately got on one of the web sites she recommended and ordered soy. Then I began to read the book from the beginning. I could feel the empathy of Dr. Northrup as I read page after page and said to myself, more times than I can count, "YES, THAT'S ME, THAT'S ME!" I found that the symptoms I was having and the feelings of anger, frustration, resentment and pending doom were NORMAL, and were an inner sign that I needed to make some changes. This book is informative, educational, enlightening and intuitive. It's an easy read and a MUST READ. I have begun keeping a journal, and am much more at peace as I read more and more of this fascinating book and discover that this truly is the beginning of a new and wonderful second half of my life. Thank you, Dr. Northrup, for saving my life.

I feel this book is head and shoulders above most of the other menopause guides on the market, for two reasons: (1) Northrup is a practicing physician as well as an author and teacher, and she has years of experience working with women going through menopause. So her recommendations about what works, what doesn't, and where conventional wisdom may be wrong are based on considerable experience with REAL, LIVE women. Her ample use of stories drawn from her practice, and those sent in by readers of her newsletter, helps to give weight to her opinions. (2) She makes the vitally important point that every woman's menopause is different -- your menopause is YOURS, not your mother's, or your sister's, or your best friend's. The medical profession, in general, has tended to apply "one size fits all" remedies, e.g., prescribing Premarin to every woman whose hormones seemed to need tweaking. Northrup, by contrast, points out that hormones are a delicately balanced system that may take several years to stabilize after "the change," so it's best to determine as precisely as possible WHICH hormone(s) need tweaking, and do the minimum to prevent problems and increase comfort.
I found her discussion of other menopause-related conditions (e.g., osteoporosis) thorough and helpful too. My doctor has been pressuring me to take a synthetic hormone to prevent bone loss; my instinct has been to say no and address my (slight) problem by other means, and Northrup gave me some very useful information that supports my decision. I questioned some of her suggestions -- e.g., while soy helps many women, it's more problematic if one is hypothyroid. And I think she goes overboard where dietary supplements are concerned. Still, she doesn't present herself as the all-knowing physician but as a woman who's addressing many of these same issues herself (and who sometimes makes mistakes), and I felt that that gave her much more credibility.
I didn't have a problem with the occasional "new age" references: she talks about using the Tarot (for example) as a means of self-knowledge, and it's as good a tool as any for stimulating reflection. I felt, too, that her frankness about her assumptions and beliefs was a courtesy to the reader: I've had highly infuriating experiences with doctors who were NOT aware of, or honest about, how their beliefs affected the way they treated their patients (e.g., "once a woman is past childbearing, she's useless")! In general, I felt Northrup had her feet firmly on the ground, and she's compiled a wealth of information into an easy-to-read and comprehensible volume.