The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing During the Change (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Menopause doesn't have to be a dreaded curse of aging during which we can look forward only to hot flashes and whacked-out hormonal mood swings. According to Christiane Northrup, M.D. (Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom), menopause often marks the beginning of a woman's most sexually passionate, creatively inspired, and professionally productive phase of life.

While this may sound like wishful thinking, Northrup backs up her good news with solid medical expertise. As an obstetrician and gynecologist, Northrup has specialized in using a mind-body approach to women's health for decades, which means she doesn't just write about hormones, but also examines how a woman's lifestyle, emotions, and beliefs are affected by menopause. With the right diet, attitude, and perhaps some supplements along the way, women can actually look forward to a resurgence of energy and a revolutionary opportunity for personal growth--one that rivals the hormonally driven period of adolescence in its scope and urgency, she claims. And yes, at just under 500 pages, The Wisdom of Menopause does explain how to have a positive and healthy menopause in concise detail. Northrup has indeed "written the book" on menopause.

It helps that Northrup has been through menopause herself (she vowed she wouldn't write a book on it until she was on the other side). Readers have the sense that they are gleaning advice from a knowledgeable holistic doctor as well as a sage aunt whose life was radically altered by the "change of life" (Northrup divorced at the onset of menopause). After she shares her personal story of "the change," Northrup delves into a significant discussion on how self-sacrifice catches up with women in midlife. Suddenly, hormones are directing women out of the caregiver role and into an inwardly focused assessment of life and its meaning, she explains. Resentments (not hormones) are what spur the notorious surges of anger, as women reexamine the agreements surrounding their relationships with colleagues, friends, and family members.

From here, Northrup guides readers into a thorough section on menopausal hormone changes--a discussion that is scientifically informative, yet entirely accessible. While acknowledging the need for hormone-replacement therapy and the tremendous relief it can provide (helping to alleviate insomnia, hot flashes, and depression), Northrup encourages women to avoid synthetic hormones and instead consider "bioidentical" hormones (such as estradiol, estrone, and estriol). She also devotes an entire chapter to foods and supplements that support hormonal balance. By the way, she says to skip the wild Mexican yam creams: "they certainly don't provide the documented benefits of progesterone." Be warned: some readers may find the advice in Wisdom of Menopause too alternative for their liking. For example, in her discussion on insomnia, one of Northrup's recommendations is to cover the mirror at night, following the ancient Asian design principles of feng shui. (Skeptics will find Northrup's medical assertions carefully cited and footnoted in the rear of her book.)

Northrup gives a solid and practical diet plan that supports hormonal balance while countering the weight gain that so frequently plagues menopausal women ("focus on portion size, not calories," "eat protein at every meal," and cut down on refined and high-carbohydrate foods). Readers can also expect a thorough mind-body discussion in subsequent chapters that cover breast health, bone loss, and cultivating midlife beauty, along with chapters titled "Sex and Menopause: Myths and Reality" and "Creating Pelvic Health and Power."

She concludes with a list of mail-order and online resources, such as retailers for bioidentical hormones, progesterone cream, Chinese herbs, soy products, weight-loss audiocassettes, lubricants, and Kegel weights. Northrup takes a truly comprehensive approach to all the effective treatments of menopausal symptoms so that women can make their own highly informed and wise choices. --Gail Hudson

From Publishers Weekly

Northrup (Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom), cofounder of the Women to Women health-care center in Maine, offers a celebratory, "psychospiritual" approach in her comprehensive guide to menopausal health and well-being. Beginning with the premise that, though difficult, the "hormone-driven changes that affect the brain... give a woman a sharper eye for inequity... and a voice that insists on speaking up," Northrup details hormonal imbalances, mood swings, serious illnesses, treatment options and all the other symptoms, side effects and decisions women face in midlife. Middle-aged herself, Northrup writes from experience and, more important, from her professional expertise as a physician who has treated many women and researched menopause. While much of the health-care material here is available in other sources, Northrup's approach a description of symptoms, followed by both traditional and alternative treatment options along with some anecdotes is particularly useful. Occasionally she veers off into New Age jargon, but she is a firm believer in the relevance of tangential influences on physical health, including emotional and financial well-being. The specific medical advice on sleep, diet, breast health and the empowerment motif will bring insight, comfort and confidence to women embarked on "the change." Agent, Ned Leavitt. (Apr. 3) Forecast: Northrup is a bestselling author widely held in the same esteem as Gary Null and Deepak Chopra. Among the competitive field of books on menopause, hers stands out for its whole-woman approach, which will make it attractive not only to her core readership but also as a hand-selling favorite among booksellers.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 608 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (March 6, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 055380121X
• ISBN-13: 978-0553801217
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (242 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #280,402 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #15 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Authors, A-Z > Northrup, Christiane
  #77 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Women's Health > Menopause

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

285 of 291 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not What I Expected, But Still an Excellent Book, March 25, 2002

By	Imperial Topaz (Marrakesh, Morocco) - See all my reviews

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.

224 of 235 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Menopause- a time for personal empowerment and breaking free, March 6, 2001

By	Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 10 REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

I can't praise this book enough. I subscribed to Dr. Northrup's newsletter for years and got a lot of excellent women's health advice from it. Now she expands on the topic of menopause and perimenopause (the lesser understood, long preliminary phase leading to menopause or change of life.)

The book contains valuable health information (are wild yam creams effective or not as an estrogen replacement substitute?), help for overcoming hot flashes (soy milk and tofu are amazingly effective) insomnia, weight gain and depression. There is a resource section for obtaining various helpful products. Most interesting is the explanation Northrup gives that "the lifting of the veil of hormones" liberates women and rewires their brains for what can be the most powerful, passionate and creative phase of life. I believe this, because I watched my mother reach the peak of her career at this stage, and now I am experiencing some of that myself. I love having an explanation of the changes and why I think and feel differently than I did ever before.

Northrup is a medical doctor, but she is a proponent of alternative medicine and such ideas as feng shui. The alternative slant of this book may not please every reader, but there is plenty of scientifically-backed information with medical backing from the more conventional viewpoint.

All cultures have universal archetypes (symbols) of women; the maiden (virgin, eternally youthful, non-sexual),the mother (nurturer, sexual, fertile) the matriarch (sexual, powerful, leader) and the crone (wise, aged, non-sexual) Northrup focuses on the biological changes that match with the matriarch stage of life. Understanding the brain changes, bodily changes, and most importantly the role change from mother to matriarch can help women achieve their full potential. Northrup explains how menopause can usher in the most creatively inspired, and professionally productive phase of life. Don't miss taking full advantage of what could be the most rewarding stage of life.

147 of 156 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good Source -- if you don't already have the other books, March 30, 2001

By	cathmary (Texas) - See all my reviews

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.