The hormone survival guide for perimenopause : balance your hormones naturally

Explaining why women between the ages of 35 and 50 often experience significant changes in mood, weight, sex drive, and general well-being due to hormonal imbalances, this guide shows women how to regain control of their hormones - and their lives - and feel good again through natural means. Women who have had long-standing physical and emotional complaints written off by doctors as normal or genetic are provided with step-by-step solutions to such hormone-related problems as weight gain, fibroids, sex-drive doldrums, adult acne, depression, anxiety, irritability, chronic fatigue, and facial hair. Perimenopausal women will be able to regain control of their health by putting together a game plan for renewal - including hormone balancing and weight management plans that will help them feel better - with dramatic, life-changing results. Cover ......Page 1 Title Page ......Page 4 Copyright......Page 5 Contents......Page 6 Foreword......Page 14 The 7-Step Program to Balance Your Hormones......Page 16 Acknowledgments......Page 17 Important Caution to the Reader......Page 19 Introduction......Page 20 To Test or Not to Test?......Page 21 Why I Wrote This Book......Page 23 How This Book Can Help......Page 24 Why Hormonal Chaos?......Page 26 The Hormone Roller Coaster......Page 27 Fibroids......Page 28 Hormone Levels Decline with Age......Page 29 What Is Perimenopause and Why Do I Have to Go Through It?......Page 31 Know Your Hormones in and out of Balance......Page 34 Perimenopause: The Change Before the Change......Page 35 How Do Hormones Tip out of Balance?......Page 36 The Hormonal Domino Effect......Page 37 Estrogen......Page 38 What Is Estrogen Dominance?......Page 40 Hysterectomy/oophorectomy......Page 41 Progesterone......Page 42 What Happens When Progesterone Levels Drop?......Page 43 Testosterone......Page 44 Have Your Hormones Tested......Page 46 Each Woman Is Unique......Page 47 Bucking the Trend......Page 48 Serum (Blood) Testing......Page 50 Serum-Testing Specifics......Page 51 Interpreting Lab Results......Page 53 Saliva-Testing Specifics......Page 54 Estradiol......Page 55 Working with Your Medical Provider......Page 57 Long-term Hormonal Balance......Page 58 Use Hormones to Treat Hormone Problems......Page 60 Natural Versus Synthetic Hormones......Page 61 Individualizing Hormone Treatment......Page 63 Progesterone Versus Synthetic Progesterone (Progestin)......Page 64 Forms of Natural Progesterone......Page 65 Dosages of Natural Progesterone......Page 66 How Do I Know If I Need Progesterone?......Page 67 Troubleshooting: Progesterone......Page 68 When Is Estrogen Helpful?......Page 69 Tri-Estrogen......Page 71 Estrogen patch......Page 72 How to Use Estrogen While Still Having Periods......Page 73 Liver Flush Cocktail......Page 75 What About Testosterone?......Page 76 Things to Remember When Using Testosterone Replacement......Page 77 Moving Forward with Hormonal Balance......Page 78 Fix Your Diet: The Most Powerful Way to Create Hormonal Balance......Page 80 Why Women Gain Weight with Age......Page 81 A Six-Step Plan for Weight/Fat Loss......Page 83 Tips for Success......Page 88 Exercise Your Way to a Lean Body......Page 91 Eliminate the Stress Hormone......Page 94 The Story of Stress......Page 95 Where Things Go Wrong for the Busy Woman......Page 96 Solutions for Resolving Toxic Stress......Page 99 Diet for Toxic Stress......Page 104 Exercise for Toxic Stress......Page 105 Get a Grip on PMS......Page 106 PMS During Perimenopause......Page 107 What Causes PMS?......Page 108 PMS Assessment......Page 110 Steps You Can Take on Your Own......Page 112 Supplements......Page 113 Progesterone Therapy......Page 114 Antidepressants......Page 115 Turn on Your Sex Drive......Page 116 Is Losing Libido Inevitable?......Page 117 What Is a “Healthy” Sex Drive?......Page 118 Foods to Fuel the Fire......Page 119 Hormones to Increase Sex Drive......Page 120 Hormone Therapy......Page 121 Alternatives for Improving Sex Drive......Page 122 Simple Exercises for Improved Body Image......Page 124 Additional Sex-Drive Blasters......Page 125 Simple Ways to Spice Up Your Love Life......Page 126 A Dream Date at Home......Page 127 The Fatigue Factor: Rejuvenate Your Thyroid......Page 128 The Powerful Thyroid......Page 129 Undiagnosed, Untreated Low Thyroid Is Bad News......Page 130 Low Thyroid in Perimenopause......Page 131 Other Causes of Fatigue......Page 132 Testing for Thyroid Disorders......Page 135 Obtaining an Accurate Diagnosis......Page 136 What About Osteoporosis?......Page 137 Other Hazards of Perimenopause......Page 142 Surviving Hot Flashes and Night Sweats......Page 143 What Can I Do About Irregular Periods?......Page 146 Hope for Thinning Hair and Hair Loss......Page 148 Banishing Breast Tenderness......Page 150 The Cure for Vaginal Dryness and Irritation......Page 152 Treating Migraines and Other Headaches......Page 153 Bladder Control 101......Page 156 Getting a Good Night’s Sleep......Page 157 The 12-Week Hormone Balancing Plan......Page 160 The 12-Week Hormonal Overhaul......Page 161 The 12-Week Diet Overhaul......Page 162 The Six-Step Plan for Jumpstarting Energy......Page 163 You Can Do It......Page 164 Appendices......Page 165 Compounding Pharmacies and Hormone-Testing Laboratories......Page 166 Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Resources......Page 168 Products......Page 170 Recommended Reading for Specific Perimenopausal Problems......Page 171 Bibliography......Page 174 Glossary......Page 183 Index......Page 188

Explaining why women between the ages of 35 and 50 often experience significant changes in mood, weight, sex drive, and general well-being due to hormonal imbalances, this guide shows women how to regain control of their hormones-and their lives-and feel good again through natural means. Women who have had long-standing physical and emotional complaints written off by doctors as normal or genetic are provided with step-by-step solutions to such hormone-related problems as weight gain, fibroids, sex-drive doldrums, adult acne, depression, anxiety, irritability, chronic fatigue, and facial hair. Perimenopausal women will be able to regain control of their health by putting together a game plan for renewal-including hormone balancing and weight management plans that will help them feel better-with dramatic, life-changing results.

Author Biography: Nisha Jackson, Ph.D., is the owner of Southern Oregon Health and Wellness, P.C., a practice dedicated to hormonal health, and Body Analysis Clinic, Inc., a medical weight management center. She lives in Medford, Oregon.

Publishers Weekly

For the millions of women who experience a variety of unpleasant and stressful symptoms related to perimenopause, this book offers a straightforward discussion, explaining which medical tests and treatments, including alternative therapy, women should consider. Jackson, who owns a medical practice dedicated to hormonal health in Oregon, finds that women either have no symptoms, mild symptoms that become more pronounced right before menopause, or significant symptoms that require treatment in order to continue their daily routines. She explains the relationship among estrogen, progesterone and testosterone, and their impact on depression, sex drive, weight and headaches. And she presents her information clearly, explaining bodily functions in a way that lay readers can understand. Jackson is quick to suggest alternatives to medication such as stress reduction exercises, change in diet and exercise, although she also discusses the variety of estrogen and other hormonal treatments available. Appendices listing recommended reading for specific problems, products, vitamin and herbal supplement resources and hormone-testing labs, in addition to a glossary, add further value to this instructive book. (May) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Dr. Jackson explains why women between the ages of 35 and 50 often experience significant changes in mood, weight, sex drive, and general well-being due to hormonal imbalances, and shows them how to regain control of their hormones--and their lives--using natural methods