From Amazon.com
Do you feel drowsy, sluggish, tense, moody, and disinterested in sex? Do you have trouble sleeping, controlling your eating (especially sweets), and concentrating? If you answered yes to several of these questions, you may have the "body blues" (or "vegetative depressive symptoms"). Authors Marie-Annette Brown and Jo Robinson name these blues, which are caused by low or fluctuating hormones, "women's most misdiagnosed, undertreated, and mistreated mood problem." To combat the body blues, Brown, Robinson, and colleagues at the University of Washington developed "LEVITY" therapy based on three activities: increasing exposure to natural light, walking outside five or more times a week, and taking six inexpensive vitamins and minerals.
When Your Body Gets the Blues explains the causes and symptoms of the syndrome, illustrated by numerous case studies; the authors' research study and supporting science behind LEVITY therapy; the LEVITY program; and easy ways to put it into action. For example, you can double the amount of light you receive by looking straight ahead instead of at the ground when walking outside, and a see-through umbrella helps you get the benefits of natural light when walking in the rain. The program makes sense and is easy to implement. When Your Body Gets the Blues is recommended for women who are tired of being dominated by mood swings, fatigue, emotional eating, and stress. --Joan Price
From Publishers Weekly
Based on the results of a study they conducted, Robinson, who writes in the field of consumer health, and Brown, a specialist of women's medical issues, advocate a solution to alleviate what they call the "body blues." Characterized by such symptoms as weight gain, problems sleeping, fatigue and a decreased interest in sex, this condition, according to the authors, is caused by low serotonin activity. Brown and Robinson describe this as an annoying physiological condition that results from hormonal interactions occurring over a female's lifetime and whose chemical complexities are detailed at length here. Their findings from the controlled study and interviews they conducted with 112 women indicated that the "body blues" could be greatly relieved by a treatment they designed and named the "Levity Program." Consisting of bright light, brisk walking and six vitamins and minerals, these recommendations for mood elevation are drug free and virtually harmless. Walking five times weekly and getting more natural light has been suggested elsewhere by medical providers as beneficial to overall health. The suggested "antidepressant cocktail," a combination of vitamins, is available at any drug or health food store; however, the authors do promote their own all-in-one tablet. This will interest readers of alternative health literature and those who are convinced by the "body blues" theory.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
