Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

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 have been educating myself about menopause since I hit 40. This book covers everything I discovered plus gives a spiritual side that medical literature never covers. It is full of excellent practical advice. Dr. Northrup combines traditional medicine with other "medicines" in a nice balance. "THE WISDOM OF MENOPAUSE" and Understanding: Train of Thought are life changing books. I can't recommend them too highly!

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.

This book has given so much insight & so much hope that you can't imagine. I was suffering from depression and treated for it without realizing it was only a symptom for my "ride" with Menopause. Christiane gives the bigger picture for a variety of individuals, just not herself. Her personal experience with menopause added to the book. She had to experience change with a divorce, I had to experience change with a change in work and lifestyle. Boy do I feel better about myself & how my body is changing.

The depression was my body telling me "change". Unfortunately, as humans, we are resistent to change, but it will make menopause a lot easier for those that do. Change is not the same for everyone.

She has been quick to update her book with newer treatments & research.

The tarot cards "issue" is just her experience. She does not promote it anywhere else in the book. I found that this experience shows that she is not the traditional doctor that has blindfolds on.

Menopause has become a dirty word to women in the 2nd part of their lives. It is hardly mentioned, just like menstruation was when we were younger. We need to get our heads out of the sand & realize that times are changing & so are we & change doesn't have to be bad.

This book not only covered the physical elements, but also explained the emotional roller coaster that is often neglected.
I found her suggestions both useful, and thought provoking

I have been a fan of Dr. Northrup's for years, since Womens Bodies, Womens Wisdom. She has struggled with the "established" ways of treating women's unique health problems for years, putting her medical practice and her reputation on the line repeatedly. She pulls it all together in this book, both the mainstream and alternative treatments that have worked for her patients. No, I'm not into the tarot cards, chakras, and some of the woo-woo stuff either (like other reviewers) but I'm happy to at least know about it. Some readers object to the recounting of her divorce -- "Does that mean I have to get rid of my husband to start my new life?" Oh please, this is her story and you have yours, we can all acknowledge that, can't we? God Bless You, Dr. Northrup, for your courage in addressing so many areas of physical and emotional health for midlife women.

Everyone in menopause and peri-menopause should read this book. Lots of information that you need to know but won't hear from your regular doctor. Very eye opening information.

I orginally borrowed this book from the library, and was so impressed that I ordered the most recent edition for myself. It is extremely well-documented and covers numerous topics of interest for any woman who is at the perimenopause stage or beyond. Although much of the information is included in both editions, I would recommend purchasing the most recent one as it addresses new research, particularly in the area of hormone therapy. Other topics covered include bone and heart health, healthy diet and lifestyle choices as well as mental health. I particularly appreciated the holistic approach of the book, and found the writing style to be clear and easy to read.

This book was recommended to me by a counsellor and it couldn't be a better guide for going through this natural transition in life. Dr. Northrup has presented well written, essential information and solutions for body, mind and spirit, much needed for women going through the change. It can be a powerful time, and we are not victims to our hormones. Reading this book, I find something useful on every page.

I found "The Wisdom of Menopause" to be very helpful. The book gave me new insights into my emotional state after a messy separation. It also helped me understand the physical changes I'm experiencing.