OBGYN.net Women and Patients - Book Review

BEFORE THE CHANGE: Taking Charge of Your Perimenopause
by Ann Louise

The author promotes a Holistic approach of prevention and gradual change towards improved health. A wealth of resources and references support her recommendations. I found each chapter insightful with lots of practical suggestions directed at making perimenopause and menopause a more positive time.

The author and I share the experience that as we age we become interested in what is happening to us and what lies ahead, and then want to share this knowledge with others. Women might experience dramatic changes in their cycles, and the impact of their past and present choices upon their health. Ms. Gittleman supplies informative case studies about specific women and how they approached the changes they saw in their lives throughout the book. She moves these women into specific things they can do to ease the perimenopuase time. I appreciate her focus on balance: hormonally, nutritionally, and mentally. With such wide differences in experiences for women, moving towards balance within each unique women is an important concept.

Part 1 is entitled, "Alleviating Symptoms". Here Gittleman presents her list of all-star Peri Zappers to decrease and prevent some of the annoying symptoms women face. These Zappers are aimed at rebalancing women's hormonal systems. We frequently expect and instant change in symptoms, and Gittleman suggests patience, and that sometimes certain Zappers are needed in abundance before symptoms can be alleviated.

The 10 Peri Zappers are:

1. Flaxseed Oil
2. Evening Primrose Oil
3. Multivitamins and Magnesium
4. Zinc
5. Natural Progesterone Cream
6. Exercise
7. Destressing Stress
8. Adrenal Refreshers
9. Soy Phytoestrogens
10. Natural Estrogen Replacement

Not all women will need all of these supplements, and Gittleman recommends the minimum that is needed to reduce symptoms. Details for use are clearly delineated in the book, as well as resources for where some items can be obtained. Another highlight of this section is the chapter: "Natural Quick Fixes for Perimenopause Symptoms". These are practical remedies, sometimes only needed for a short period of time to correct an imbalance.

Gittleman is well known by women for her other books on Nutrition. Part 2 goes into more detail about The Changing Diet, or what Gittleman calls The Hormone Balancing Diet. She feels this way of eating is very beneficial for women and a way of decreasing the symptoms of perimenopause and improving overall health. She again provides examples from case studies of women who have seen improvements with these dietary changes. She clarifies the significance of foods with a high glycemic index and suggests ways to avoid the negative impact of these foods that trigger insulin highs in the same way that sugars do. She also refers to the concept of Slow Burners and Fat Burners, with reference to another popular book of hers, Your Body Knows Best. I have been trying to follow these recommendations for over two years now, and have seen some very positive results in my own health. It has been well documented that by decreasing specific complex carbohydrates and sugars women are finding improvement especially with such conditions as yeast infections and fibromyalgia. I especially liked the chapter on "Pure Water and Food". Here she very sensibly discusses the impact on our health of certain environmental hazards, and just enough information to encourage women to research the topic further.

This book has lots of common sense and practical ideas, and enough information and resources to support rational decision making and empowerment. Two additional books I recommend most highly to women who want to learn about the physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of their body and how it functions are Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, by Christine Northrup, and Taking Charge of Your Fertility, by Toni Weschler. All three of these books encourage women to take responsibility for learning about and maintaining their own health, and correcting imbalances.

Gittleman, MS, CNS. Harper Collins San Francisco, 1998. 252 pages. ISBN:0-06-251539-X . $ 22.00 or ISBN PB: 0-06-251537-3,