Natural Hormone Balance for Women: Look Younger, Feel Stronger, and Live Life with Exuberance

Great book, and I have RESEARCHED menopause and have read 4 books now on this subject, because I am going through a hell of a menopause, at the age of 45! I am saturating myself on this subject because woman need to know the truth about NATURAL, BIO-IDENTICAL HORMONES to get help! NOT the synthetic, cancer causing horse-urine (yes, made from pregnant mare urine) crap that has been offered in the past. These NATURAL hormones mimic a woman's own estrogen and progesterone, etc., that she has lost during menopause; that is what is happening here. Lost estrogen and progesterone must be balanced and replaced at menopause, regulated through blood work to get a woman's hormone levels back to as close to "normal" as possible. Dr. Uzzi Reiss has loaded this book with ALL, MUST NEEDED info; he covers EVERYTHING needed to know about menopause and hormones and how to regulate and talk to your own doctor and it is just a necessary book. Natural hormones must be replaced for a woman's health and sanity, for bone loss, sleep, mental clarity, weight gain, sex life, numerous reasons to own this book. It has helped me beyond what I could have imagined. It is the best, most informative, out of all I own on this subject. Now, if only GYN's would get up on the subject and learn about natural hormones and menopause, because I found out, calling to make an appointment, most of them know nothing, and admitted that only a few hours of hormone information is required for them in school. How horrible that this is shoved unded the carpet like this! The quest is to find a decent doctor who is willing to learn and help with this horrible time of life; most of them say you just have to "live with it", which is not true! It is difficult to find an up-to-date GYN, who cares to learn the truth about natural hormones, but take this book and all information and show them and tell them what you need to do. An "endocrinologist" would also be in the category to help with natural hormones. Armed with this great information from Dr. Reiss, middle-age women now have a chance at a happy, healthy, harmonious life. I wish I could move to California and have Dr. Reiss as my personal doctor.

Although this book was published the year before the government's Health Initiative Report of 2002, which proved that synthetic Premarin and Provera could cause cancer, the author already was suspicious of this, and had found bio-identical hormones to be safe and very helpful, due to his years of prescribing them. He also had much to say about our diets, that high glycemic carbs and sweets are to be avoided, years before our doctors who were telling us merely to watch our fats. Dr. Uzzi Reiss was ahead of his time. Very interesting book with helpful information that we women are searching for today.

This book advocates a pro- hormone replacement stance using bio identical hormones. Written by an experienced and currently practicing physician. Provides good information to take to your own physician to assist in making your own personal decision on this matter.

Dr Reiss obviously LOVES women...I have read over 25 menopause books and this is the BEST. It is written for all women to understand with great patience and caring. He has separated the hormones and clearly explains what each does and the symptoms of their imbalance. He includes contacts to locate a Dr in your area to help with the tests you will need to find out what you will need...not a "one size fits all" approach, but a customized just-for-you regimen of health to truly grow old gracefully....without the hot flashes, weight gain, fuzzy thinking, and loss of interest in your romantic life. I would also recommend T.S. Wiley's book "Sex, Lies, and Menopause" which explains why we are seeing so much female cancer and how to protect yourself and your daughters from the problems our generation is experiencing. Women who breeze thru menopause have had low estrogen levels all their lives, so the absence is not much of a shock. If you are contemplating a hysterectomy and your Dr does not do saliva hormone testing and have BIOIDENTICAL hormones ready for you to take afterwards, FIND a Dr thru the Women's International Pharmacy. You will avoid all the symptoms that are joked about....they are NO JOKE. These BIOIDENTICAL hormones DO NOT CAUSE CANCER!!!!!! They cause good sleep, weight loss, and finding yourself again.

Natural Hormone Balance for Women by Uzzi Reiss MD This is currently one of the best books for women who want to know about natural bio-identical hormones for the menopausal symptoms of night sweats, hot flashes, insomnia, weight gain, and foggy mind. I met Uzzi Reiss at a medical meeting a few years ago, and he mentioned his new book during conversation. After returning from the meeting, I read Suzanne Somers' book in which she mentioned that Uzzi Reiss had been one of her doctors during her long odyssey to find bio-identical hormone replacement. As a gynecologist with a large clinical practice in Los Angeles, Dr. Uzzi Reiss has accumulated a considerable amount of knowledge and experience using natural hormones for women, and Dr. Reiss is one of the few physicians willing to share this knowledge. Reiss's book provides a practical guide for the safe use of natural hormones, and answers the following questions: 1) When to use natural hormones, when to not use them 2) The difference between unsafe patented synthetic hormones, and the safe natural hormones. 3) Why natural hormones are safe. 4) What route of administration is best, pills, gels, creams, drops, etc. 5) What are your possible responses to each hormone in terms of how you will feel. 6) How to monitor our response and adjust your hormone dosage individually. 7) How to work with your doctor to adjust your hormone dosage for optimal effect avoiding hormone excess symptoms. Regarding hormone testing: Dr. Reiss uses blood testing for baseline hormone levels, however, he says: "The heavy reliance on normal-range readings is nothing less than a tragic, medical addiction" Dr. Reiss's approach: After a routine history and physical exam, baseline blood hormone levels and a pelvic sonogram, treatment is started at a relatively low hormone dosage, adjusting upward as needed. For the adjustment phase, Dr. Reiss empowers his patients with the knowledge to adjust their individual hormone levels. This is done based on symptoms of hormone deficiency or excess, clearly described in detail in his book, which serves as an educational tool for his patients. Separate chapters are devoted to Estrogen, Progesterone and Testosterone with very detailed descriptions of symptoms of hormonal deficiency and hormonal excess. Dr. Reiss does not discuss thyroid, leaving that for other authors. Also, there are only limited comments about adrenal fatigue and the problems associated with low cortisol. A major strength of the book is that Dr. Reiss provides exact hormone dosages and route of administration for his Los Angeles patient population. However, as a matter of practical experience, I have found his starting estrogen dosage somewhat on the high side of the scale for my area of the country, so I would caution the reader about that. Also, Dr. Reiss does not explain why he changed the standard formulation of Tri-Est (10/10/80) to a different unique formulation of Tri-Est gel (0.25E1/ 0.75E2/ 2.75E3). According to most large national compounding pharmacies, the most common formulation is Bi-Est in 0.625 mg to 1.25 mg dosage with (20 E2 / 80 E3) formulation. In any event, these minor flaws are outweighed by the many strengths of the book which empowers women to learn about natural hormone balance. I applaud Dr. Reiss for providing a valuable public service with a book that should be in every woman's library on natural hormone replacement. Jeffrey Dach MD

Best book I've read for bioidentical hormone replacement for women (I have read dozens). The author is an MD with decades of experience in this field. What makes his book the best is (1) he gives very specific suggested starting doses and formulations for bioidentical hormones (they are compounded, so come in different strengths and different routes of administration) so that even if your own doctor is not familiar with bioidentical hormone replacement (as few doctors are) this book will tell him/her exactly where to start as well as the rationale behind it. (2) he lays out a protocol for what order to introduce different hormones if a woman needs to replace several different ones, including a gradual, well-spaced introduction of each one so that the woman can tell which hormones are causing which effects and adjust accordingly. For example he explains and discusses estrogen (estradiol, estriol, estrone), progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, pregnenolone, HGH and more. (3) throughout the book, he stresses that, while labs and various ongoing checkup tests are important, the ultimate guide for treatment is the woman listening to her own body and its responses to different treatment approaches (imagine that-- a doctor who believes a woman can be an expert on her own body!) He covers bioidentical hormone replacement needs over a woman's lifespan-- some women have hormonal imbalance issues beginning as teenagers, some women have premature ovarian failure as early as their 20s, many women are plunged into premature menopause by hysterectomy (even without oopherectomy, ovarian die-off is frequent after hysterectomy), then as a woman ages she encounters first perimenopause and then menopause. The treatment approach differs somewhat in each case, and he covers the various different scenarios. Finally, he addresses controversies about bioidentical hormones and alleviates misunderstandings about potential harm from replacing them. Bioidentical hormone replacement is particularly discouraged by pharmaceutical companies. They cannot patent bioidentical hormones (molecular structures same as the hormones naturally found in the body), thus cannot profit from them, thus discourage them, thus most doctors are prejudiced against bioidentical hormones and almost completely ignorant about them. Instead, pharmaceutical companies have tinkered with the original molecular structures of the body's hormones, ending up with chemicals that are not normally found in the body at all. These are then patentable and profitable. These have also been shown to cause all kinds of problems for women. The other main approach by pharmaceutical companies is to concentrate the urine of pregnant mares (Premarin) and market that to women with hormonal deficiencies. As you may guess, mare estrogens, while "natural" to mares, are molecularly different than human estrogens, not to mention the poor mares being kept in small enclosures and deliberately dehydrated in order to concentrate their urine. It is true that a few of the hormones pharmaceutical companies sell are bioidentical, and a step in the right direction. The advantage of compounded bioidentical hormones, though, is that dosages and routes can be custom-made where pharmaceutical hormones are in pre-set dosages and routes of administration. Dr. Reiss works in Hollywood, and I am guessing has contributed to how young many of the female celebrities appear even in their 50s, 60s, 70s. Much more important than appearing younger, however, is the tremendous gains in quality of life that come from bioidentical hormone replacement. Note: His Superwoman book wasn't nearly as good as this one.

I've learned more from this book than almost all my research on the subject over the past year combined. Dr. Reiss obviously writes from a perspective of great knowledge, passion, and respect for women and their bodies. I now understand so much more about how my early physical development and life choices affected me up to this point, and more fully appreciate the choices I have from here on out. My only regrets are: 1) that I don't live close enough to see Dr. Reiss as a patient 2) that I didn't read this book three months earlier, before starting hormone replacement with my current doctor, so that together we could have used the guidelines outlined in this book This book should be in every woman's personal library--and would make an excellent gift for a friend or relative facing health issues that can be helped by using bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU Dr. Reiss (& Martin Zucker) for writing this extraordinary book!

This was the first book I bought on the subject of bioidentical hormones. It gives you basic if not somewhat now outdated information. I always have trouble with "experts" touting anything they have a great financial or professional interest in. I'd have to have a lot more favorable research at hand before I started fiddling extensively with hormone therapy. These are the same people who were pushing HRT like mad a few years ago. How did that work out?