Women's Health Books

This book was such a help for me. My heart hurt so bad after our miscarriage, it was unbelievable. This book helped my head gain a better understanding of the odds, facts, etc. so that my heart could begin to heal. I highly recommend this and have passed my copy on to others who appreciated it too after experiencing mc.

This book combined with Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler helped me prevent a third miscarriage and carry my beautiful little girl to term. What a shame it is out of print. Perhaps there is similar information in another book. The way it helped me was specifically the information regarding treatment options for low progesterone. Using the Weschler book, I was able to diagnose my probable problem. This book gave the treatment of progesterone cream the thumbs down since she says 'most women can't determine exactly when they are ovulating and the cream works best when used 48 hours after ovualtion/conception.' However, using the Weschler book enables you to know both before and after you ovulate and you can even use a kit to help confirm you are ovulating if you want to be very certain. With Weschlur's methods, you can save money on kits since you will probably be so sure of your approaching ovulation, you will only need to use one or two sticks to confirm. Anyway, my heart goes out to all who have experienced miscarriage as I have. God be with you and good luck. I hope this helps someone else out there!

After a miscarriage during my first pregancy, I felt I needed answers. Even though there is rarely a known cause for a miscarriage, I feel better knowing there are steps I can take to make sure everything is being done for me that can possibly be done. I may never need to concern myself with another miscarriage again, but just having some knowledge is very powerful and has given me hope. It was very healing for me to know I now have "knowledge power" when everything else seems so out of my hands. I also plan to share this book with anyone brave enough to speak about their miscarriage. Unless you've gone through it, you don't know how it turns your life upside down. I'm glad there are good books out there on this often "hush hush" subject.

I was told very little about my miscarriage, why it happened, how I should deal with it. "It happens to a lot of women", "You will have to grieve like it was a real baby", "It was better to happen now instead of later", "Try again." I was frustrated and didn't understand what just happened to me and my developing baby. This book answered a lot of my questions. I got an understanding of what a miscarriage is, how it happens, and why. (both myth and fact) The stories from other women made me feel that I really wasn't alone. This book helped me cope with the pain of loosing a baby. I highly recommend it to every woman who suffers a miscarriage!

The pages of my copy are well-worn from use. I referred to this book numerous times after each of my miscarriages (3). Very practical advice, in everyday language! Poignant stories from 3 women were very helpful; it helps to know that other women have the same thoughts & fears. I donated a copy to our hospital's support group, and I would love to give a copy of this wonderful book to my Ob/Gyn. Everyone who has had the misfortune to have had pregnancy loss(es) should have this book.

This book is a helpful guide not only to women diagnosed with breast cancer, but women (and men, too) with any kind of cancer diagnosis. I was fortunate enough to find Hester Hill's support group when I began my own treatment for ovarian cancer. Her wisdom (and that of the other wonderful members of the group) resonate throughout Woman to Woman. A combination of good science and sensible suggestions (DON'T blame yourself, work with your caregivers, learn to say Yes, learn to No), Woman to Woman is almost as good as a group - but only "almost!"

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer six years ago, one of the first things I did was read a great number of books. I found there were three types: 1) books about the disease itself, 2) books about treatment and 3) memoirs. As I progressed through treatment and a series of subsequent breast surgeries, I found the books on treatment the most frustrating because they were so focused on the medical aspects.

What was not available then was a book like this, which is a very practical and reassuring guide through the treatment process. Written by two breast cancer survivors, this book has two special characteristics: 1) it is reassuring about the ability to cope with treatment, and 2) it contains a lot of good down-to-earth nonmedical advice such as what to take to the hospital to maximize your comfort after breast surgery.

This book definitely fills an important need, even as the number of books on breast cancer continues to multiply. Sadly a number of my friends have been diagnosed with breast cancer in the last several years. One of the first things I do is buy this book and give it to a friend as she begins her journey. I encourage you to do the same whether for yourself or someone you love.

An expanded version of an earlier paperback booklet, this wonderful resource reaches out and supports women across a wide range of ages and lifestyles experiencing the trauma of a breast cancer diagnosis.

Written warmly, clearly and directly to each woman, the book addresses not only health-related matters but also personal and psycho-social ones such as spousal and child-related issues. It does not attempt to be comprehensive but provides up-to-date notes, resources, and bibliographical information.

The authors, Schnipper and Berns, know first-hand the reality of this diagnosis; each has been treated for breast cancer and is herself a wife, mother, daughter, friend, and professional. Hester Hill is an Oncology LICSW and Joan Berns, PhD., a very gifted writer.

I have given this book to numerous women...too many friends, relatives and acquaintances...have read it myself even though I have thusfar not become a statistic..but we are all part of this and so I urge you to get a copy, read, and recommend it. You will have saved a large number of fellow human beings from the terror of the unknown. FEAR FLIES IN THE FACE OF AN OUTSTRETCHED HAND BEARING LOVE AND INFORMED SUPPORT.

This easy to read, straight-forward, clear and compassionate book is filled with essential information that every woman who has faced this frightening diagnosis needs to know. The authors' gentle conversational style speaks to the reader like a knowledgeable friend. The comfort of their words originates from their own personal challenges coupled with their professional knowledge of what the journey entails.

Anticipating questions and personal needs, the book logically takes the reader through the process of treatment and recovery. It provides a foundation of solid information and resources. Despite the gravity of the diagnosis there is a positive supportive tone that acknowledges that a majority of women can emerge from this terrible ordeal and do it with strength and dignity.

It's so comforting knowing that one is not alone. The resources within this book apply no matter where a woman calls home. In this technologically connected world, a woman living a distance from a major metropolitan area can also find ways to navigate her care from reading this lovely book.

Knowledge is power. The authors clearly believe in the strength of their fellow sisters. This is their gift their way to use their considerable talents to assist others.

This book is fantastic! Its practical, step-by-step, reassuring suggestions and guidance are offered warmly and clearly from a woman who is herself a breast cancer survivor. Hester Hill is a breath of fresh air--from the specific tips on clothing, meals, and planning a hospital stay to making critical decisions about surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. A vital part of Hester's advice is her strong belief in support groups--as she, somehow, becomes part of your own support group through the compassion, love, wisdom, and down-to-earth knowledge that come through the pages of her book. Every word is a nugget.

This book is a gift. The writing is clear and inspired. Whether you have an established practice or are just coming to yoga, this book offers countless insights. The practice routines are well explained and easy to follow. The benefits they offer, profound. This book is able to take subtle and sophisticated concepts and bring them to the real world. It has changed my practice . . . and more.

Every time I walked to and from work, this book's cover would catch my eye from the store window. Curiousity finally won out and I picked up a copy. I am so glad I did. It's amazing! I've tried so many other forms of Yoga, I can't believe it took me this long to get to Kundalini. This book is written from two perspectives; one from a Western doctors' and one from an Eastern Yoga teachers'. It is a really great combination. Together,they do an excellent job of specifically explaining Kundalini Yoga's many benefits to Women. It is detailed, but easy to understand. The energy and exercise sets are extremely rejuvenating and there is a spiritual component that I have reached a stage to be able to really appreciate. There is a ton of useful information here and I have just scratched the surface. I couldn't reccommend it more enthusiastically.

This book is a gift. The writing is clear and inspired. Whether you have an established practice or are just coming to yoga, this book offers countless insights. The practice routines are well explained and easy to follow. The benefits they offer, profound. This book is able to take subtle and sophisticated concepts and bring them to the real world. It has changed my practice . . . and more.

This book is not your average book about yoga for women, but one that celebrates all aspects of a woman's life cycle. The strength of the book is the collaboration with Dr. Seibel, showing the relationship between the yogic concepts and what we know about the body through modern science. The book is beautiful, with clear instructions and photographs. I strongly recommend this book to anyone interested in coming to a better understanding of their femininity and celebrating their womanhood.

THIS BOOK HAS BEEN A BEAUTIFUL LIFE CHANGER FOR ME. I ORIGINALLY BOUGHT IT TO HELP WITH MY INFERTILITY ISSUES. WHILE IT DOES NOT NECESSARILY FOCUS ON THAT, IT DEALS IMMENSELY WITH A WOMAN'S SPIRITUALITY- IN ACCEPTING AND LOVING ONESELF. THE WONDERFUL EXERCISES BRING A DEEP SENSE OF CALM- IF DONE CONSISTANTLY AND CORRECTLY. IT INCLUDES MILD TEACHINGS OF THE KUNDALINI AND CHAKRAS, SEXUAL ISSUES, PMS, SELF ESTEEM, MENSTRUAL PROBLEMS, MENOPAUSE, ETC... AND DOES IT ALL IN A LOVELY WAY, MAKING YOU WANT TO ENJOY EVERY EXPERIENCE. I FEEL ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL AND ALIVE WITH THIS BOOK.

You will feel wonderfully inspired by the women profiled in this beautiful, little book. It is a book for everyone that will provide lessons that go well beyond running. I initially checked it out of the library, but am purchasing a copy for a friend.

This is a great book that I'd recommend to anyone, not just women. I had trouble putting it down and have since gone online to read more about some of the strong, wonderful women featured in this book.

My fiance just loved this book. Great gift idea for the runner in your life.

What a great, lively read, especially as we enter the summer months and want to spend more time exercising outside! I found Shanti's book to be engaging, informative and inspiring. I gave up running a couple of years ago, and this book has reminded me why I should take it up again.

I'm not a woman and I don't run. I'm 64 and recovering from a recent cancer procedure. This extremely well-written and thoroughly engaging book has inspired my wife and me to double our walking effort. Not to mention how much fun it was to read.

Genre: Health/Fitness

Title: The 16 Minute Body Sculpting Kit

Author: Richard Walters

If you want to learn how to apply this body sculpting kit to attain your dream body in just 16 minutes a day, this book is for you. Pg. 5

Richard Walters is a Certified Personal Trainer. A former talk show host of Your Money Matters, financial advisor and district manager, Richard started to transform his body. Over the past 11 years he has researched and refined several techniques that will get you a firmer, healthier body in only 16 minutes per day, 6 days a week.
The book consists of three important sections: Cardio, Strength Training and Food. Each section takes the reader through an intense, instructive overview of what you need to do to achieve the maximum results in the shortest possible time.
Well laid out, concise and fully researched, this book is an easy to use guide for anyone that wishes to make changes in their physical appearance.
A DVD is included in the kit for readers wanting a step-by-step exercise plan. Each exercise is fully explained and demonstrated on the DVD as well as in the book. The food plan is unique and easy to use, with a small index card system to keep track of what you eat and when.
I had two personal trainers take a look at the program, and both of them saw it as a very workable plan and gave it the `thumbs up.'

Recommended by Reviewer: Shirley Roe, Allbooks Review.

I am turning 50 this year. I have played hockey all my life, and had managed until about a year ago to get by just on instinct and natural quickness. But then I started getting nagging injuries, none too serious but they kept me from enjoying myself. Early this Spring, as I stood there savoring a victory in our league playoff finals--we Won the "Cup" (with my son as a team mate--quite an experience), I could not help but notice how much it had taken out of me--I would not be able to go on much longer like this.

So, it finally gelled in my head that my goal was to play, really play, til I was 60, and began reading and motivating myself, and looked for a trainer. When I found his website, www.GetFitWithRich.com, his picture was SO inspiring (go look for yourself--this guy is in his mid-50s!).

In four months working with Rich, I have lost about 25# of fat (and added about 10# of muscle), lost about 4" in my waist, and already pretty much have my body back. Now I can already set a goal much higher than I started out with, which was basically to get where I am already.

This book encapsulates his method. If you're not lucky enough to work with Rich personally, this is the next best thing.

[[ASIN:B001BIBIAQ
The 16 Minute Body Sculpting Kit. Attain Your Dream Body in Just 16 Minutes a Day!
This book will teach you how to attain a sexy sculpted body in just 16 minutes a day.
This is a unique diet and exercise program designed to get
you the maximum results in the shortest amount of time.
This system is for anyone who is too busy to spend hours working out.
It is for the busy mom, busy dad, busy anyone.
You will also learn how to apply a unique food card system. No calorie counting required!

Last September I started a new medication with a side effect of weight gain (25 lbs.)! I tried everything to drop the weight, but was getting nowhere fast! I have been weened off the medication by my physician & have been using Rich's Food Card System. His simple explanation & easy to use food card system helps me to chose the appropriate foods to eat each day. I get plenty of food & eat SIX times a day. I lost 7 lbs. my FIRST WEEK! For me, a food card/food log works best. I highly recommend this book!

Rich Walters is a prolific writer who doesn't waste time on a lot of fluff. He gets down to the nitty gritty giving you the quintessential information you need to succeed at body sculpting. I am personally involved in carrying out Rich's daily plan and find that my body is getting stronger every day. I only spend the few minutes that Rich proscribes, and it works...and it'll work for you too!

It was early April 1999. I hadn't seen her in quite a while. I always enjoy working at Marcia's home. A photographic artist, creativity weaves like a thread through the fabric of her life and her home reflects her free spiritedness. I can't remember a visit to Marcia's house that wasn't both a challenge and an adventure. Unlike many of my less involved clients, Marcia usually knew what she wanted and I merely acted as a conduit to direct her electric inspiration to the ground!

Something seemed different this time, though. She had a look... her face a gauntness uncharacteristic of this absolutely fit and vivacious woman. I knew Marcia as an "aeroboholic" who had found some religion in her training. And her hair seemed unusual... not Marcia, not Marcia's hair. She confided to me some scant detail concerning her ordeal with uterine cancer.

I can admit being a little afraid, not of Marcia but what she represented. I don't do well with mortality, even after having a few close calls myself. Less so with the big "C". My mom died of lung cancer when I was 17. At that time there was no formal familial support. (Is there any now?) No one talked to me about what was going on... I of the large Italian family. No one directly told me she had cancer, as if it could be kept secret. Lots of vague, around the edges inferences. I was detached and floating in suffocating mist. She died while I was away at college. The goodbyes were very cold.

I saw Marcia a number of times of that year, in April, June, July and November. The July visit was perhaps the most memorable. When I walked in the door, I found Marcia hairless. Actually, she had been hairless for quite a while but I had closed my second eyelids and had not wanted to see. She flipped it off, saying "I would have put the wig on, but I don't care if you see me this way." She was coming to grips with her new self and I was being pulled along. I didn't mind. I have been in countless homes and seen countless wigs shrouding chemotherapy's bittersweet legacy. "Hey... it's my hair... really!" the wigs shout, but at the same time whisper, "Do me a favor and play along, okay?"

Marcia has chronicled her journey in a book entitled, "About My Hair, A Journey To Recovery". A book was never her intention, but she was encouraged to publish by other artists who realized the value of her images. It is a short read with unashamed self-photography... she is a photographer first. In those few words she captures the essence of a struggle only a woman may face and few men could hope to understand.

Marcia has a website where you can view some of her work and also read some excerpts from "About My Hair". I encourage anyone who may be touched by cancer to find some inspiration and hope here. As Marcia says in her closing remarks, "The work helped me maintain my positive attitude and has pushed me to places where I surely wouldn't otherwise have gone." Me too, Marcia.

Jerry Alonzy, The Natural Handyman

About My Hair, A Journey to Recovery, is a moving and inspired book of images and personal observations chronicled by the author during her experience of chemotherapy. In a brilliant use of synecdoche, Ms. Marsted focuses on a PART of her experience, the issue of her hair loss during chemotherapy, as a way to convey the experience of the WHOLE, which is the life and death struggle that is anyone's battle with cancer. Ms. Marsted is professional photographer who uses the power of image to help demystify and make very clear the experience of hair loss during chemotherapy and its impact on self-image. By sharing photographs of herself, her thoughts, and her husband's thoughts throughout this process, she offers reassurance and a sense of community to anyone who has or will confront this trial. The book is also interspersed with a selection of the author's very beautiful art photographs which both offset and augment the text that they accompany. A gentle and important work. Highly recommended.

Marcia Reid Marsted's sensitive account of her second cancer is beautifully illustrated with her soft-focus photographs, an artistic process she chose to support herself through her healing. This is a candid portrayal of one woman's experience as she courageously faces her illness. "I had life on my mind," she states as she moves forward. Written in sparse prose of poetic quality, the vignettes connect to complete a story of dignity and hope. Comments by the author's husband add perspective to the narrative. This book is important reading for everyone, especially those with cancer and their partners, families and friends and people working in the medical profession. Resources at the end of the book provide vital information for all.

"About My Hair" is a poignant and well told story with incredible photgraphs to aid in YOUR journey into Marcia Reid Marsted's life and her bout with cancer. It is a very personal work of art which chronicles so much of what one must go through when faced with the disease. I believe that it is a "must-read" for all cancer patients and their families and friends as well as members of the medical profession who are charged with healing and supporting their patients through some of the most difficult times of their lives. I also feel that this book is helpful to anyone who is concerned about themselves and others. There is much insight related to taking care of oneself and trusting your instincts when it comes to your own body. In her honesty, the author also helps us to maintain a positive attitude and appreciate the little things in life that we all sometimes take for granted.I have incredible respect and admiration for Ms. Marsted and appreciate her willingness to share such a personal story with us.

Marcia says her book is about her hair, and, in a small way, she is right. She had hair and then lost it to chemotherapy. But the chemo killed her cancer and, in time, she got her hair back. This book documents that loss and recovery. But Marcia is overly modest. This book is not about her hair, but about her spirit. She fought uterine cancer and won. And along the way she fought and won against fear, grief, pain, embarrassment, and foes I can't even imagine.
What Marcia doesn't say - what she may not acknowledge even to herself - is precisely what makes her book important. No reader can fail to catch it. My job as reviewer is to make it explicit for those who haven't read her book, for those who are wondering if they should read it. Here it is: Marcia is a champion at coping and her book offers instruction and inspiration to all who face foes or worry that they might have to in the future.
"Some days I felt as though I just wanted to sit around and do nothing. I didn't allow that feeling to last long. The worst thing, for me, would be to let the cancer or the treatment take over my life. I would mentally pick myself up and go do something...I never believed in the logic of asking 'why me?' or being angry at the unfairness of life....better get on with life."
Cancer took Marcia's hair and her uterus and ovaries and her energy and physical strength and a good bit of her joy of life, but it never dented her spirit. When cruel death came to look Marcia in the face, she chose to be creative.
"I made a conscious effort to keep up with my art. Sometimes I had to give myself a mental push. It would have been easy to use my illness as an excuse to be a lump... I needed something to think about besides my various doctor and hospital visits."
Marcia's words and photos are interesting, provocative, beautiful, and optimistic. They tell of a spirit that isn't vulnerable to death and they give us reason to believe that we all share in that spirit. There's one more point - Marcia's book is about her husband - his love for her and her quiet gratitude for him. It's a small part of her small book and rather matter of fact, not sentimental, but eloquent in its testimony to the role of love in sustaining spirit and vice versa. There's even a hint that the two may not be different.
Read this book. You'll finish it in a half hour and remember it for a lifetime. It's not about hair.

Ramona Rubio and Catherine Davidson have done a wonderful job of exemplifying the Sacred Feminine path of transformation.The "Alchemical Woman" speaks the language of the soul of women. Through story, myth, example, art, and poetry, it reached into my deep core, showing me a road map to the alchemical transformation of painful wounds. This road map can help us not to be seduced by the path of transcendence, the path of going "up and out". Instead, with the author's artistic and practical guidance, we are shown how to delve deep within ourselves. And by doing this, by going to the depths within, we are then led to the place where the brilliant gold treasure inside the shadow lays waiting to be discovered and nourished. Thank you for an aesthetically beautiful and practical tool for transformation.

~review by Dr. Jodine (Cognato) Turner, visionary fiction author of "The Awakening: Rebirth of Atlantis" and "The Keys to Remember"

The Alchemical woman is just what the subtitle states, a handbook for everyday soul work for women looking for positive change in their life. I read many self help books and this book explains how women can adapt ancient alchemical ways and incorporate that into their lives. This book also has colorful illustrations and has poetry that you will love. If you are feeling down, this book will help to lift you up.

The authors have done an exceptional job of helping women find their inner souls. I believe every woman should read this book to find peace and harmony in their lives. The poems are very uplifting, and the personal insights give one the opportunity to reflect back on their past and daily lives.

Michael Monji author of "Does It Pay to Die?", a living trust workbook

Reviewed by Paige Lovitt for Reader Views (6/08)

"The Alchemical Woman" is a handbook that teaches women how to adapt ancient alchemical processes into a tool for self-discovery. There are five stages to these processes. This guide carefully takes you through each step. Every section on each stage offers mythic stories, poetry, reflections, keystones, and journaling space to record your insights and personal discoveries. The keystones in each stage offer a variety of suggestions of actions that one can take to help them explore the particular stage that they are in. What I like about the keystones is that they suggest a wide variety of activities that will appeal to everyone. Some suggestions involve doing something that takes you within yourself; others suggest activities that involve connecting with others. The fact that there is a variety offered will allow people to do what they feel they need to do that will be best for themselves.

Each stage offers you a different aspect of yourself to work on. The first stage is Nigredo. The processing in this stage reminds me of going through the dark night of the soul. It takes you within yourself to confront the darkness. It teaches you to overcome it and to turn obstacles into stepping stones. Clearing up issues from your past and reconnecting with aspects of yourself that you have been separated from, provides you with a tremendous opportunity for healing. The other stages that follow are: Lapis, Albedo, Citrinitas, and Rebedo. All of these stages in the alchemical process promote trusting in yourself and empowerment. This is an incredible book.

"The Alchemical Woman" is colorfully illustrated. In addition to the illustrations, the poetry and personal journaling space will make it a book that is definitely a keeper. I highly recommend giving it as a gift to other women. What greater gift can you give someone than a tool to take them on a soul journey of self-discovery?

The authors, Catherine Davidson, Ramona Rubio have written a book that all women can learn and experience in different ways, what their life is all about. I think the part that I liked the best was the explanation of some of the stages that I have already gone through. You never really know the reasons why when you are in the middle of these alchemical stages. When you now reflect back and see where you were then and get the understanding from this book, it is very empowering. Your end result of reading this book automatically places you ahead of the game of life. I highly recommend this book to women of all ages.

I first read an article about Angela Lee in the Miami Herald Newspaper and immediately sent for her book, "American Angel". It was a wonderful read and truly an inspiration to me on my journey through "Life and Spirituality". Highly recommend!!

This is a story of a remarkable life. There are struggles and disappointment, but through it all the writer survives. She is stronger and more determined. A real inspirational story.

Angela Lee takes you on a personal spiritual journey with honesty and clarity. Her writing is crisp and clear and the reader is swept along on her journey. Talented and moving, the book grabs you immediately and doesn't let go. It deals with spiritual truths, self-discovery, and spiritual consciousness - all of them in a simple tell-it-like-like-it-is style. Angela Lee shares the wisdom she has gained as a result of a critical and almost deadly situation and the reader is richer for it.
I highly recommend this book. - C. Dominguez

Angela Lee's "All American Angel" was totally consuming and touched me in ways that few books do. I truly feel that her story is one that most people can relate to on many levels. Her struggles in life mirror each of us in some way. Hurray for Angela and her Angelization!

I enjoyed this book on many levels. First, I grew up in Miami and attended Carrollton on Main Highway where the banyan trees grow. Second, I have attended Plymouth Congregational Church and appreciate the natural beauty of its setting and the faithfulness of its congregation. And third, I am a student of theology who incessantly ponders the nature of God and God's relationship to individuals.

In reading Angela Lee's account of her spiritual experiences, I find that I neither believe nor disbelieve her description of her highly personal relationship with God. It may be "magical thinking" or it may be a unique relationship with God. Most importantly, her faith pulled her through and helped her get her life back together. She has a worthwhile story to tell and I admire her courage.

This book was required for a college course I took and the book really helped me to jump into the shoes of a person with anorexia nervosa. I highly recommend this book to a person with or without the disorder.

I've read 3 other books on this topic and found this to be the easiest to read and very inspirational. Short chapters, pick-up and read as much or as little in one sitting. Practical, real life examples of dealing with the complexities of an eating disorder. Not sugar coated, yet it does not dwell in the depths of dispair. Encouraging, hopeful, realistic. I consider this a must read for anyone dealing with an eating disorder, their friends, and family included. I am a mom to a recovering daughter.

This book is not only a wonderful resource for sufferers of anorexia. But it is also a resource for thier family and friends. The book explains anorexia, tells Monika Ostroff's personal story, and has a special chapter for family and loved ones. Everyone who suffers from anorexia or has a spouse, family member, or friend with anorexia, should read this book.

I have had anorexia for 11 years. I am now 24 and am in treatment. Hall and Ostroff's book helped me to understand that I was not alone, and that I was in charge. Most importantly, and the most difficult issue to deal with is that anorexia teaches you things about yourself. I strongly recommend this book to someone who does not know where to start. No, once you read it, you will not be cured but at least you will have explored what you are most afraid of--letting go of the control and the selfdestructive coping strategies. I read the book within the first week of group therapy and came the next week with photocopies of certain sections that were very helpful for the rest of the members. This book helps you want to get rid of the anorexic thoughts. You will be much happier while on the road of recovery. Letting go of the obsessive thoughts that come with anorexia was the best thing I have ever done.

Reading this book evokes the feeling of talking to a concerned and supportive friend about anorexia. The authors don't throw out harsh statistics or Freudian theories, and there are no disturbingly graphic depictions of binging or purging. Instead, the reader is treated with affection and respect. It is assumed that anorexia develops as a method of coping, and the reader receives suggestions for new ways to deal with feelings. This book gives the reader a feeling of hope and self-reliance, and avoids shaming language. The authors give helpful, practical methods of overcoming anorexia and learning to love oneself.

I bought this book after I learned that I have all the signs of the triad and was struggling to understand both how I developed my health problems and how I can recover. This book answered all of my questions. It also helped me realize that I am definitely not alone.

The book is written in an engaging and easy-to-read style, which makes the medical information easy to comprehend. The book also includes profiles of various female athletes and athletic women. It seems likely that every reader will identify with at least one of the profiles. In addition, Dr. Otis uses great phrases that one can recall when she needs to remind herself of the goals. My favorites are "too fit to quit" and "too thin to win."

Whether you're an athletic woman or someone who cares for an athletic woman, I highly recommend this book. It will be a steep climb to health, but this book leaves me confident that I can be fit and healthy again.

I am a male coach of female soccer players. I would go so far as to say that the depth of knowledge contained in this book is beyond that which many coaches of team sports would search for. However, coaches who are interested in getting the best from their athletes, rather than having athletes fit their own personal coaching agendas, will find in these pages essential truths that will illuminate their coaching. There has been a strong social tendency for women's understanding of ability and success to be measured by male standards (the sense of athletic body image in connection with performance, which is dealt with in detail, is only one of them driven by this perspective), and this book is thankfully one which reminds us that women are not only entitled to be judged as women, but need and deserve to be so. As coaches, and certainly as male coaches, we cannot help our female athletes realise their potential until we understand them better and give them credit for being who they are, and encourage them to be who they are. This book helps us do just that.

Books which honestly deal with the pressures and concerns of female athletes are rare, and this one should be required reading for every active woman from twelve to sixty. There is lots of information out there on how to be thin but far less on how to be fit. Otis and Goldingay are among the very few to acknowledge that they are not one and the same. This is not a book about eating disorders - though they are intelligently discussed. Nor is it a book about how to get in shape. It's much more. The authors honestly address medical issues such as amenorrhea and osteoporosis, provide information on nutrition, injuries and maintaining optimal energy for performance. Most important of all, they are medical professionals finally urging athletic women to be as strong as they can be. For anyone who's ever struggled between the twin camps of thin and fit, this book MUST go to the top of the pile.

The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide covers a gamut of issues concerning women athletes including eating disorders, amenorrhea, osteoporosis, body image. One of the most important chapters is on getting and giving help, forming a support team, getting referrals, the journey to recovery while continuing training, and communicating effectively with family, friends, teammates, and coaches. The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide concludes with an excellent chapter on "Peak Performance: Preventing the Triad" and sites specifically what the woman athlete can do, what her friends can do, what her family can do, what schools and organizations can do, what their men can do, and what coaches and athletic departments can do to assist the woman athlete to thrive, prosper, and perform in the competitive world of athletic competition. Highly recommended for personal, professional, and athletic department reference libraries, The Athletic Woman's Survival Guide is enhanced with references, resource lists, and a comprehensive index.

This book is a must for all active women. This book has everything! I especially enjoyed the comprehensive case studies of accomplished women athletes and how they took control of their health issues. This book covers, in depth, eating disorders and how to overcome them. It also covers all women's health issues from menstruation to injuries to everyday aches and pains. Extremely valuable information and sound and compassionate medical expertise are key elements of this book. I highly recommend this book for ALL women, young or old. It is a valuable resource.