Women's Health Books

Wow! What an attention grabbing title, from such a powerful book. The GBM Book Club definitely have to say that the author, Tonya Pinkins: Actress, Singer, Tony Award Winner, Soap Opera Diva and now the author of a best selling book Get over Yourself!: How to Drop the Drama and Claim the Life You Deserve, has written a self-helped book that will blow you away. She really makes you take a step back and look at yourself as a whole, but most of all, she makes you focus on life-changes and the steps one must take in order to achieve them.

In her book, she shares some of her personal experiences, her ups and down and the low points of her life. This self-empowerment book helps guide you through the decision making process and forces you to come up with the best possible solutions. She makes you see the type of energy you put out to the universe and how others may perceive that energy.

What the GBM Bookclub liked best about the book was the different exercises / quizzes she offered during the reading. As you're reading the book, she actually guides you through the exercise which helps you to identify how the madness / drama in your life begin. Trust me, as you continue to complete the exercises / quizzes, you will begin to examine your thinking process which will force you to question and develop new ways of reaching your primary goals in life. There are times in the book where she would ask you a question and your only answer would be "Yes" "Yes" Now is that positive thinking or what?

Let's face it, we have all come across a time in our life where we start to question our behavior or evaluate the people who are in our lives. We start to think about the bad decisions or the mistakes we've made...... Now, unless you're totally perfect, blissfully happy and content with your life, then this book isn't for you. But, if you're ready and willing to make some changes, take the challenge and start living the life that you deserve, then Congratulation!!!!! You've taken the first step....Now run out and get her book. Trust me, you won't regret it.

"Get Over Yourself" is not one of those self-help books that really should have been a single paragraph. (You know the type: example after example tells you the same story until you feel that perhaps the author mistrusts your ability to understand the point.) This book is radically different from that genre. Every chapter delivers more, and newer, and different.

The book represents a world of work on the part of the author. If you have ever seen Tonya Pinkins on stage, you know that she works! The energy she generates in performance fairly explodes out of her and acts like a depth charge in the audience. Now, through some kind of magical alchemy, she's been able to impart that quality to the printed page, and you should be ready for a genuine mental work-out when you crack the book open; reading it is an audience-participation activity.

Don't let that scare you off, though. I found that some chapters went slowly and others went quickly, depending on how familiar I was with the feelings they evoked and the requirements they placed on me as a reader. In the first chapter, Pinkins starts giving assignments. I got my pen out when I saw three blank lines after her advice: "write it down." Feeling a little silly, I wrote down my response, and then I kept reading. At the end of the chapter, I realized how important it had been for me to physically write those words. Several chapters later, it dawned on me that I had used every prior bit of my "workbook" writing to gain mastery over the ideas and techniques presented. I no longer felt silly about it, either.

Whether or not you use this book in the big parts of your life (after all, you might not want the same things this particular artist/performer/celebrity-mother wants), you will probably find yourself using some parts of the book in smaller parts of your life. I hear myself say (to myself and even others), "don't give it any energy," or "figure out what you want and try to get it," and I understand how profound an effect Pinkins' book has had on me. Perhaps the reason is that she wrote it with real passion, with that special Pinkinsian passion that emanates from her as she sings or acts. Some call it magnetism; some call it charisma; some call it leadership. I think it's the quality of a real teacher. So, some call it love.

I am not a religious person. Yet I could appreciate in this book an almost religious quality, a certain cross-cultural faith-tinged feeling, if you will. Pinkins is a prototype open mind. She seeks out gurus and soaks up knowledge. She has been an avid student, over the years, of many fine teachers, and she seems, finally, to be a disciple of all sorts of universal "ways." Anyone traveling through any of the ways she has lived will love this book. Buy it, read it, see for yourself.

I must admit, this book caught my eye in the bookstore, and I skimmed over it.

I subscribe to "Science of Mind" magazine, and a few days later, when the issue came, there was Tonya on the front cover. -I read the article and ran back out to the store to buy the book! So many of the spiritual/Universal teachings I've read before are rolled up in this one book.

Some of the things she proposes in this book may be hard to grasp or even think about doing. This lady's "expenses outnumbered her income by about 1000 percent" and she still stuck with her "paper bag" system while on welfare. Are you "over yourself" enough to be willing to do something like that? -Well, honestly, I must say that I'm not there -yet, but this book definately has me thinking about it and wondering if I can take a chance like that and make it work. I am wondering if one must get to the place where they have nothing else to lose, to be able to take a chance like that?

This lady has faced some very challenging situations. When she was involved in a custody battle w/her ex, she gave in instead of resisting. She decided that her old patterns weren't working for her any longer, so she chose differently. This, in a situation that would be heart wrenching for any mother, she chose differently. -"I was not reacting, but responding, proactively, to achieve what I wanted, rather than giving in to the fear that dominated me in the past. No longer did I believe that I had better take "something-anything!" rather than risk ending up with the very thing I did not want." ...."You are so sure that no other option is possible that you react against your own best interests." -from the book.

There are real life examples of why and how the principals she proposes work. She's lived/experienced them for herself. The chapters end with a review and spaces to write in your own thoughts and answers to the questions. There are lots of very helpful/inspirational/relevant quotes throughout the book.

This book is overflowing in helpful advice, not only pertaining to finances, but in how to change your THINKING and begin living the life you really want to live.

I have to say that the "ice cream cone" analogy was very helpful for me in putting the financial freedom system in perspective. -It's about "demonstrating your ability to handle a single scoop so you can move on to the double and triple."

Also, the birthday gift that she gives to herself every year...I loved that.

A few excerpts from the book:
"You are free to choose to do it differently at any time."

"Keep doing what you've always done and you'll keep getting what you've always gotten."

"I've been an avid reader my entire life. But whenever I changed what I was reading, that didn't change my life. My life changed when I changed what I was doing. I changed what I was doing with practice."

I bought the book as a gift for my wife and she found some of the lessons informative. Some of the lessons were common sense but others we interesting bits of knowledge most people never stumble across in every day life but are very helpful.

Really, really fun book. Read this book with a pen in your hand. Tonya Pinkins asks you to write all over it, to get to the bottom of you, and to get you to act on certain things in your life in which you need to be taking actions.

My favorite thing about this book is that she walks you along - asks you to answer a few questions, and then inerprets your answers for you or has you interpret them once she gives you some clues. Very thorough. I'm surprised that she has so many topics in here in regular language (but if you were to look through any chapter, the techniques she uses to ask you questions have been studied to make results in your life!... wiring the brain towards remembering and towards action, what you'll be when you grow up, banishing debilitating attitutes, forgiveness, action, goals - even these words that I'm using to summarize her book are dry). Her book is active, and that's what makes it effective.

I've been punching a heavy bag off and on for couple of years now and I knew just really basics on how to hit the bag and other things of that nature. Well I haven't been doing much at all lately and getting a little out of shape....So the wife and I decided that we would like to get back into our excercise routine. I went back to boxing, and she was jealous because my workout looked fun and hers was repetitive. She asked to be shown how to hit the bag, and I showed her basics, but other than that I didn;t even know. So the next day I went online and looked up reviews on boxing excercise regiments and this book kept coming up...I became intrigued and ordered the book. Well let me tell you just the basics I thought I knew I needed to make adjustments, and this book should be called boxing for dummy's. It teaches you everything from stance, to punching to movements, to lifting to you name it...if it's in boxing this book covers it. So I bought this book for my wife, but I got just as much use out of it as she has been getting.

Highly recommended!

Being a Personal Trainer, I enjoy reading all the fitness books that hit the market. Most of them have gimmicky workouts and strict eating regimens that are almost impossible to maintain long enough to see good results. Admittedly, I thought this book would be the same. Boxing for women? Surely some marketing genius was riding the coattails of a blockbuster movie, but what the heck... I am a trainer... it is what I do.

World-renowned trainer Hector Roca and owner of Gleason's Gym (an icon in the world of boxing), Bruce Silverglade, have published boxing secrets for women in The Gleason's Gym Total Body Boxing Workout for Women. This book outlines a step-by-step program that promises to get any woman into knockout shape in just four weeks.

Four weeks? Okay, so everyone knows that boxing is a dynamic exercise program in and of itself, but four weeks? I had to put it to the test. I read the book, looked over the drawings that I found particularly appealing to the female eye, learned the moves and got started, but I was mystified. Where was the strict eating plan? I searched the book cover to cover to find that the eating plan for a boxer was just using common sense, and that the best food for boxers was beans and rice! My vegetarian self was overjoyed! I can eat my carbs and get lean too? I was eager to put this program to the test!

Using unique combinations of muscle groups and both aerobic and weight training movements, this program works out the entire body at one time! Very effective and time saving, this program won't send you to the poor house either; all you are going to need is a jump rope and the motivation to get started (look at Hillary Swank's arms in Million Dollar Baby). Hector Roca takes you from how to make a fist all the way to awesome combinations. The most difficult part for me was getting reaquainted with my jump rope. Boxers jump rope because it helps with balance, speed, agility and it burns fat like nothing else!

So here I sit 4 weeks after starting the program. Does it work? Well, it worked for me. I am down 8 lbs. and 6 inches. If you need to switch up to a more exciting workout program that won't leave you starving but give you results, I highly recommend $2.00 jump rope, a bean burrito and this book.

I found this book to be well done. It has a 4-week workout schedule with three workouts per week. I am on the third week and not only are my arm muscles developing, but they glow when I finish a workout and I feel great. This is a full-body workout - you don't stand still and push your arms around. In addition to 3-minute round-style combo punches and defense, you jump rope and do strength exercises (push ups, crunches, flutter kicks). The instruction is well-illustrated and the book does a great job of motivating you. This can be an intense workout, but you'll feel stronger after each one. You really need to put your all into the workout - no half-hearted punches, and no cheating!

I purchased this book to start boxing for fitness, and I love it. These are actual punches and combos you could take to the ring someday, if you wanted. I also purchased a DVD boxing video and I find myself drifting off and going back to this book because it encourages you to practice numerous combos and come up with your own unique workout, not a boring jab, jab, right, hook, repeat 10 times.

Get a pair of gloves (mine are pink), pick up this book, and really work off the pounds.

This book in an absolute need for any woman looking into boxing as a sport or just for fitness. It explains everything simple and clear. No diets!!! Good advice and good workouts any one can do. Now you just have to do it and want to do it.

Solid foundation for anyone interested in learning the basics to boxing. Book progresses in a easy to follow manner that will allow user to become proficient in boxing to the point where they will be able to developed their own style and combinations. highly recommended!!!! You will never see my copy for sale on here so you have to get your own.

I was horrified to be buying this book, but thrilled I could on Amazon and not be seen in public. After reading just a few chapters, my attitude toward sex changed. It became clear that with a little effort from me, my husband was more than willing to listen and thrilled to see me change. He was eager to please me and make just that little bit of change in himself as well. (we all know what they will do for a little sex) Her writing is clear, funny at times, and right on target about what to do. This book is a must at a baby shower. It has helped to make my marriage better, which ultimately makes for a happier family.

Husbands and Dads: Buy this book! Read it first to gain some deep understanding of your wife's emotional and mental state after child-birth. Take every word to heart and this resource will break your thinking.

wow, this author is awesome. i think she is so caring and cool and helpful. however, as a new mom in my 20s, i think this book is not for my generation. a lot of it was written with people born in the 40s, 50s and 60s in mind. people in my generation (born 70s, 80s) who are having kids and have low libido already know a lot about sex, erotica and communication. however there were some good tips in the book. she's a cool lady

I bought this book because I'm a fan of Dr. Raskin's other books, and I love this one too. You really feel like she knows you personally. My favorite chapter is how to talk to your husband about sex, but I also like her suggestions on how to get your libido charged. You don't feel ridiculous because she completely gets what the issues are for mothers. Thank you, thank you!

At first glance the title catches one's eye - Great Sex for Moms.
There is a quick glance around to make sure no one is looking as one
picks up the book in the bookstore. That single act of picking up the
book to read the jacket (or ordering it from Amazon.com)is a primary
step in doing what this book advocates. Dr. Raskin constructs her
book around intentionality. Instead of simply accepting the status
quo, the reader is challenged to take steps which will bring a great
sex life - in spite of kids! In these pages it becomes apparent that
the physician part of Raskin has merged with the romantic and mother
sides of her being. She speaks as one with incredible integrity. Her
writing is informed by her mind, heart, and experience. What can beat
that?

Humor is coupled with very specific and helpful suggestions
about re-kindling a healthy, fulfilling sex life. While the subject
matter is serious, there is a playfulness that creates a comfort level
for the reader. At one point Raskin writes, "...I hope my mother and
children never read this chapter..." - Raskin knows her readers well.

Great Sex for Moms is a book for Dads too! If read as a couple,
the conversations which ensue will guarantee a better sex life!

Chronic illness is something that affects millions of people worldwide. And yet those in pain often feel alone, as if no one "gets" what they're going through. By writing this book, author Marguerite Bouvard has validated all of those who struggle with chronic illness year in, year out. This book can also serve as a learning tool for the families and friends of those who suffer from chronic illness. I highly recommend HEALING.

Having received HEALING only this morning, I have only skimmed it and found it very insightful, enlightening and encouraging. I am a vicitim of IC myself and have been discouraged with most of the urologists and urogynecologists I have seen over the past 16 month. It was encouraging to read what Marguerite Guzman Bouvard had to say on this very subject. I am ordering 5 books, one for each of my children, so they can get a better understanding of what IC is all about.

Marguerite Bouvard has written a magnificent book we should all read.
Perhaps some will not pick this book up thinking, "I don't need to be healed." But it is beyond healing. HEALING is a gorgeous book about finding the richness, poetry and meaning in life. It's Bouvard's experience with illness that is the vehicle for her healing. However, none of us has a perfect life to live and we all have "something" whether it be illness, or loss, or disappointment...that is imperfect, yet defining to our lives. Despite these "somethings," we all have the potential to have meaningful lives rich with purpose. HEALING is Bouvard's journey beyond illness to that richness-and with her journey, she inspires us to find beauty and meaning in our own lives.

What a gorgeous book, beautifully written, full of wisdom and insight. It's not just for people with interstitial cystitis and/or chronic fatigue, but for all of us, as we age and lose our abilities, teaching us to live with, and hopefully, embrace our losses. It's also for those of us who have friends who are struggling; Bouvard shows us how to walk on that path, helps us to find words that will make them feel "accompanied," not "fixed," language we all need to embrace. What a hero Bouvard is, for taking a life of pain and turning it into a spiritual journey. What a blessing it is for us, to be able to read this moving, illuminating book.

I can understand why it was many years before a woman as ambitious and accomplished as Marguerite Guzman Bouvard could stand before her colleagues and share with them her long-kept secret: "I am chronically ill." In her book Healing: A Life with Chronic Illness, Bouvard chronicles her own resistance to admitting her daunting physical limitations.

For decades, Bouvard had been absorbed in a busy and very public life of travel, research, teaching and writing--a life she loved, a life that gave her her sense of her successful self, and one she simply refused to surrender. She fought valiantly against the reality of her diminishing energies and capacities. She found her illness demeaning, an embarrassing weakness, a symbol of her failure both as a professional and as a person. As she became less active, less vocal, she felt her colleagues avoiding eye contact and avoiding her altogether. She began to feel invisible, "an unwanted outsider," no longer a part of the illustrious team of academicians that had been her life for so long. As her condition limited her more and more she lived "...in a turbulence of outrage, fear, and sorrow..." over her wildly changing circumstances.

When her illness at last became impossible to ignore, Bouvard spent years going from doctor to doctor, enduring painful procedures. Accurately diagnosed at last, she learned she had a chronic illness called interstitial cystitis, an inflammation and deterioration of the bladder lining that affects not just one area of the body but the body in its entirety. After a time, she would also develop fibromyalgia, again a miserable chronic illness involving muscle pain, severe fatigue and disturbed nightly sleep.

But in spite of her depleted stamina, Bouvard refused to cancel a previously planned arduous journey to Argentina to work with the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, whose children had disappeared and/or suffered torture at the hands of the country's brutally suppressive government. From these exceptional and courageous women, Bouvard learned that they assuaged their grief over the loss of their children and the brutal tyranny they lived with daily by banding together, by sharing their stories, by actively rising up against their oppressors, by not keeping silent. In time, she realized that she too would find healing only by speaking the truth of her increasing physical frailty, her acute and unrelenting pain.

The Mothers, who possessed a profound sense of caring for one another and a dedication to righting the senseless and horrific injustices that endangered them daily, became Bouvard's teachers. Her essential values began to change. Things she once considered important lost their significance. She stopped rushing about, stopped feeling the familiar competitive drives she had known all her life. She learned from them how to listen, how to hear and see in depth what was going on around her; she learned to pay attention, to give herself time to take things in and reflect.

However, these changes happened only gradually. She admits that it took her a long time to come to terms with her chronic illness. She writes:

I didn't realize this was the beginning of learning a new culture or that I would have to create a new language that would reflect my reality. Nor was I aware of one of the sources of my deep discomfort: that to become ill in this society means having the body, spirit, and mind severed. How could I speak to the people around me about my fear and anxiety, how could I speak to the self that was changing, when I was unable to find the words and had no frame of reference?

Having found the language to speak her truth, Ms. Bouvard was faced with giving up the certainties of her old career. She needed to learn to navigate her life without the familiar maps and landscapes of previous years. She began to trust that ideas would come in new ways, that her career would follow a different but equally creative path. She wanted to write only about ideas that fired her soul; she wanted to write not with the objectivity of research but as though she was addressing each reader personally.

She became excited as she felt herself and her life changing drastically. She began to keep a journal and as it became filled with her writings, and with cards and messages from friends, she realized she was neither invisible nor alone...no longer "an outsider" but very much a thriving human being, more connected to God and to herself than she had ever been. "Chronic illness," she writes, "has given me the opportunity to reassess my life, to decide on how I will live, what I hope to accomplish and what is important to me."

We all have problems that are difficult to confront, difficult to come to terms with. This is a book that can change the lives of the healthy as well as those struggling with illness. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

by Duffie Bart
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

Whether you have experience with yoga and acupuncture, or you are parent who is just curious to find ways to enhance your family's well-being, reading Beth's book feels like sitting down with a wise and supportive friend and parenting mentor. Beth has a professional background in nursing as well as yoga and craniosacral therapy.

I have an appreciation for book design and "Healthy Mother, Healthy Child" made me feel peaceful just picking it up and admiring the clean lines and beautiful photography and layout. You get the feeling that Beth brings a sense of quality and mindfulness to everything she does.

I love that she includes creative expression as well as an exploration of healing techniques including meditation, breathing, nutrition and alternative therapies. Beth can help you build a foundation of self-care and provide gentle reminders to guide you along the way.

What a great book to help make family life more special. This easy to read book gives sensible suggestions to simplify and give meaning to family time. Wonderful relaxation techniques.

This beautiful book teaches physical and spiritual exercises that will help families to grow strong together -- from the inside, out.

Beth has added some great advice for day to day living and put it into simple terms for you to enjoy.

This book is beautifully written and very easy to read. I have referred to it often for life tips. With our hectic pace of life, these tools bring balance. It is so important to give our children skills on how to reduce stress and anxiety. A special challenge for me is finding the calm quiet place, but when I do take that time in my day....it does indeed set the tone/pace and intentions for my day. Loved the information on creating ritual! Would make a perfect Mothers Day gift.

My wife really appreciated this gift. She found it very relevant to her situation. A good gift.

At last I have had an opportunity to read this book recommended by friends. I consider the time well worth the effort, especially since the latter was mitigated by the excellent writing style of the author: concise, suscinct and yet easy to comprehend. Many of my peers are, yes, stressed. I am sure my copy will be well worn, and I plan to give this book to some of those who might best benefit for a holiday present. Good luck to the author. May she continue her good work, and we shall be looking for future studies in this or related areas.

We found "High on Stress" to be heads and shoulders above the usual book. Not only does it carry a more positive and helpful message,it also places the exercises in their contexts with respect to reseach. My friends and I are interested in applying the exercises the author suggests. We, a couple of friends and I, are appreciative of her good work. We look forward to hearing more from Simone Ravicz! Thank you. KAtherine.

This book makes you analyze how stress is viewed. I used to believe that in order to feel more alive, I needed to reduce all the stress in my life; certainly that's what the other books on the topic suggested. However, given the pace of life these days, this isn't realistic and in fact can be harmful in some ways. This book made me think about more effectively utilizing stress in both my professional and personal life. I would recommend this book to all women who have been frustrated reading other "stress management" books.

My cursory review of the book stimulated a careful reading. I found Dr. Ravicz' book to be well conceived, well researched and exceptionally well written for a 'popular' book. It should be required reading for groups, couples, and -of course - for those individuals who for financial reasons have to 'work it out' alone. Men could benefit also, but the focus on woman leaves us with a joy of challenge, not a fear of working on our problems! Right on, Dr. Ravicz! Your degrees suggest we should have more from you!

Anyone who is interested in pollution and environmental issues: read it. It is really worth your time and your attention.

I thought this book was interesting and easy to follow. Ms. Berkson, gives us the information and practical advice on how to avoid exposure to these psuedo-hormones that disrupt the body.

The print is an easy size to read.

I read this book based on the recommendation of another parent in my young daughter's day care center. I found Hormone Deception just brimming with information regarding keeping ourselves and our families healthy. I was especially interested in how hormone disruptors impact our children and truly appreciated all the good advice on how to reduce exposure in the home. I never knew our homes were such potential health hazards! I heartily recommend this book to all moms concerned with keeping their families healthy. Lindsey Berkson has also developed a fantastic website full of related information and links to other bio-environmentally appropriate sites (same name as the book, hormonedeception.com).

This was a hard book to put down. Scientifically oriented, yet written in simple language for all of us "non-scientists" to understand, it's reader friendly. This book applies to our everyday life. We already know many things cause cancer and other diseases, but to finally have a book that tells us what THOSE things are, empowers us to make a change. We've heard our water might be contaminated, well Dr. Berkson will tell you why and what exactly is in it that makes it bad. We've heard to be cautious of dry-cleaning gas off, and she'll cover that, she talks about heating our food in plastic trays and plastic wrap in the microwave, dangers in baby toys, baby foods, our soda cans and cans in general. She talks from a hormone point of view: in parts per billion (which is like a pinch of salt in 10 tons of potatos, her words, not mine) when referring to the sensitivity of these hormones. She warns us of estrogenic invaders, androgenic invaders, hormone blockers and such, that are in our environment in the form of air, food, cleaning products, water pollution and how these interfere with our bodies. The best part: she tells us how to reduce our exposure, what we can do about it by just being aware.

Have kids? Expecting to have any? Want to live longer with less of a chance of getting cancer? READ THIS BOOK

This is great book full of tons of info on endocrine disruptors, common household items and industrial/commercial as well. It's 400+ pages of invaluable info..eating organic isn't enough!
My only question- on page 208 she states the adrenals are below the kidneys, but I'm pretty sure they're on top, hence their alternate name, "suprarenal" glands.

Written by medical specialist in women's health, The Hormone Survival Guide For Perimenopause: Balance Your Hormones Naturally is a seven-step health and self-help guide for women who have not yet reached the change of life. Focusing upon improving hormone-related problems such as weight gane, low sex drive, adult acne, disturbed sleeping patterns, chronic fatigue, and more, The Hormone Survival Guide For Perimenopause covers everything from simple women's health tips for diet, exercise and establishing a regular circadian sleep rhythm to natural supplements, quick-starte hormone balancing and weight management plans, and much more. A highly practical, optimistic, and useful guide to taking control of one's hormonal health.

Author Nisha Jackson, Ph.D., has specialized in women's health since 1991. She has dedicated her practice to hormonal wellness and is owner of Southern Oregon Health and Wellness, PC. Aside from her role as an author, Dr. Jackson is a radio and TV personality, national lecturer, spokesperson, and women's health advocate.

A nationwide survey by the National Women's Health Resource Center, released in November, 2003, revealed that close to 70 percent of women are confused about the safety of hormone therapy for menopausal-related symptoms. Almost half of them receive the majority of their information from media sources rather than their own healthcare provider. THE HOMONE SURVIVAL GUIDE is the perimenopausal woman's answer to any question or concern she may have related to this phase of her life. Dr. Jackson offers readers a 7-step program designed to balance hormones in this down-to-earth, easy-to-understand book chock-full of information related to perimenopausal issues. Hormonal fluctuation, hormone testing, hormonal treatment, diet as an effective way to create hormonal balance, stress, PMS, libido, thyroid problems, hot-flashes, and many more symptoms related to this syndrome are discussed, as well as ways to deal with them. No question goes unanswered and every symptom is addressed in this edifying book.

Any woman who is seeking a natural way to relieve perimenopausal symptoms should read this wonderfully clear, self-educating book. A book that should be in every doctor's office, as well as every home, to be read by women approaching or engaged in this phase in their life and shared with others.

This book is a godsend. After reading it I learned that I'm not losing my grip on sanity...just on my hormones. Now when I go to the doctor, I'll be aware of the tests that should be ordered, how to understand their results, and what alternatives I have for treatment.

I love the fact that the book doesn't have to be read cover-to-cover. I can turn to the chapter about whatever concerns me most about my health. Dr. Jackson has written the medical information in an easy to understand manner, and her advice sounds like something my best friend would say.

I definitely recommend this book to every woman who has concerns about not only menopause, but hormone problems at any stage in life.

After being diagnosed with fibromyalgia and high cholesterol several years ago I've struggled to find a balance. When I started having hot flashes and increased fatigue, I went to Nisha Jackson's Southern Oregon clinic. It was there that I first glanced at "The Hormone Survival Guide for Perimenopause: Balance Your Hormones Naturally". The book offered what I thought was a common sense approach to women's health and positiive suggestions for how to feel good. Soon afterwards I ordered the book from Amazon and had my hormones tested.

I'm happy to report that since getting my hormones tested and getting on a treatment program to address my hormone deficiencies, I'm feeling better; more energy, and optimistic about how this adjustment may also positively effect both my cholesterol numbers and my overall outlook on life.

After looking for a long time, with little luck, into woman's hormone issues a friend recommended this book. It is exactly what I was looking for. It should be required reading for all doctors. I am very grateful to the writer because she provides hope along with valuable information regarding hormones followed up with practical answers/solutions. Worth the time and the money.

It is said that in some parts of the world the foulest curse that can be uttered is "May you be born again as a woman!" and after reading this story, I now understand why. We in the developed world have no idea what it would be like to be an Ethiopian Woman: betrothed as a toddler, married at nine (the groom promises not to have sex with his bride until she is "old enough." - ha, ha.), pregnant at twelve and left for four or five days, utterly alone, to try and give birth unaided. As in the developed world, many babies are not in a position to be born easily, but unlike here, there is no sterile hospital and a doctor ready to perform a C-section. A girl has no option but to push and push and push until she gives birth to her baby (who has been dead for days by this time) or until she dies.

Death would be the kinder route, once you learn about the mission of the Doctors Reg and Catherine Hamlin. As the poor undeveloped, undernourished girl pushes for days, the corpse of her child causes horrific injuries to the woman's body. She is left leaking urine and often, feces, with no control over her body whatsoever. In a land where water is scarce for drinking and nonexistent for bathing, and where a man wouldn't dream of trying to buy some rags for his wife to keep clean, life becomes a torment that a woman prays would end every day. She is no longer allowed indoors or near other people. Her husband, who has to have at least one son to secure his own future, abandons her and finds another child-bride. Her mother (if she hasn't died in childbirth herself) will probably allow her to return to her home village, but she will be banished to a ragged lean-to that she builds herself with castoffs. Speaking of castoffs, that is all she will be allowed to eat and wear. So she lies completely still, because of an old wives tale (even though there are few old wives) saying that a girl who lies still enough will eventually heal. She may lie this way for twenty years or more, and healing never comes.

If a miracle happens, she hears about the Fistula Hospital in Addis Ababa. Her injuries, which we now now are called Fistulas, will be healed and she will be able to return to her people and her village, ready to begin life again. The Doctors Hamlin, devout, old-world Christians, dedicated their lives to these poor, forgotten souls. Once Fistulas were as common in Europe, Australia and the US as they are in Africa today, but minimum marriage ages and proper care during childbirth have so solved this problem that the Hamlins had to develop methods of surgery to cure this condition. In the past sixty or so years, they operated upon and cured at least twenty thousand women, all while the world passed them by.

Dr Catherine Hamlin describes a childhood in an Australia that is long gone, and a life that is as full of hardships as any western doctor has ever lived, but she speaks of her life with joy and a devotion to G-d and the women that have no voice, even in their own homes. Dr. Hamlin, devoted and saintly as she sometimes is, can drive you (me) batty with her old-fashioned ways. She and her husband had a motto: these women want what every woman wants -- a live baby in her arms. They were horrified by the 'free love' of the 1960's, and spoke with great reverence for the last Emperor of Ethiopia, before he was overthrown.

I loved the book, and was moved to tears at the plight of these poor young women. I admired the dedication of the Hamlins, especially during their early years in Ethiopia, operating in the corner of another hospital, with thousands of injured young women coming to them, and their attempts to create a hospital of their own. I admired them even more during the years of war and revolution in Ethiopia, while they tried to get supplies and continue their work while under constant threat of death.

If you want to be touched and discover once again how lucky you are (and if you can read this, you are darned lucky, I guarantee it), then this book will make you feel gratitude and compassion for your fellow human beings, no matter where they live. If you think that this is just some sob story, then read the book anyway -- you need to have your soul touched, and I guarantee that this is the book to do it.

I and my friends who have read "Hospital by the River" have all liked
it very much. It tells about an Australian couple
trained in obstetrics who went to Ethiopia and established aa hospital
to help woman in Ethiopia who had suffered the bad effects of early
child bearing. I believe it shows how the Christian life should be lived.

Seldom has a missionary painted such a compelling portrait of hope from darkest despair as Dr. Catherine Hamlin in her inspiring memoir, THE HOSPITAL BY THE RIVER. When she and her husband, Reg, embarked on their careers in gynecology in Australia, they never dreamed their work would eventually take them halfway across the globe to the third world country of Ethiopia to establish a teaching hospital.

Ethiopia's insistence on child-brides and the poor obstetric care in that country is responsible for the high incidence of women who suffer from fistula, a childbirth injury that results in constantly running urine and terrible internal injuries. The personal stories of these women as told by Dr. Hamlin will break readers' hearts. Divorced by their husbands and rejected by their families, many of these injured women live out the remainder of their lives ostracized alone in dark rooms --- all for want of an operation costing only a few hundred dollars.

A simple operation can alleviate their suffering, and most women are curable. (Hamlin takes payment in everything from live chickens to jewelry.) But although two million women suffer from fistula, less than 7,000 are treated each year. The challenges to create a hospital that serves these women --- and then maintain and finance operations --- are formidable.

Hamlin's descriptions will move even the most jaded readers to tears --- and sometimes to a queasy stomach. In one gruesome anecdote, she tells of a woman mauled by a hyena while giving birth (the hyena ate her baby while she was helpless to protect it). However, Hamlin wants us to understand the depth of this despair so difficult to relate to --- the horrific conditions these women live in --- in order to arouse our deepest compassion for their suffering.

In one memorable passage, she describes the life of one such outcast, discovered in a village by a medical worker:

"...They reluctantly showed her a side room. Inside it was dark, and the smell was almost unbearable. In the far corner, against the wall was a raised platform. Peering through the gloom they made out a woman lying on her side with her legs drawn up in a flexed position. Her bladder and bowel contents were leaking into a pool underneath. Because she had been in this position for five years the joints had become stiff... and she could no longer walk...."

This woman --- like more than 20,000 others --- was cured by Hamlin and her team.

This is a book of contrasts, from the gatherings thrown by royalty to the extreme poverty that most of the people of Ethiopia experience. Although the reader has to mine a bit too much detailed memoir to get to the good storytelling, it is well worth the effort. Her tone throughout is one of gratitude. Hamlin is quick to offer copious amounts of praise for others, even those who have perhaps wronged her in some way. She is vulnerable about her own shortcomings, especially as a parent.

Almost four decades after her work began, it's understandable why Hamlin has been called "The new Mother Teresa for our age" by the New York Times, and nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. This fascinating account of Dr. Hamlin's work will break your heart --- and offer hope that even the worst circumstances can be changed if we care enough to help. Keep the Kleenex handy.

(...)

I have been writing to publishers and book sellers for over a year begging them to publish this book in the U.S. Dr. Catherine Hamlin tells the story and illustrates how one intelligent, caring woman devoted her time on earth to easing the plight of young mothers in Africa. Don't live another week without reading this story! Also, sales of the book go toward keeping Dr. Hamlin's hospital and refuge open for young mothers in Africa who need reconstructive surgery following the birth of their babies.

This book tells a remarkable story. It is the autobiography of Dr. Catherine Hamlin and the work she and her husband have done to establish a hospital treating obstetric fistula in Ethiopia. What an amazing story. I had never heard of obstetric fistula till a few days ago. I did not know that so many young women (girls, really) in some parts of the world have child birth complications that cause holes in the vagina through which feces and urine leak constantly, leading to the women becoming abandoned pariahs. And the repair surgery costs only about $300 -- but this was essentially unavailable until the Hamlins came to Ethiopia in 1960. What wonderful work they have done, along with their wonderful, competent Ethiopian staff and colleagues. In addition to that basic theme, Hamlin tells an engrossing story about the overthrow of the emperor, the years of communist regime (many of her friends were murdered), and then the current improved situation. What a story! This book about her faith and her work is well worth reading. I hope many, many people enjoy this book and are inspired to donate to this hospital.

I read the free bittorrent ebook of this, and am glad the book is available in print now. Master ordered one today.

ThornDaddy and Dollie really practise what they preach...they talk about how sex is karma, and is to be used for good, not for evil, and they do all this media to help people, including giving it away as well as selling it. In a world where everyone is trying to make a buck at sex media, this cool couple are changing the world from their bedroom, don't seem to care about money (they give away media as well as selling it) and we get to be kitties in the corner.

As for this book, I must say it's not like anything I've ever read. I've thumbed through a couple of "how to score with chix" books at a bookstore once and got a good laugh. This book is very very different. First of all, it has WAY more info on how to find, get, and keep a woman than anything I've ever read. And second, it's got a lot more. From how to soundproof your home dungeon so the neighbors don't complain, to how to be available in the kink world without ruining your own reputation, to how to safely meet people on the Internet while weeding out the crazies and the weenies, to basically being a great self-help book hidden inside a dating guide, this has a lot for any kinky adult, male OR female.

And it's directed at BDSM kink people, which you might not grok from the title.

Wow, book two in this series is great. The Submission and Coffee crew have done it again. Diary of an S&M Romance is Dollie's view of the relationship, and now this book is ThornDaddy's view. But it is not all about the sex. "Come for the sex, but stay for the talk." This book has a lot to offer about life, love and the world in general.

I shared this book with my HusDom and we are both enjoying the benefits of ThornDaddy's experience. :)

Keep up the good work and I am looking forward to book #3, "Diary of an S&M marriage".

Yay! Mew! I like it!

All you men out there trying to woo us women with bland, boring conversation and bland, boring sex...get this book, please! Do women think you're "too nice" and you don't get it? Learn how to create some drama in the right place...the bedroom, and leave it out of the wrong place...our lives.
Here's the secret, women like great, hot, unconventional, wild sex with men who are willing to take some emotional risks to find out what we really dig. This book explains exactly how to go there, with REAL respect for women. Plus it's smart and funny and a great read. Women should read it, too. I did, and I laughed, cried and got a lot more clear on how to have a lot more fun next time I...well, you know. ;-)

I loved this book. It's kinda the compangion piece to "Diary of an S&M Romance" ThornDaddy's wife/slave, Dollie Llama.

The title "how to fu*ck a woman's brains out" is misleading in a way, even though the premis is delivered on, and then some, in a big way. This is not a typical book that you'd think it was from the title. Sure, it's got a lot on how to have furious hot BDSM sex. But it's also got a lot on love, romance, life, and on what's wrong with the world, all written in an intelligent way. I ordered it, even though I am a woman. It's got as much for open-minded and kink-friendly women as it does for men. If not more.

Yay! Mew! The fine folks at Submission and Coffee have delivered again. And as usual, they do not disappoint.

First off, I need to say that I am not personally into kink or BDSM in anyway that you could call a lifestyle interest. I am not a man, and I am not a lesbian. So, I have no need to know how to please a submissive woman. Why then did I read it? Why should someone like me read it? Because this isn't just that kind of book. It's interesting, funny, and valuable.

And this isn't a How-To book on picking up women, or a collection of random sex techniques. It's filled with advice to the younger man on how to make intelligent and worthwhile lifestyle decisions in the search to find The One, and how to leave behind happy, satisfied women instead of a mess of angry exes. Not since the time of the Greeks has someone really tried to make an effort to reach out to the younger male generation to inform them about all the things our society says is taboo to learn--the art of finding, loving, and keeping women. And there are a lot of things available to learn, even for those who aren't into kink as a rule. Thorndaddy moves into each level gradually, starting off with basics and moving toward more and more intense BDSM loving. Even for a vanilla couple, his suggestions could add a Rainy Day Spice to the relationship, especially because unlike any other sex book I've ever seen this one includes a section about what do to if things go wrong.

This is not like any other sex book you've ever read. It doesn't talk about how to trick someone into believing you're suave and intelligent, but how to find women who will fit you best. Thorndaddy's constant encouragement to love women who look more like women, rather than the plastic media ideals is complemented by a (semi)fake diet on How To Fatten Her Up. He tells the man to stop trying to be like women, with the over-grooming and covering up of all possible smell, because even slightly submissive women aren't looking for that kind of man. Additionally, Thorndaddy doesn't just offer up the now far too overrated foreplay (and in fact says that if it's separate from the overall sex experience, then you're doing it wrong), he walks the male from prep to finish on how to make sure he's pleased his woman. And rather than assume that the male is ready to truly love and pleasure women just because he has a penis, Thorndaddy explains the necessity of independence and experience with taking care of something other than one's self so he'll treat the woman the way she deserves. There are sections on spirituality, and on psychology and there's even an entire rant on why the man should get himself fixed!

It's humorous, and has more than a few tongue-in-cheek moments, as well serious with discussions about the state of the planet, all within the context of sex. And it's all REAL. It's written colloquially so it doesn't come across as clinical, but it's intelligent and thoughtful. And what's in it for women? Well, besides just the enjoyment of a fun read? I know that reading it has made it easier for me to be able to define for a future lover EXACTLY what I want him to do, rather than a vague idea of what I know I want to experience. And if you've never had something not work for you that a guy has done and not been able to explain exactly why or what he should do to improve it next time, then either you're a virgin or you've already been f*cked by Thorndaddy himself (or someone else of his caliber).

Listen to the podcast! Read this book! It will be far more than worth your time, your money, and your computer space.