This Is Not Your Mother's Menopause: One Woman's Natural Journey Through Change

Posner, a researcher and Webmaster (she has worked with her husband, Gerald, on several books), here chronicles an unconventional journey into menopause. Informed by her physician at age 46 that she was ""in full-blown menopause""--and that, in order to avoid osteoporosis and a reduced metabolism, she required immediate hormone replacement therapy--Posner hesitated. When her doctor arrogantly dismissed her concerns about the risks of estrogen replacement (her mother and two aunts had had breast cancer), Posner was inspired to use her formidable research skills to look for alternatives. What she found was enough information to design a program tailor-made to naturally eliminate the negative physical aspects of menopause: hot flashes, diminished bone density and thinning muscle tissue. In clear and vivid language, Posner describes how she successfully experimented with herbs, vitamins, diet and exercise until she found a hormone-free combination that counteracted all these symptoms. The program, she asserts, made her body both leaner and stronger, improved the condition of her hair and skin and restored her libido. After her last medical tests, even her estrogen-pushing physician acknowledged that she was in excellent shape and had lost no bone density. This is not a medical text--Posner is careful to caution women that this program may not be appropriate for everyone--but it is an interesting and inspiring account by a woman who decided to take responsibility for her body and her health. (Apr.)