cover image THE ONLY MENOPAUSE GUIDE YOU'LL EVER NEED: 2nd Edition

THE ONLY MENOPAUSE GUIDE YOU'LL EVER NEED: 2nd Edition

Michele Moore, . . Johns Hopkins Univ., $15.95 (160pp) ISBN 978-0-8018-8013-1

Since the 2001 publication of the first edition of Moore's well-received book, menopause has come into the media spotlight. Research showing that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can have negative side effects has many women rethinking the wisdom of approaching menopause as a medical problem. Moore, a physician in private practice in New Hampshire, calls menopause a "phase of development" not unlike adolescence and encourages readers to be patient with, and attentive to, themselves in this transitional time. She offers professional and personal advice about menopause's emotional and physiological symptoms, explaining complementary treatments, such as herbal supplements, meditation and exercise, as well as traditional therapies. She reviews recent data on HRT and devotes a chapter to estradiol, a very powerful estrogen she refers to as "the forgotten estrogen." Moore includes specific recommendations for coping with symptoms ranging from night sweats to low libido, and outlines menopausal women's "major health concerns," namely, osteoporosis, cancer and heart disease. "Most of the physical discomforts of the menopausal process are transient and can be eased using a combination of therapeutic approaches described in the pages of this book," she writes. "The drive toward the completeness of self can be a lasting legacy of this process." Women looking for a comforting guide to menopause, with practical information as well as a sense of spirituality, will find it here. (Nov. 30)