BOOK RECOMMENDATION!!!!

Full disclosure, I was given a complimentary copy of this book to review for the blog. Fuller disclosure, anyone who knows me knows that if I didn't like this book, I wouldn't give it a favourable review, no matter what.

The book is Stay Young & Sexy The Science Explained by Dr. Jonathan V. Wright and Lane Lenard, PhD. This is a revised an expanded edition of the book, which was first released in 1997 under the name Natural Hormone Replacement for Women Over 45. Dr. Wright heads the Tahoma Clinic in Renton, WA, and Dr. Lenard is a science writer and researcher.

I will be honest to tell you that I approached this book with considerable hesitation when I saw that Suzanne Somers had written the forward for this book, but I absolutely agree with her statement : "I recommend you read this book cover to cover and then use it as your bioidentical hormone reference bible". Dr. Wright's book is certainly a comprehensive volume of not only the science of bioidentical hormones, the advantages of bioidentical hormone therapy over "conventional" (synthetic) hormone therapy, and much more. Chapters include:

Hormones and the Menstrual Cycle

Of Hormones & Drugs and Urine and Yams

Relieving the Common Symptoms of Menopause

Does Hormone Replacement Cause Cancer

Getting the Most Out of BHRT: How Much to Use and How Best To Use It

Hormones for Him, Why Men Need BHRT, Too

Compounded Bioidentical Hormones: Just What the Doctor Ordered

The Politics of Bioidentical Hormones: Why and How They are Trying To Take Them Away

The book is fascinating, and an absolute wealth of information. So much so, that you will likely need to read the book in short sections, as each chapter has much to teach you and you will find yourself rereading sections to make the information "gel" in your brain. The book clearly makes the case for the superior safety and efficacy of bioidentical hormones. The book includes lists (which for me is a great way to absorb information) on the benefits of BHRT, roles of progesterone in the female body, etc. Numerous charts and graphs help readers to more fully understand the points being made in the book. The end of each chapter has a list of references, and a number of these references are studies that have been done (in other countries, of course, almost no studies of BHRT have been done in the US for reasons that will become apparent when you read the book) on bioidentical hormone replacement.

Not only do Drs. Wright and Lenard lay out the case for bioidentical hormone therapy, they are intent on educating the reader on the politics of Big Pharma (US pharmaceutical companies) and the FDA's attempts to severely curtail access to bioidentical hormones. Many of the common arguments against BHRT are discussed (and dismantled), and you will learn about how absurd the "talking points" are that anti-bioidentical hormone proponents are.....I guarantee you will never listen to a media segment about bioidentical hormones the same way again. While I have learned (and am still learning----I have my copy of the book really marked up with highlighters) so much about BHRT from reading this book, I think the chapters on the politics of BHRT are most fascinating to me----I now feel stronger and more informed in "shooting down" arguments against bioidentical hormones (I swear to you, I am going to bite the next person who says to me that bioidentical hormones is nothing more than a marketing term.)

Another interesting aspect of the book is that it covers the subject of compounding pharmacies and compounded hormone preparations in more depth than most of the other BHRT books. This is important, because many readers may have little or no knowledge of compounding pharmacies. The purpose of a compounding pharmacy (along with a little history of compounding pharmacies) is discussed, along with with dispelling some of the "myths"/concerns that mainstream medicine tries to use in their arguments against bioidentical hormone therapy.

In a few instances, I think the book goes into almost too much detail----it gets a little technical in places. Overall, however, this book is a winner-----anyone who is on BHRT, or is considering this treatment protocol owes it to themselves to add this book to their library. The charts, graphs, lists and "box" talking points help to make the vast amount of information in the book more palatable, and I am very happy to recommend this book to my readers. The book is available in many bookstores, but as usual, Amazon.com has the best price that I have found.