Tag: health and wellness

REVIEW: Unlock Your Menopause Type by Dr. Heather Hirsch

REVIEW: Unlock Your Menopause Type by Dr. Heather Hirsch

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary and Review

Considering how little seems to be known – or discussed – about something every aging person who menstruates will go through, it’s nice to see another book release that talks honestly about menopause. The “hook” for this book is the author’s way of grouping common menopause symptoms into types. It’s not a perfect system – people can fall into more than one category. So you might have to read more than one section to get a good idea of what options are available to you. But it’s pretty brilliant if you have ever read something about menopause and thought, “That’s not been my experience.” The experience of menopause differs from person to person.

The overall tone of the book is conversational – another one that feels like talking with an expert over coffee.  I especially appreciated the chapter on myths and misconceptions. It’s also affirming in that you will likely read about others who are experiencing some of the same things you are. You aren’t alone! The chapters on the types are more technical than the introduction, and there may be some readers who want to take the book to their personal physician to talk through the author’s recommendations. Each type is described with at least one anecdote, and then author makes recommendations for typical treatment options that might work for readers who find themselves in a particular type.

To be honest, one draw back to this book for me is the thought of having to convince a medical professional to take this material – and my feelings about it – seriously enough for this to be useful. If my doctor hasn’t read this, how can I go to him and say “I think I have this type and this doctor recommends this course of action” and expect to get very far? But if you have a relationship with your doctor that’s more open and collaborative, I could see using this as a starting point for addressing any symptoms or difficulties you are experiencing.

I also thought The Menopause Manifesto was an excellent resource. If you are approaching this stage in life, I’d probably start with Manifesto to equip yourself with information. If you are already experiencing some of the symptoms of perimenopause, this might be a good resource to add to your arsenal of information.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ – Great resource!

REVIEW: The Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter

REVIEW: The Menopause Manifesto by Dr. Jen Gunter

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Kensington in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book releases next week on May 25, 2021.]

Summary and Review

This is a straight-talking exploration of menopause from the author of The Vagina Bible. The author is an OB/GYN who has gone through the menopause transition, so she has both personal experience as well as professional. She covers everything from the history of the thinking about menopause to the biological processes and common symptoms and also the not-so-obvious health changes associated with aging and the hormonal changes of menopause.

The thing I appreciated most about this was the feeling that I was sitting down for coffee with someone who would pull no punches, but who also had no agenda. The author very clearly calls out the darker, bleaker parts of women’s health and the patriarchy. I loved that honesty (although the information was also infuriating). And while the medical pieces may feel technical at times there is also some humor to balance it out.

This is too technical to be a “favorite” book for me, but at the same time it feels perfectly positioned to be read by millions of people who menstruate – those approaching middle age and wondering what’s coming, those in the transition wondering what’s normal, and those who have reached menopause who are now considering how it will impact their future health. This could be the weirdest, or the most brilliant, book club selection ever! If you are “of a certain age,” I recommend you pick this one up! (Some language, frank conversation about biology and biological processes)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = Excellent resource

REVIEW: The Case for Keto by Gary Taubes

REVIEW: The Case for Keto by Gary Taubes

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Knopf in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary and Review

This is an exploration and defense of low carbohydrate, high fat eating, often called “Keto.” The author is not a doctor, which surprised me at first, but instead he is a health and science journalist. The research in this book is top notch. There’s a lot of history regarding health, nutrition, and obesity here. The endnotes and citations were thorough.

The general premise is that obesity and diabetes as well as other health issues continue to rise even though we have had decades of “eat less, move more” advice. That doesn’t work for all body types. Some schools of thought are reluctant to remove any food group from consumption in an effort to remain “balanced.” But if a particular category of foods – high carbohydrate ones, for example – are causing the problems, it would make sense to eliminate them.

The author makes a couple analogies with smoking, alcohol/drug addiction, and allergies, which I found convincing and helpful. We don’t consider abstinence a “deprivation” if the thing someone abstains from is something they are allergic to or something they are addicted to. Thinking of carbohydrates that way can be helpful  for those whose bodies would thrive without them. Following a ketogenic lifestyle to address a metabolic disorder is a way of living, not something you try for awhile before going back to “normal.” You would never recommend an alcoholic celebrate a sobriety milestone with a glass of champagne. If carbohydrates are problematic for a particular individual, they always will be problematic.

This is a dense, technical resource. I was probably not the right audience for this as a consumer. I did a lot of skimming in the early chapters. Still, I found the later chapters on what to eat and what to avoid most helpful along with the anecdotes from people interviewed for the book. Professionals – dietitians, medical professionals – are probably the proper audience for this book. If someone was curious about following a ketogenic diet, this would not be the resource I would hand them for their introduction.

That said, there was a lot here that I found fascinating about obesity, about research methods, and about ketogenic eating. I would highly recommend this for professionals, but I would probably steer the general public to one of the author’s other books (The Case Against Sugar, maybe) or to a different resource that explores a ketogenic diet in a less technical way.

Rating: ♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥ = Good/fine/solid