The Estrogen Decision: A Self-Help Program

Women have been relying on Susan Lark's self-help books on women's health issues for years. Now she addresses the major concern of women in menopause: whether or not to go on estrogen replacement therapy (ERT). "This decision has no 'one right answer,'" says Lark, because every woman is different in her symptoms, health needs, risks, and tolerance of ERT. Lark presents not just ERT, but also alternative therapies and treatment options, so each woman can make an informed decision.

Lark's style is personal, direct, and clear as she unravels the facts about hormone replacement (she's basically in favor of it), benefits and drawbacks of various treatments, menopausal symptoms and their causes, physical changes, and heart disease risk. She also discusses dietary changes that lessen menopausal symptoms--not just the usual "eat right," but specific foods that ease symptoms and others that worsen symptoms, with meal plans and a few recipes. Nutritional supplements, herbs, stress reduction, exercise advice, yoga postures, acupressure--it's all here. You'll come away feeling like you've had a personal consultation with this renowned doctor, an introduction to several alternatives, and a clearer picture of the course you want to follow. --Joan Price