Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom

Bantam, 2002. Fine. Quite possibly every female over the age of 12 will find this huge book enl ightening, pain saving, and perhaps even lifesaving. Think of it as a much more empowering and holistic Our Bodies, Ourselves. Northrup is a gynecolog ist who acknowledges the power of natural therapies and herbs, but also mai ntains that allopathic treatments, including surgery, are sometimes best. I n Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom, she covers the treatment of many physical concerns--among them PMS, menstrual cramps, breast cancer, fibroids, endom etriosis, infertility, depression, childbirth, abortion, cystitis, and meno pause--explaining how many of these physical problems have roots in emotion al upsets. For example, a woman who is unhappy with her marriage may be inf ertile because deep down, she knows that her husband is not the right man t o have children with; a teenager who has cramps may be having problems acce pting society's expectations of her as a woman. Some readers may be put off at first by Northrup's obviously unconventional ways of thinking. Her medical approach is decidedly feminist, blaming our "addictive" and patriarchal society for many of the health problems plaguing women. She clearly illustrates her ideas, however, by drawing upon two decades of experience from her medical practice and citing dozens of her patients' remarkable personal stories. Northrup also delineates the best way to go about tuning in to one's body and mind in order to start the healing process, a self-induced therapy of sorts. She also includes in the book a copy of the eye-opening health inventory she gives her clients. It includes unusual questions such a.