Product Description

Written by a nutritional therapist, this is a wide-ranging examination of the prevailing myths which surround the menopause and osteoporosis - myths which are sometimes perpetuated by drug companies and those doctors who, treating the menopause as an illness, prescribe hormone replacement therapy. The book explains HRT treatments and offers alternative natural therapies. It also provides guidance on eating well, keeping fit and staying healthy.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #412666 in Books
• Published on: 1997-03-10
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 228 pages

From the Author
Barbara Hall from Luxembourg has bought up some very important points and these are one of the main reasons that up to 60% of new information have been added to ‘The New Natural Alternatives to HRT’ since the first internationally best selling book, ‘Natural Alternatives to HRT ‘, was published in 1997. (Over 500,000 copies have been sold and translated into 20 languages so I must have said something right!).

There is so much confusion and hype around HRT and hormones that women need to know what they are taking. There are synthetic HRTs on the market and there are so called ‘natural’ hormones that are available. The ‘natural’ ones are chemically identical to those that women produce in their own bodies and so have been misleading classed as ‘natural’. But it is important for women to know that these so-called ‘natural’ hormones are not natural in the everyday understanding of the word natural. They are powerful pharmaceutical hormones that are produced in a laboratory and in the UK they are available only on prescription and rightly so as they are recognised by the UK’s Medicines Control Agency as drugs. If women choose to take these drugs (and they are drugs) they are still taking Hormone Replacement Therapy (whether it is oestriol, oestradiol or progesterone) they are just not taking a synthetic hormone. This is explained in detail in ‘The New Natural Alternatives to HRT!
’ so that women can make an informed and independent choice about whether they want to take these laboratory produced ‘unnatural hormones’ or not.

The whole focus of New Natural Alternatives to HRT is to show women that they do not need to take powerful hormones (synthetic or so called ‘naturally’ derived) into their bodies to go through the menopause, which is a natural stage of their lives.

The book also specifically warns women against taking soya or isoflavone supplements or even industrially- processed soya because of the concerns I have about the possible oestrogenic effects of these products. These concerns have arisen through the many hours of scientific research and review of the medical literature I have done while researching the current material for this book and from my clinical practice where I personally see hundreds of women every year.

My aim is for women to go through the menopause naturally, using naturally grown foods, organic where possible, that many cultures have used for centuries (some soya but mainly fermented traditional foods) and to use other natural remedies such as herbs to counter the hot flushes etc.

The reader may be interested to know that I am a nutritionist specialising in women’s health and work in a gynaecology clinic in London seeing women who can’t take HRT for a number of reasons e.g. breast cancer, uncomfortable side effects etc and those women with a history of breast cancer also cannot take the so called ‘natural’ hormones either, it is contraindicated because of the risks involved. I am an independent practitioner with no connection to the soya industry or any other industry for that matter. I find that the people who get upset the most with my writings are usually those who have not read my book properly or have a vested interest in a product, service or industry where I have brought to light some adverse research or cast some doubt about the ‘supposed’ benefits of that interest. For this I make no apologies.

I write it as I find it, objectively and as the facts of my research dictate. I write without regard to any sacred cows in any industry, whether that is pharmaceutical, medical or nutritional industries. In ‘The New Natural Alternatives to HRT’, I explain all aspects of the story, the medical, pharmaceutical and the natural. I believe that women, everywhere, want to know and deserve to know the truth about what is being offered to them so that they can then make intelligent and informed decisions.

Marilyn Glenville PhD

About the Author
Marilyn recently appeared on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour, BBC1's Breakfast News and ITV's This Morning discussing the subject of natural approaches to the menopause.

Customer Reviews

The FACTS about HRT - read this book
This book is a treasure trove of facts for all women approaching the menopause; in fact for ALL women and probably all men as well. For sensible advice on all aspects of HRT from nutrition to sex and exercise these are facts we all should be aware of. I'll never eat hydrogenated vegetable oil again and if eating the right foods and taking the recommended supplements can keep me off HRT then this little book has got to be worth it's weight in gold. The best book on the subject I've read; she has some very interesting points of view. If you're even slightly interested in complementary therapies I thoroughly recommend this book to all.

Helpful, informative book
A well-written book - knowledgeable without being overly scientific. The pages are pristine white and not too densely printed, easy to read and assimilate.

Ms Glenville has a good writing style which makes you keep reading. I particularly like the 'Natural Alternatives to HRT' section, which offers practical and simple advice. The 'How to control your weight and your moods' section should be required reading for everyone!

Very helpful. I went on to a programme of vitamin/minerals and herbal supplements when I read this 2 months ago. Now I feel 100% better.

Good introduction to the topic
Marilyn Glenville covers in her book everything you always wanted to know about HRT and the menopause. She is critical of the medicalisation of the menopause, the view that it is something like a (hormone-) deficiency disease rather than a very natural phase of every woman's life. She assesses the pros and cons of HRT in detail and objectively, covering its known side effects - some of which ironically are identical to some menopausal symptoms -, as well as osteoporosis, breast cancer and heart disease. Another chapter is dedicated to the critical review of "natural" progesterone.

What makes this book so valuable is the main part though in which Glenville explains the benefits of good nutrition and offers natural treatment options for common menopausal problems such as breast tenderness, constipation, vaginal dryness, hair loss, heavy periods, hot flushes and night sweats to name but a few.

As a nutritional therapist I don't agree with her on the recommendation to eat soya products. She concedes that women with thyroid underactivity may have to be careful how much soya they eat because soya phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that can cause hypothyroidism. But quite often an underactive thyroid goes unnoticed and symptoms including weight gain and fatigue can all too easily and fatally be attributed to the menopause. Furthermore, the processing of soya is controversial in itself and it is well known that soya increases the body's requirement for vitamin D which is needed for the absorption of calcium - a key vitamin in the prevention of osteoporosis.

All in all, I found this to be a good introductory book to the topic and full of practical symptom-specific advice.