Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Claudia E. Harsh is a board-certified obstetrician/gynecologist and the director of integrative gynecology at the Alliance Institute for Integrative Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio. She speaks on women's health and wellness topics and is an integrative medicine fellow at the University of Arizona. She lives with her husband and son in Cincinnati.

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Finding Grace and Balance in the Cycle of Life

iUniverse, Inc.

Contents

Acknowledgments...................................................................xiIntroduction......................................................................xiii Lifestyle Choices and Habits.....................................................1Resolving to Change...............................................................3Nutrition and Supplements.........................................................7Quality Standards for Vitamins and Nutraceuticals.................................13You get a "D" in Health...........................................................15Strategies to Combat Free Radicals................................................18Cruciferous Vegetables: What, Why and How Much?...................................21Organic Thoughts..................................................................24Sugar and Artificial Sweeteners: How Sweet It Is..................................27Good Fats: Something Fishy Is Going On............................................30Exercising Options for Health.....................................................35 Stress Management................................................................38Fear, Stress and Anxiety, Oh My!..................................................38Finding Light in the Darkness-Seasonal Affective Disorder.........................41 The Integrative Medicine Toolbox.................................................44Acupuncture.......................................................................44Energy Medicine-Healing Touch, Reiki..............................................48Craniosacral Therapy..............................................................50Guided Imagery and Health.........................................................51 Understanding the Cycle of Life..................................................54The Conversation of Menarche......................................................54Premenstrual Syndrome or PMS......................................................57Personal Growths: An Integrative Approach to Uterine Fibroids.....................61Ovarian Cysts and the CA-125 test.................................................64Endometriosis.....................................................................66 Fertility........................................................................70A Burst of Life-Preparing the Soil................................................70Integrative Fertility Baby Steps..................................................73Integrative Treatments for Pregnancy..............................................76The Business of Being Born-At Home!...............................................79Breastfeeding and Breast Health...................................................82The Ins and Outs of Contraception.................................................85Pap Smears and the HPV Vaccine....................................................88 Menopause........................................................................92Aging Gracefully..................................................................92Nonhormonal Treatments for Common Menopausal Symptoms.............................94Hot Flashes.......................................................................95Libido and Sexuality..............................................................97Menopause with Hormones...........................................................100The Bioidentical Hormone Controversy..............................................103Estriol, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals and the FDA........................................107 Grace and Balance in the Cycle of Life-a Postscript..............................111References........................................................................113About the Author..................................................................119Index.............................................................................121

Chapter One

Everyone should be his own physician. We ought to assist and not force nature. Eat with moderation and with what agrees with your constitution. Nothing is good for the body but what we can digest. What medicine can produce digestion? Exercise. What will recruit strength? Sleep. What will alleviate incurable ills? Patience. Voltaire (1694-1778)

This chapter contains the basics for women's health and wellness. If you browse through no other part of the book, take this one to heart. It has become clear that nutrition, stress management and exercise are the keys to emotional, mental, physical and spiritual health. I fully believe that the majority of gynecological disorders are imbalances that can be prevented or corrected with attention to these areas.

We are reluctant to believe this as a culture. There has been a push for "evidence-based medicine" that is often more aptly described as "intervention-based medicine." A study from Australia, for example, showed that the "lap band" (laparoscopic adjustable gastric banding-a form of bariatric or weight loss surgery) was a "better" treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes than expectant and routine management (Dixon, 2008). The thirty control patients were treated as any typical patient in the United States is treated; they were told to walk 10,000 steps a day and participate in a regular structured exercise program. There was a nod to nutrition guidelines but no discussion of stress management or life pacing or counseling. The common denominator for remission in both groups was successful weight loss.

I wasn't surprised to learn that 73 percent of the patients who had the surgery achieved remission of their diabetes within two years, versus 13 percent of the control group. The surgical group had a higher percentage of people with weight loss, so they had a higher percentage of people with diabetes remission. Six of the thirty patients in the surgical group had some type of surgical complication. One band had to be surgically removed two weeks after it was placed.

Besides the concern that there was no "active management" control group where health coaching, stress management and aggressive nutrition counseling was in place, I'm left wondering why we are drawn to forces outside ourselves for solutions to our health problems. What causes us to overeat foods that increase our weight and our diabetes risk? Why isn't there more public outcry when giant food processing companies subvert health and nutrition with marketing and glitz that cover up empty calories and dangerous fats? There's no doubt we're addicted to sugar as a culture; I'm hopeful we can explore this addiction and awaken to its dangers. It's all brain chemistry-pleasure chemicals are triggered and exploited. We get the "why"-now let's problem-solve for solutions.

Resolving to Change

As the New Year comes each year it brings with it a sense of renewal and optimism. It's natural to look at the stretch of days unfolding before us and dream. What do we want to bring into our lives? What do we want to remove? Setting intentions is the best way to transform our lives. Yet, it is depressing to read that over 60 percent of New Year's resolutions are broken within the first half of the year. Whether it's addictions to cigarettes, or broken promises to eat healthy...