Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom Paperback – 1 Jun 2010

First!!! Please make sure you are looking at the new 2010 edition with the White cover and standing photo of Dr. Northrup. Amazon is posting all the reviews to ALL the editions! You can reach the other book by clicking on the above link that says which version this review refers too.

This is a brand new, newly researched and very updated version of an important book. I'm sorry that Amazon didn't list the updates from the back of the book first on the main product page. Here they are:

* new material on sexuality--and how to have a more fulfilling sex life
* the spiritual and scientific principles behind healing from terminal illnesses, and how you can utilize these principles for your own health and the health of others
* vital information about how to truly dissolve PMS and ease menstrual cramps
* extraordinary facts on Vitamin D--and why it is crucial for breast, cardiovascular, and immune system health
* the importance of the preconception diet and how to greatly decrease your risk of birth defects
* how to birth naturally, despite the current induction and C-section epidemic
* all you need to know about thyroid function, including proper blood tests
* life-saving facts about cellular inflammation--the root cause of all chronic degenerative diseases--and how to prevent this condition
* the essentials on the "fountain of youth molecule"--and how to enhance your levels of it for vibrant health

It is also important to look at the dates on the reviews when considering them. Many of them are 10 or more years old. Not only has the over 900 pages of information been significantly updated, but attitudes towards its content have changed dramatically since it was first published.

Back in 1994 when the first edition was published, the idea that the mind could control the body was something contemplated mostly by "New Agers" and anthropologists studying Amazonian tribes. Ten years earlier Louise Hay's, "You Can Heal Your Life" had introduced the idea with a non-scientific book based mainly on personal experience. The 90's opened the door further when medical doctors like Deepak Chopra and Bernie Siegel, aided by medical researcher and journalist Norman Cousins, began to talk about the clinical evidence for a mind/body connection and how it could be manipulated. They had some incredible stories to tell, but it wasn't until Dr. Northrup came along that a board certified OB/GYN started to connect the psychological, spiritual and medical dots that led to health or ill-health for women.

Our Bodies Ourselves, first published in the early 1970's had been the first book to openly insist that women take control of their bodies, but it was still more a manual for working "with" a largely authoritarian and at times misogynistic medical community. Later editions become more focused on the culture of younger women. Dr. Northrup's book is perhaps the graduate course for OBO, fusing cradle to grave medical advice for women with support for dealing with the impact of culture, self-worth issues and spiritual beliefs on a woman's health. It provides guidance in creating positive, health affirming outcomes rather than viewing the female body from the medical model of diseases waiting to happen.

Take a look at the table of contents available in the "Look Inside" guide. While a large portion of the book is dedicated to discussing issues affecting a woman's body from the menstrual cycle through menopause, the rest of the book focuses largely on wellness, including affirmations designed to "protect and serve" the body rather than "cut and control" it. This makes the book not only a valuable reference manual for those times when things go wrong, but an encyclopedia of protective spiritual wisdom from someone who is an expert on both women's bodies and their spirits. In many ways this book is still ahead of its time, which makes it a good buy for the present and the future.

I really appreciate Christiane Northrup, M.D. and this is not the first book I've bought from her. She is a woman's doctor and has a lot of knowledge about how the female anatomy works. I like that she isn't totally medical model and also talks about herbs and other alternative methods to use in healing.

Have read and applied Dr Christiane Northrup's book Women's Bodies Women's Wisdom for many years. This book has explained questions I had throughout my childbearing and mothering years. As our bodies and hormones change, often times we need a holistic answer why. This book is that source of information. I now have experienced menopause and Dr Northrup's book Wisdom of Menapause was my only resource. I thank Dr Christiane Northrup with great respect. I am now buying this book for my daughters with much confidence it will bring all the wisdom for them as they are experiencing womanhood!

Dr. Northrup's books are very thorough and complete, and I find them great to have as reference books which I turn to often over the years. I have this (bought a newer edition to replace my old, well-worn one) and her book on menopause. I have bought this book as a gift as well. She writes like she sounds on TV - very clear, easy to understand, insightful, detailed without being too complex. It's an easy read with personal stories and examples of the conditions, symptoms and solutions she discusses.

This is such a foundational book that should be required reading for all humans, especially girls & women. Dr. Northrup's depth of knowledge and insight is unmatched. This book will make you gasp, laugh, cry, and reflect over and over again.