John R. Lee (1) (1927–2003)

I read this years before menopause. Very helpful to me: with pms, premenopause and many other uncomfortable, if not unbearable, symptoms of an imbalance of hormones. Helpful, unlike all other advice I received from doctors and other health providers at the time. (I do not like using synthetic hormones, which were often casually prescribed to me.)

Lee's writing in this book has a somewhat defensive, emotional tone to it, which does not suit a scientific approach. But the title itself tells us it is intended for non-scientists, and he explains the reason for his urgent tone in the book. (Most alternative treatments, that could not be controlled ($) by the pharmaceutical/medical industry, were essentially blackballed along with their advocates.)

Although his style made me cautious of what he advised (a healthy response, I think, to any popular health advice), his explanations of the impact of estrogen and progesterone in our bodies as they change was extremely interesting to me, and in the end compensated greatly for the tone. I did use natural progesterone at the time, because of this book. (To explain whether it "worked" or not would require a more in depth and too personal review.)

I have not forgotten what I learned in reading this, which I read when a great deal of other information was being published and discussed about the dominance of estrogen in our environment and lifestyles. I don't know what science says about all this now.

I do recommend this book, with these caveats in mind. I am not a scientist, which is a warning to readers who might consider my recommendation.

The bottom line is that his advice makes sense to me, and does not carry the shadowy mystique of the typical medical profession, a profession that is hampered by issues driven by insurance, limited time, and the demand for quick fixes.

Dr. Lee pushes the reader to take charge of her own health. At the time he wrote this book, this was still a radical act.

I liked it enough that it occurs to me I might need to read it again soon. Perhaps an expanded review will follow.… (mehr)

Lee offers a clear explanation of the workings of a woman's endocrine system, particularly as it relates to menstrual cycles, the climacteric, and pregnancy. There are a number of gems of information here: food and herb sources of progesterone, progesterone as a builder of bone (while estrogen simply slows loss), how the artificial progesterone used in the United States is made from natural progesterone, and more. While natural progesterone has no side effects and has been well researched, it is no longer in vogue. Why? It's not patentable! Drug companies buy natural progesterone (primarily made from Mexican wild yam) and alter it to form a patentable drug. This synthetic form, called progestin, has numerous side effects and is thought to negate the healthy heart effect of estrogen. Since drug companies are the primary sponsors for seminars, which give doctors the continuing education credits required to keep their licenses, most doctors are never even aware that the natural progesterone that was beginning to be valued in the 1960s disappeared from the scene as drug companies altered it to gain profitable patents. Lee also discusses healthy lifestyle and supplements as an important part of a healthy midlife for women. Lee is an entertaining writer, as well as offering a thorough and well-documented discussion of the value of progesterone in balancing the hormonal systems of hysterectomized and midlife women. So add an over-the-counter progesterone skin cream to your shopping list and give your bones a treat. (April 1994)… (mehr)