Recommended Reading

The following are books of interest to anyone who would like to better understand specific health related issues.  Many of these books are kept in stock.   Where that is not the case, we will help you find a source either locally or online.  We have affiliate relationships with both Amazon and Chapters.

Where the book has been reviewed or read by someone on staff, we will attach a book review to better assist you in choosing the best title to purchase.

To Order:
Locally:  (403) 320-6500
Outside of the local dialing area: 1-800-320-1260

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

When Your Body Gets the Blues; by Marie-Annette Brown, Ph.D., R.N. and Jo Robinson; January 2003; 213 page; ISBN 0-425-18899-X.
This book introduces the subject of Seasonal Affective Disorder which tends to affect three to four times as many women as men.  Although “Bright Light Therapy” has become to be recognized as the basis for any treatment protocol, the authors have gone one step further.   Presenting studies that made use of diet, exercise, stress reduction, walking, vitamin and mineral therapies for a holistic approach to the treatment of this debilitating disorder they have coined, the “Body Blues”.

Natural Hormone Replacement

For Women:

You’ve Hit Menopause: Now What?  Simple Steps to Restoring Hormone Balance; 2nd Edition; by Dr. George Gillson MD,PhD, Tracey Marsden B.Sc.Pharm; November 2004; 136page; ISBN 0-9732962-0-8
An excellent book written by Dr. Gillson, who is the medical director of Rocky Mountain Analytical Labs in Calgary, Alberta, and Tracey Marsden, a pharmacist also on staff at Rocky Mountain Labs.  This book has become a must read for anyone who is serious about Bio-Identical Hormone Replacement Therapy (BHRT).  It is a relatively easy read, despite the technical discussions, which are important to the understanding of this treatment choice.  The 136 pages cover basic physiology, how hormones work, what happens in menopause, and why BHRT makes sense.  For women considering an alternative to traditional HRT, this book will quickly put things into perspective.  Since the authors are Canadian, the information is specific to the Canadian marketplace, making it much more relevant to Canadians trying to become informed about BHRT.   For those who have heard Dr. Gillson lecture, his easy to understand style is carried over to this book, making it an enjoyable read on a very important subject.  Definitely a five star recommendation.  Read an extract from the book – Chapter One.

This book can be ordered through Stafford Pharmacy & Home Healthcare directly.  Call us at (403) 320-6500 or 1-800-320-1260

Natural Progesterone: The multiple roles of a remarkable hormone
; by Dr. John R. Lee MD, 1999, 150pages, ISBN 1-897766-54-8
This not his latest, but certainly offers some interesting topics such as getting pregnant and staying pregnant, hormones and heart disease, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and how hormones can create prostate problems for men.

A Woman’s Guide to Natural Hormones; by Christine Conrad, May 2000, 208pages, ISBN 0-399-52581-5
This is one of Christine Conrad’s latest installments in a series of excellent books on women’s health issues, in particular her approaches to Bio-identical Hormone Replacement.  Unlike too many other writers on this subject, she give a balanced discussion of this topic respecting the fact that not all women need estrogen supplementation nor do all women find progesterone supplementation to be sufficient.  Definitely recommended reading.

The HRT Solution: Optimizing Your Hormone Potential, by Marla Ahlgrimm, RPh & John M. Kells, 1999, 200pages  ISBN 0-89529-948-8
This book is written by Marla Ahlgrimm, a pharmacist who has been involved with Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy for a number of years.  She is an associate pharmacist at Madison Pharmacy Associates, Inc. in Madison, WI.  and is the founder of Women’s Health America Group.  Since most books are written by researchers or physicians, this perspective from a pharmacist is long overdue.  Ahlgrimm uses a number of case examples to illustrate the “how-to’s” of hormone replacement given different women, different lifestyles and therefore the need to customize the replacement therapy.

Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy; by Jonathan V. Wright, M.D. & John Morgenthaler; 1997, ISBN 0-9627418-0-9
This book is a thin 128 pages and is therefore our recommendation for those who want to get an overview of NHRT in the shortest time.  Despite the smaller book in comparison to others, it is complete and does not take any shortcuts in getting the message across. Dr. Wright is one of the foremost holistic physicians in the U.S. today,  writing this book based on his experiences in helping women discover and use natural hormones.  One small deficiency we noticed is that in his discussion of how to find a compounding pharmacy he neglected to mention the National Association of Compounding Pharmacists in Amarillo, Texas, a second organization focused on teaching pharmacists the skills necessary to compound the various dosage forms available for the natural hormone products.  Otherwise, we highly recommend this book.  If your physician is looking for a quick read, this is it.

Women’s Bodies, Women’s Wisdom; Christiane Northrup, M.D.;Revised Edition, 2006, 906 pages; ISBN 0-553-37953-4
This is going to become the ultimate reference for women’s health.   In the 900 plus pages Dr. Northrup covers topics which include the physical, the psychological and the spiritual aspects of women’s health.  This is not an easy read, but one that will be referred back to over and over again.  Included are pages and pages of references which are listed under the section “Notes”, to allow further reading or confirmation of the information presented.

Are Your Hormones Making You Sick? A Woman’s Guide to Better Health Through Hormonal Balance
; Eldred Taylor M.D., Ava Bell-Taylor M.D., August 2003, 205 pages, ISBN 0-9705859-0-X;
Dr. Eldred Taylor has become one of the most vigorous proponents for Bio-identical Hormone Replacement Therapy in North America.  His book includes a chapter, Hormones 101: A Beginner’s Course, which explains the basics of hormone function to better understand why bio-identical hormones are the better choice and how this leads to the later chapters which includes Conditions Caused by Hormonal Imbalance (Chapter 5), such as Premenstrual Syndrome, Fibrocystic Breast and Breast Pain, Fibroids and Endometriosis.    Of course he also discusses those stages that see most women traditionally first discussing hormone treatment,  Perimenopause and Menopause.  Also included are chapters about Osteoporosis, Breast Cancer, Heart Disease, Saliva Testing and most importantly, creating balance using Hormone Supplementation.

For Men:

Maximize Your Vitality & Potency: For Men Over 40; by Jonathan V. Wright. M.D. & Lane Lenard, Ph.D., 1999, ISBN 0-9627418-1-7
If the title doesn’t capture your interest the content certainly will.  Dr. Wright, already known as one of the leading holistic physicians in the U.S. now focuses his attention on the male of the species.  The concept of a male menopause is still rather controversial, but Wright presents a very strong case for it’s recognition and treatment.  The treatment, which he has argued and outlined so carefully, is natural testosterone.   Again, here is the theory that if you need to use hormone replacement, make sure it is what the body recognizes and knows how to deal with it.  Unlike other options which may be treating the symptomology, testosterone supplementation goes to the source of the problem.  Don’t wait to read this book.  If you are a man, you need to get this book and find out how you can prevent numerous health problems, now.

Maximizing Manhood: Beating The Male Menopause; Malcolm Carruthers, M.D.; 1997;  240 pages,  ISBN 0-7-225-3532-5
There are a number of new authors writing about the male menopause, the andropause and about it’s treatment with natural testosterone.  Dr. Carruthers however, is one of the leading authorities on the subject and on the use of testosterone for the treatment of a number of health problems in men.  He has been credited with coining the phrase “male menopause” and has many years of experience in researching and treating this stage of life in men.  Before you make up your mind that no it doesn’t happen to men, read this book and find out otherwise.

The Testosterone Syndrome: Reversing the Male Menopause; Eugene Shippen, M.D. & William Fryer; 1998; 230 pages, ISBN 0-87131-829-6

Male Menopause; Jed Diamond, 1998; 357 pages, ISBN 1-57071-397-9

 

Homeopathy:

The Consumer’s Guide to Homeopathy, Dana Ullman, M.P.H., 1995, 409 pages, ISBN 0-87477-813-1
The author has written a number of books for the layperson, introducing homeopathy and helping to understand how to use homeopathic remedies for many common ailments.  This book does include a good deal of “technical” explanation for those who want to delve deeper into understanding how homeopathy works as well as how to determine which remedy is best when treating many ailments that we all treat at home.   A very readable introduction as well as a good reference for the home.

Everybody’s Guide to Homeopathic Medicines: Taking Care of Yourself and Your Family with Safe and Effective Remedies (Revised & Expanded), Stephen Cummings, M.D., and Dana Ullman, M.P.H., ISBN 0-87477-614-4

This considered to be the best book on homeopathy for the person new to homeopathy.  It is very readable, as the authors introduce the theory and basic concepts that underlie homeopathy.  Although sometimes complex theories and philosophies, they go only so far as necessary to give a solid understanding of homeopathy.  After an introduction to the basic tenants of homeopathy, the practical application of homeopathic remedies is introduced and expanded on so that anyone can be comfortable choosing single entity remedies for the treatment of many common illnesses and injuries.

The Family Guide to Homeopathy: Symptoms and Natural Solutions; Andrew Lockie, 1993, 463 pages, ISBN 0-671-76771-2

Homeopathy: Medicine of the New Man: George Vithoulkas, 1992, 154 pages, ISBN 0-671-76328-8
A bit too philosophical for the layperson, but since George Vithoulkas is considered to be one of the most prominent homeopaths of our time, it represents a very important read for the serious student of homeopathy.  This is intended to be an introduction to homeopathy as well as his argument for homeopathy as the “medicine of the new man”.  A very vigorous discussion.

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