Moods, Emotions, and Aging

Despite the backlash against hormone replacement therapy, the depletion of natural hormones in the female body continues to be a problem for women at middle age and beyond. Remedying the problem has proved difficult for women and doctors who are unaware of, or reluctant to prescribe, bioidential hormones-those that match identically the hormones made naturally in the human body. Moods, Emotions, and Aging: Hormones and the Mind Body Connection explains the vital link for women between hormones, mood, and wellness. It outlines the dramatic hormonal shifts that women undergo in the years before menopause, and presents an approach to combining bioidentical hormone therapy with nutrients to achieve mood balance during midlife and beyond. Phyllis Bronson explains the differences between synthetic and bioidentical hormones, and offers vignettes of women who have used bioidentical hormones to help them deal with the changes that accompany natural hormone loss.
This is a groundbreaking book for general readers written by a scientist who is able to take the mystery and the hype out of the hormone controversy. It is intended to empower women, along with their doctors, to make better and more informed choices about their health and well-being as they approach a time in their lives when things can seem like they are spinning out of control. The link between hormones, mood, emotions, and overall wellbeing is a powerful one, and when women are aware of it, they can take steps to bring themselves into better balance physically and emotionally. Here, Bronson shows them how.

Phyllis J. Bronson, PhD, is a research scientist, biochemist, and clinician who has studied the biological impact of molecules on mood and emotion. Dr. Bronson has taught neuroscience and conducted hormonal research at the University of Denver, and has been a faculty member of the American Academy of Environmental Medicine and the International Society for Orthomolecular Medicine. She was a consultant at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris, and was on a task force studying women's mood issues in the military. Dr. Bronson lectures frequently throughout the country and her work has appeared in leading professional journals. She is now President of Biochemical Consulting Company and The Biochemical Research Foundation.

Preface and Introduction 1: In Defense of Estrogen 2: The Truth about Progesterone 3: Mood Chemistry 4: The Connection between Body Type and Hormones 5: Weaving the Web. How hormones are central to the female psyche 6: Sexuality 7: Relationships 8: Diseases of Aging/Adventures in Aging Appendix: How to Use Bioidentical Hormones