Women's Health: Pregnancy, Breastfeeding, Holistic Health, Menopause

Articles:

Center For Women's Health. An article on pregnancy and nutrition

From About.com, two pages on nutrition and pregnancy: About.com

Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) also has a few things to say about pregnancy and nutrition:

Check out the article Vegetarian Pregancy and Breastfeeding

On Susun Weed's website, there are wise and practical articles on womens holistic health, some of the best I've read, on growing and harvesting nutritious weeds, fertility, PMS, menopause, and healthy bones. Here's one link: susunweedarticles And another, How To Make Infusions, and related topics. In the book section, see a review of one of Susun Weed's books, The Childbearing Year.

Books:

The Answer To Cancer - Is Never Giving It A Chance To Start, by Hari Sharma, M.D. & Rama K. Mishra, G.A.M.S. with James G. Meade, PH.D, Select Books, 2002. This is a book everyone should read, because it's informative, helpful, compassionate, and upbeat. Unlike most "must reads", Answer To Cancer is both wise and witty. James Meade's sense of humor is priceless, making a frightening subject easy to take. You can order it from Amazon.com and also read the reviews.

Becoming Vegetarian - The Complete Guide To Adopting A Healthy Vegetarian Diet, by Vesanto Melina, R.D., Brenda Davis, R.D., Victoria Harrison, R.D., Macmillan Canada 1994. Although it was published in 1994, this book is still completely relevant. It's a book I'd feel compelled to write if they hadn't already.

The main focus is vegetarian nutrition, but there's a good introductory chapter, "What is a Vegetarian?", another chapter on how to shop vegetarian, one on vegetarian diplomacy, and a few recipes in the final chapter.

I would have liked to see more chapters on making the vegetarian transition, including cooking and social adaptation, because those are the hard parts. But hey, that's what Savvy Vegetarian is for! You can order this book from: Amazon.com

The Bone Density Diet, 6 Weeks to a Strong Body and Mind, by George J. Kessler, D.O., P.C. with Colleen Kapklein, Ballantyne Books 2000. This book on preventing and overcoming osteoporosis is written by A Man, and I suspect he may have had some incentive to recommend HRT. However, there is enough excellent material on the alternatives to make it worthwhile.

Kessler tells you how osteoporosis, which afflicts most elderly N. American women, and a significant percentage of men, can be completely prevented, and reversed at any age, largely through diet and exercise. He recommends a diet that is easily adapted to vegetarianism. You can read the reviews and order the book from: Amazon.com

The Childbearing Year, by Susun Weed: In the 9.03 issue of Savvy Vegetarian News, check the complete review, a wonderful herbal primer for pregancy and lactation. You'll find invaluable information on herbal tonics for fertility, for prevention of pregnancy, postpartum recovery, and breastfeeding. I wish I'd had it when I was twenty.

The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding: The La Leche League bible of breastfeeding. You can do nothing better for you and your baby, so if you're expecting, you can't go wrong with this book. Then find a local chapter of La Leche League to join. Look under the Our Own section of their catalogue index: https://www.lalecheleague.org/Web_store/web_store.cgi

Your Vegetarian Pregnancy, by Holly Roberts, mother, vegetarian and obstetrician: Here's a link to an editorial review for a book that I haven't read, but which sounds excellent, and affordable:
Amazon.com

Magazines:

Mothering Magazine: http://www.mothering.com Articles, news, discussion board. We get this at our excellent local library, but it's worth subscribing. For a table of contents of the current news stand issue, click on the cover picture. The online version is interesting, and there is a discussion board, but the hard copy has much more scope and depth.

Yoga Journal: http://www.yogajournal.comThe practice of yoga is a powerful aid to all aspects of health, no matter what your level of expertise. I don't live in the same universe as the breathtakingly fit yoga adepts in Yoga Journal, but there are always useful tidbits to apply to my yoga practice, laughable as it may be. And the magazine appears to be pitched primarily to women.

Products:

• Earth Friendly Baby - we've used earth friendly baby products for my granddaughter. They have the best diaper rash ointment I've ever seen, but all the products are great. Go to: Earth Friendly Baby
• MAPI (Maharishi Ayurvedic Products Inc.) - Ayurvedic herbal products, aroma oils, toiletries etc. Our family has used these products for nearly twenty years - they are consistently high quality, very effective and reliable. There are numerous products that are especially useful for women. The site has lots of ayurvedic information, newsletters, etc. Go to: http://www.mapi.com
• Rainbow Light - the complete pre-natal vitamin complex is highly spoken of by the expectant mothers I know, including my daughter. Some Moms find the spirulina or something affects their tender tummies. I recommend the tablets only, not the powdered form, which mixes poorly and doesn't dissolve at all. Go to: http://www.rainbowlight.com
• Tender Care - environmentally friendly disposable diapers, if there is such a thing. Non-toxic to babies, anyway. Cloth dipers are better for babies than disposable, but perhaps not for the person who has to rinse, wash and maybe fold them. You know how in primitive societies, babies seem to run around outside without diapers - I've always thought that was an excellent idea. Go to: http://www.tushies.com

Links:

Natural Mom: One of the links on Jane's Breastfeeding Resources. Check out their award winning sites, and articles by well-known herbalist, Susan Weed. http://www.naturalmom.com/index.htm

Jane's Breastfeeding Resources: U.K. site. An excellent site, comprehensive and well-organized. Articles, links, FAQ's, forum. Has a warm, supportive, down-to-earth tone. http://www.breastfeeding.co.uk/index.html

La Leche League International: http://www.lalecheleague.org/bfinfo.html Part of La Leche League International's site. An extremely comprehensive breastfeeding support site.

Health & Yoga: Free yoga exercises for pregnancy, due date calculator, pregnancy diet, books. http://www.healthandyoga.com

The Osteoporosis Education Project: http://www.betterbones.com/index.htm A tax-exempt, non-profit research and education organization dedicated a holistic rethinking of osteoporosis. The research indicates that there are many factors contributing to bone health as part of individual's complete health profile, and that reduced estrogen, lower bone density, and lower calcium intake don't necessarily mean you will have osteoporosis.

Vegetarian Society of the U.K. - a free membership site where you can get vegetarian nutrition info, and find out about the vegetarian scene in Europe.http://www.vegsoc.org

USDA. Free search for the nutrient content of most any food, either simple, as in cheese, or by brand name, as in Kraft Macaroni & Cheese http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/nut_search.pl

Herbs as Medicine - glossaries, books, links to a wide variety of sites. http://www.egregore.com

A Modern Herbal: herbal experts including Susan Weed, products from Mountain Rose Herbs, lots of links. http://www.botanical.com

Cholesterol: I was looking for information, and came across this page, which answered most of my questions American Heart Association

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