Page 61 - Spring2008

All Thumbs Book Reviews

The Fertility Diet wilting ovaries, I began a physical and emotional
By Jorge E.Chavarro, MD, ScD, overhaul with radical changes in my diet and
and Walter C. Willett, MD, DrPH rigorous self-examination.
McGraw Hill, 2007 Sailing past the siren songs of sugar and
caffeine was not easy, but just eight months later

When I first read about the “breakthrough” I received the sweetest of rewards: a positive
book based on the “startling” new research from pregnancy test that was the early announcement
the Nurses Health Study, I thought, fi nally, after of the arrival of a healthy baby girl. My most
13 years of teaching workshops on the link be- important discovery was that I could actually
tween fertility and food as one aspect of reclaim- change my life through daily practice and loving
ing our hormonal health, here is a Harvard team discipline.
validating my work. Then, when my copy arrived Though some of the discussion in The Fer-
and I began reading, I realized how lucky I was tility Diet, namely the idea of replacing low fat
that The Fertility Diet had not been published foods with their whole fat counterparts, is unde-
at the time of my own diagnosis 16 years ago. niably a step in the right direction, for the reader Non-

Otherwise I, too, might have been tempted to who has not done extensive prior research many fermented
follow it. And that would’ve been a mistake. of the suggestions can be highly misleading. soy products
In 1992, I was in desperate search of a Consider this statement: “It has been hard
miracle cure for my furiously rising hormone to keep up with the fortunes of soy over the last have been

levels which—according to a well-documented decade. . . ” followed by “don’t turn up your nose linked with
study—reduced my remaining childbearing at tofu. . . or ignore soy milk. . . ” If you’re going impaired
years to zero. At the time I was eating close to to write a book entitled The Fertility Diet, you
the recommendations of The Fertility Diet: lots might care to do what it takes to keep up with the thyroid
of tofu, brown rice, an afternoon cappuccino fortunes of soy. Women with irregular ovulation function—not
pick-me-up, followed by a scoop of Ben & Jerry’s might, in fact, do best to turn up their noses at a desirable
ice cream, and an occasional glass of wine. Yet tofu and soy milk. Soy products have been linked
there I was, at 42, entering premature menopause with impaired thyroid function—not a desirable condition for
with several endocrinologists proclaiming my condition for an aspiring mom. an aspiring
“ovulatory infertility” to be beyond repair. Here is another equally troubling invitation: mom.
One day, in a last-ditch effort to prop up my “Drink coffee. . . and alcohol in moderation. . .

EARTHLY BODIES AND HEAVENLY HAIR: NATURAL AND HEALTHY PERSONAL CARE FOR EVERY BODY

Regular reports of toxic ingredients in personal care products from lip stick to baby lotion make it clear that the body
care industry is not to be trusted. Skin is a perfect absorber of much that is slathered on it, and many noxious ingredients
can directly enter the bloodstream to cause harm. The healthy solution is to stop purchasing these products and consider
making your own. Master herbalist and New York WAPF chapter leader, Dina Falconi, has created this compendium of
over 450 body care recipes with the whole family in mind. Encyclopedic in range, Dina’s book covers all aspects of body
care: face, hair and scalp, feet and hands, teeth and gums. There is helpful commentary on adjusting her formulas for the
special needs of men, women, children, teens and elders, as well as on natural first-aid. The recipes offer a wide range of
variations, from the simplest to more complicated procedures involving aromatic and medicinal herbal infusions, tinctures,
salves and creams. Throughout, Dina emphasizes the fact that these products are intended to nourish, heal and provide
sensual pleasure rather than mask or cover-up “imperfections.” A most comprehensive guide for holistic body care formulas,
this book truly has something for every body. Available from amazon.com and other sources.

SPRING 2008 Wise Traditions 61