Recommended Reading: Dr. Christiane Northrup’s New Book on “The Secret Pleasures of Menopause”

When it comes to sage advice about menopause, Dr. Christiane Northrup is the queen bee.  Her book, The Wisdom of Menopause: Creating Physical and Emotional Health and Healing During the Change,” published two years ago, still tops Amazon’s list of more than 28,000 titles on the subject. Her new book, The Secret Pleasures of Menopause, set for release next week, already ranks at #11 on this list, and that’s before a publicity tour.

Dr. Northrup obviously fills a need for education about the physical changes women experience in mid-life and guidance for how to cope with them.  But I have to admit, I was skeptical about yet another book about Menopause from Dr. Northrup.  After several books and PBS specials on the subject, is there any ground left to cover?  And what pleasures of menopause can she possibly be referring to?

In Dr. Northrup’s view,  Menopause  can be the most pleasurable time of our lives due to the changes in our brain chemistry that make us more intuitive, more creative and perhaps even wiser as we age.  “Women are designed to be more in touch with what really matters to us after menopause,” she writes.

She also sees pleasure as a catalyst for good health. How? By ratcheting up the joy and pleasure in our lives (i.e. better sex, more bliss).  “Our brain and body is bathed in a constant supply of nitric oxide,”  she explains,  “an amazing molecule… that determines physical, emotional, spiritual and sexual wellness in menopausal women. It reboots your body, it’s the spark of life.”

So, how do we increase our levels of nitric oxide? With uplifting thoughts and positive thinking.  By taking pride in yourself. By understanding that sex and health go hand in hand.  By eating nutritious foods and getting plenty of exercise. By inviting pleasure into your life – all the time. By pampering yourself.  By thinking sexy, uplifting and loving thoughts about yourself and others every day. And by associating yourself only with positive people everywhere you can.

Dr. Northrup’s book offers up lots of advice and aphorisms about living a life that’s “in line with our true heart’s desires.” But it’s her in-depth explanation about nitric oxide and its effect on our well-being that makes her newest book worth reading.

What’s your opinion about Dr. Northrup’s new book? Feel free to post your own review in the comment section below.

A live online event with Dr. Northrup is scheduled on October 21st from 4pm to 6pm PDT. For information and tickets, click on the digital sign to the right of this blogpost.