Guest Author - Alegra Bartzat

In Ageless, Somers details everything there is to know about bio-identical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT). This differs from conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) because conventional hormone replacement therapy uses synthetic drugs that are slightly biologically different than the naturally occurring hormones in the human body. She uses personal accounts, informative prose, and interviews with doctors to get this information across. The variety of approaches helps explain things in various ways to more fully understand the concepts, and also add variety to the read.

This book is aimed at the demographic of middle-aged people, especially women, who are eligible for hormone replacement therapy. The book is essential for those who are considering hormone replacement therapy. Somers sings the praises of BHRT over and over again in this book.

The book is a useful tool, even for those who are not into middle age and considering hormone replacement therapy. Somers outlines and explains the function of every major hormone in the body and most of the minors as well, including adrenaline, insulin, human growth hormone, cortisol, melatonin, estrogen, progesterone, testosterone, DHEA, and thyroid.

There are two main points being made in this book. First, Somers wants everyone to understand the importance of hormones in health. This is a complex part of human life, and she does a good job of outlining the functions of hormones to her readers. She uses the metaphor of an “orchestra” of hormones to explain how interwoven our hormones are, and how if one is out of tune, the whole orchestra will sound off. However, beyond this metaphor she does little explaining of how the orchestra actually interacts, and instead deals with each hormone individually. This is a fine approach as an introduction to endocrinology.

The second point is that Somers really wants everyone to know what a difference BHRT has made in her life. This book is almost a memoir of her personal health journey. This part of the book becomes repetitive, because she constantly praises how her life went from stressful to calm, unhappy to joyous, chaos to perfection, all because of BHRT.

Somers explains the difference between synthetic hormones and bio-identical hormones, and what affect the difference makes on your body. She clearly speaks out against the health hazards of taking synthetic hormones, whether for menopause or birth control. She describes many approaches to nutritional and herbal supplementation and makes recommendations for supplements to optimize health, though this is a minor part of the book. She explains many of the details of bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, such as the difference between a static does and rhythmic cycling, and why one might choose one or the other,

She frankly discusses the signs, symptoms and options of natural aging. Her choice is to take bio-identical hormones, and she clearly thinks this is the best option for a great life. This could be construed to be a dogmatic viewpoint, except that she uses very personal anecdotes to define why she has chosen this route. This differs from the clinical approach she uses to write about the options. There are two very different tones happening in this book at the same time. She is both informing readers about hormones and health, and telling her personal story of choosing BHRT and how this has improved her life. I applaud the clear distinction between these two approaches, because it allows readers to make the choice for themselves, even while she sings the praises of BRHT.

The book contains a useful and thorough glossary that defines the medical terms used throughout the book. The glossary explains hormones like cortisol (the primary stress hormone), diseases such as acromegaly (a disorder caused by chronic overproduction of growth hormone), anatomical terms like mucosa (mucous membranes of the body), and even just words that one might not be familiar with including quartile (a fourth of a whole). The glossary is heavy on hormones (for example prolactin), environmental toxins that affect hormone function (ever heard of phthalates?), and elements that affect hormones (both those used medicinally and those found as toxins in our environments, such as selenium and fluoride, respectively).

The book ends with a list of resources and then a bibliography. The resources give readers many options on where to find a doctor that specializes in bio-identical hormone replacement therapy, also known as anti-aging doctors. The list is given by state, although only 15 states are listed, plus a few in Canada. Websites, pharmacies, and hormone testing agencies are also listed, as well as natural beauty products.

Perhaps even more useful is the bibliography. This cites all the sources used to write this book, and offers the reader further reading suggestions. The books cover hormones, of course, and this is good because even though Somers discuss hormones through Ageless, the readers still leaves with a superficial understanding of the hormonal orchestra that Somers so often references. Further reading will help interested readers understand hormonal processes more thoroughly. Also to be found are books on natural pest control, clean water, sex and libido, menopause, diet, sleep, and general health practices.

Overall, the book is informative and easy to read, but repetitive.