Summary
When you have questions about your health, you want answers from a trustworthy source. In The Real Life Body Book , a Harvard ob-gyn has joined forces with a humor writer to explain the full range of health issues facing young women today. This comprehensive and authoritative guide focuses on whole body wellness and prevention, from the skin (acne, piercing, tattooing) and the head (mental health, hormones, stress) to the bones, heart, and stomach (diet and digestion), plus sex and reproductive wellness. If you're between the ages of twenty-one and thirty-five and you want the latest facts about your health in a language you can understand, The Real Life Body Book is the go-to resource for keeping your body healthy today and for the rest of your life.
Author Notes
Hope Ricciotti, MD, is a practicing clinician and associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology at Harvard Medical School. She has appeared on The Today Show , Good Morning America , and the Food Network. She writes a reproductive health blog at www.bewell.com and is a regular contributor to Oprah.com. Dr. Ricciotti is the author of four books on women's health and nutrition, and her writing has appeared in O, The Oprah Magazine ; Marie Claire ; Glamour ; Fit Pregnancy ; Pregnancy ; and Prevention . She lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Monique Doyle Spencer is a contributing columnist for the Boston Globe . Her work has also appeared in the International Herald Tribune and on the New York Times website. Spencer is the chair and founder of The Bucket Brigade, a volunteer-based group working in Southern Sudan, as well as the author of two books on cancer-related issues. She lives in Brookline, Massachusetts.
Booklist Review
Young women seeking straightforward answers to a broad range of health concerns will eagerly welcome this new resource, which falls somewhere in tone between the girlfriend approach of a women's magazine article and the earnest empowerment supplied by the classic go-to bible Our Bodies, Ourselves, by the Boston Women's Health Book Collective. Spencer, a journalist, and Ricciotti, a Harvard Medical School professor and practicing physician, combine their expertise in an approachable, extensive guide to high-interest health topics for younger women, from acne to stress to tattoo care to contraception. Diagrams, checklists, anecdotes, and boxes highlighting Real Life Facts enliven the casual text, which encourages readers to take ownership of their bodies as it provides a wealth of reliable information as well as reassurance in succinct, matter-of-fact answers: What is great sex? You both enjoyed it. That's it! One book can't cover everything, of course, and the authors' kitchen-sink approach makes for some odd organizational choices: information about athlete's foot, for example, is shoe-horned between sections on rape and organ donation. That's a small quibble, though, about a thorough, enlightening title that every young woman should have access to.--Engberg, Gillian Copyright 2010 Booklist
Excerpts
CHAPTER 13 stress and your body Does it stress you out to know that stress can kill you? You know the feeling. You have ten important things to do but time to do only one. Then one more thing gets added--meeting the boyfriend's family, going on a business trip when you hate flying, losing your wedding ring. Stress. Life is stressful. Sometimes even good things--a new partner, a new job, a vacation--can trigger stress. Of course, bad things--a failed test, the end of a relationship, losing a job--can worsen stress. So can wearing tight shoes all day. Too much stress can increase your risk for heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure, ulcers, colds, and PMS, just for starters. Even if it doesn't kill you, stress can definitely cause physical problems like headaches, upset stomach, diarrhea, back and neck pain, fatigue, and insomnia. Stress can also cause you to feel depressed, angry, and anxious, and it can affect relationships at home and at work. Believe it or not, a little stress is good for us. It keeps us striving and energetic. Studies show we are more motivated, more productive, and even happier when slightly stressed. But too much stress is not good, so let's take a look at what the biggest causes of stress are and review some tips on how to manage stress better. Before we start, remember that we're talking about lots of individual women here. Even if your particular stressors are different from my list, the tips for reducing stress and the damage it can do to you can work no matter what pushes your stress buttons. What's Stressing You Out? So what are the biggest causes of stress for women age twenty-one to thirty-five? For some women, it's career building. For others, it's starting a family. For many, it's not having enough time, being overextended, and not having a good work-life balance. However, the biggest stressor for women in this age group is relationships. Sound like an odd topic for a body book? Not when we're looking at your whole body. If relationships, good or bad, are causing you stress, there's a classic mind-body connection that's important to pay attention to. We know the impact that stress has on you and your organs! Stress and Other People Your family, friends, and partners create a core of happiness in your life. Every good relationship you have helps you relieve a ton of stress. But at some dark point in your life, you--like everyone else--are going to think "I hate people. I hate every single one of them." Since relationships are a major part of your life--and often your stress--we're going to look at some typical situations and the problems that other people sometimes cause. We're looking for stressors that you can change. And if you can't change them, we're looking for ways to stop the stress from damaging your health. Love, Lust, and Stress You have many relationships in your life, but I'm going to start with the one you're probably thinking about right now. Your boyfriend, your girlfriend--or whatever you call your partner--s/he brings joy and stress into your life just as you do his or hers! Here's your doctor's view. Today's world is complex, and relationships change all the time. We tend to settle down with a long-term partner a lot later in life than our parents did, so most of us are likely to be exposed to more than one sex partner. And that partner has probably been with someone other than just you. Not always, but usually. So as your doctor, I'm going to remind you to be aware of protection from disease and Excerpted from The Real Life Body Book: A Young Woman's Complete Guide to Health and Wellness by Hope Ricciotti, Monique Doyle Spencer All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.
