Review of Inconceivable: A Woman's Triumph over Despair and Statistics (Paperback)

Far from adopting the attitude that "all infertility doctors are jerks and out to take their patients' money" as one reviewer asserts, Indichova sought alternatives when her doctors gave her no hope of conceiving with her own eggs.In conjunction with adopting a myriad of lifestyle, dietary and other changes, Indichova continued to periodically assess her medical condition with conventional Western doctors.In fact, if this reviewer had really read the book carefully, he/she would have remembered that Indichova had an appointment with yet another RE to discuss the viability of an ART procedure based her decreasing FSH levels on the day that she learned she had beat the odds and conceived her much-wanted second child!

Some of the reviewers seem to have a negative attitude about anything that doesn't fall within the strictures of conventional Western medicine and thereby assign the corrollary attitude (incorrectly!) to Indichova (that she is into "hocus pocus" and "wacko" stuff and disparages Western medicine (she does not).

I will agree with the reviewers who've noted that this may be a tough book to swallow for those infertility patients who are struggling with primary infertility *and* have never conceived any children.Indichova suffered secondary infertility, and until I emotionally reached the point where I desperately want a 2nd child (my first miracle baby was IVF 3 years ago), I too would have had little sympathy for someone in Indichova's position.My perspective now is definitely different, but women who've never conceived any children should be forewarned of Indichova's situation.

I've been diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve, and though my FSH numbers aren't high, I've been largely written off as a lost cause by Western medicine.I have found new hope and inspiration in reading Indichova's story, and I'm grateful that she wrote this wonderful account. I'm certainly willing to give some or most of her ideas a try!I've adopted many of her suggestions over the last few weeks and I already feel better, regardless of whether my body is producing a good egg this cycle.True that she has no scientific backup to support what she did ... maybe all those dietary and lifestyle changes did absolutely nothing toward her second pregnancy.But maybe they did.Maybe they did.

This review has been edited in June 2003 to say that I am now 12 weeks pregnant with my 2nd child, conceiving 3 months after I adopted many of Indichova's suggested dietary and lifestyle changes.Thanks for the inspiration!

Product Description
A memoir of hope for the thousands of women struggling with infertility, from one who beat the odds by simply tuning in to her body and tapping her well of sheer determination.

At a time when more and more women are trying to get pregnant at increasingly advanced ages, fertility specialists and homeopathic researchers boast endless treatment options. But when Julia Indichova made the rounds of medical doctors and nontraditional healers, she was still unable to conceive a child. It was only when she forsook their financially and emotionally draining advice, turning inward instead, that she finally met with reproductive success. Inconceivable recounts this journey from hopeless diagnoses to elated motherhood.

Anyone who has faced infertility will relate to Julia's desperate measures: acupuncture, unidentifiable black-and-white pellets, herb soup, foul-smellingfruit, even making love on red sheets. Five reproductive endocrinologists told her that there was no documented case of anyone in her hormonal condition getting pregnant, forcing her to finally embark on her own intuitive regimen. After eight caffeine-free, nutrient-rich, yoga-laden months, complemented by visualization exercises, Julia received amazing news; incredibly, she was pregnant. Nine months later she gave birth to a healthy girl.

Unlike the many infertility books that take a clinical "how to" approach, Inconceivable simply professes the wisdom of giving expert status back to the patient. Julia's self-discovery, and her ability to see her body as an ally once again, yield a beautiful message about the importance of honoring the body's innate powers, and the power of life itself.

About the Author
JULIA INDICHOVA leads support groups in New York City and teaches workshops across the country for the American Infertility Association, Resolve, and The Learning Annex.Her website, fertileheart.com, averages 90,000 hits per month.She is the director of the Fertile Heart Learning Center in Woodstock, New York, where she lives with her husband and two children.



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Review of Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane) (Paperback)

I hate reading anything that makes me feel anxious and initially this book sat on the shelf for weeks before I actually picked it up.I was so glad I did because there is such valuable information in here and I actually feel better about my child's safety than I did before.

Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe and Parents Sane is about how to teach your child to trust her instincts when it comes to safety.Since 90% of child abuse and abductions occur by people well-known to your child, teaching her to talk to strangers just doesn't work.Instead, the author gives you detailed and logical steps to take, starting as early as toddlerhood, so you'll know how to help your child learn to follow her instincive feelings about whether someone is safe or not.

Crucial information about how to be prepared for (God forbid but we should all be prepared just in case) the event that your child may be seperated from you in public.Examples include making a daily detailed mental note of the clothing your child is wearing, keeping large photocopies of your child's picture and name in your purse/wallet so you can hand them out to security personel within seconds of your child's disappearance and an action plan for immediate implementation.

There is SO much in this book - every bit of it worth reading so you can protect your child - and I can't recommend it strongly enough.Read it NOW and be prepared.



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Review of The Mission of Motherhood: Touching Your Child's Heart for Eternity (Paperback)

I feel this book is a must read for any mom!I've read several parenting books, many of which focused on the area of discipline. This book was an awesome balance, because it focuses more on demonstrating love to your children, giving practical ways in order to do this.For example, in one chapter she talks about getting up early every so often and running to the store to pick up her family's favorite fancy danishes for breakfast, or taking the time to give your child a backrub or foot massage.They sound like obvious ideas, but I have to admit I've never done them.The days get busy, and I don't think about doing something like that.
She also gave me ideas to make my home more inviting and cozy for my children. Examples include using candles, nice music, etc. These are all things that I have and think about when company comes over, but don't necessarily think about doing for my own family.
Overall, this book just reminded me of the importance of showing your children how much you just love being with them, and ways to keep them close to you and your husband.



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Review of The Complete Home Organizer (Paperback)

After reading this book from cover to cover aproximately 1 year ago.... I was inspired to start my own professional organizing business. The tips, questions lists and reccommendations are how I conduct my eval's of aclients home when attempting to get them organized.On a more personallevel... I have used this book to organize my home and IT WORKS!Theauthor has been so gracious on several occasions to talk with me about mybusiness and has generously given non-failing advice on how to improve it.I highly reccommend this book to anyone wanting to get organized. Italso makes a great gift to clients upon completion of their organizingprojects.

Product Description
This volume includes space planning and storage suggestions for each room of the house, emphasizing functionality and easy access to needed items.

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Review of Tales From Rhapsody Home : Or, What They Don't Tell You About Senior Living (Hardcover)

Odds are this is the best book by a nonagenarian you are likely to read this year. Gould, a Down East Yankee and columnist for the Christian Science Monitor since 1942, offers a collection of short commentaries from an assisted living center. The book isn't simply a humorous indictment of the foibles and peculiarities of life in a retirement home (though there is plenty of that, from comments about food to the saga of the unopenable window and the familiar refrain "There is nothing to be done about it"). The author ranges across all his 92 years to draw on memories of doctors, raising bees with his Grandfather, and the perfect tomato.

This is a great book for reading out loud, my wife and I found -- the sentences tend to be short and simple, belying the emotional nuances and complexity of the thoughts underneath. The author is not a simple, genteel sort, despite the appearance of his prose. There are passages on the joys of farting humor, reproductions of the light verse with which he lampooned the failures of the management (these never survived more than three minutes on the bulletin board because they "offended the staff"), and a truly fierce (but nevertheless funny) indictment of the insurance industry.

Think of this book as Robert Fulghum in a retirement home and you'll be close to it.

Product Description
Down East Yankee John Gould, age ninety-two, has spent most of the last century observing and writing about the human condition. Now he presents a whole new perspective on life as he leads us into the brave new world of the assisted-living facility. Charming, sarcastic, despairing, flip, taciturn, erudite, and altogether wonderful--with a razor sharp wit and a knack for turning a phrase--Mr. Gould is an American original and a perfect tour guide. Whether he's complaining to management about his apartment windows that don't open or socializing with the other "inmates" at happy hour;whether wondering why they put a napkin over the stone-cold bread at dinner or taking comfort in the memories ("making do with the reruns") of his loving and eccentric collection of old friends and colleagues from Maine, Mr. Gould proves that you can write a funny book about a serious subject, namely, how we treat our elderly.



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Review of The Teenage Body Book (Paperback)

This book is incredible!I am 40 years old and know this book quite well. As a pre-teen, this book was a gift from my best friend's mom. I learned many things through this book that my mom had a hard time explaining.This book made it easy for me to explain topics to my own daughter (who is now 21) and who felt freely to talk to me about any subject, and still does.This book I passed to my daughter who remembers reading it as a pre-teen.We reference things in the book today since i have a step-daughter who is a pre-teen.I will now purchase a book for her very own.To the moms out there, do yourself and your child a favor and purchase this book.It is a great reference for the both of you.

Product Description
The award-winning guide, now fully updated--everything every teenager (and parent of a teenager) needs to know about nutrition, health, fitness, emotions, and sexuality.

This is the essential handbook for honest, forthright, up-to-date advice in dealing with every dilemma, doubt, and possibility facing teenagers at the threshold of the new century--including: *Overcoming "body image" anxiety *Drugs, drinking, smoking, and peer pressure *Sexual orientation and teenagers *Coping with depression, anxiety, and stress *Teen pregnancy, birth control, and parenthood *Sexually transmitted diseases *The latest information on fad diets, sports medicine, and medical advances *How to findconfidential and effective crisis counseling *The best websites for teens, and more

*Completely revised and updated
*Cyber-appendix provides e-mail addresses and websites of valuable sources
*Includes new sections on alternative medicines and therapies, and important new discoveries about ethnic differences in physical development
*Offers new "QuickScan" feature to highlight important informative facts, plus easy-to-access reference charts, treatments, action plans, and more
*The authors are experts in the field of health issues and young adults
*Illustrated throughout

About the Author
Kathy McCoy, Ph.D., is an award-winning author of eleven books, apsychotherapist, and Coordinator of the Clinical Ph.D. Program at the California School of Professional Psychology in Los Angeles. A former editor for 'Teen, Dr. McCoy has written hundreds of articles for such publications as Redbook, Readers' Digest, The New York Times, Family Circle, Glamour, and Ladies Home Journal. An online expert specializing in adolescent psychology, she has made numerous appearances on "The Today Show," "The Oprah Winfrey Show," "Hour Magazine," "Sally Jessy Raphael," and "Home and Family."

Charles Wibbelsman, M.D., is an award-winning author and former "Dear Doctor" columnist for Teen magazine. Chair of Adolescent Medicine for the Permanente Medical Group, Northern California, he is chief of the Teen-Age Clinic at Kaiser Permanente Medical Center in San Francisco, and an associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco Medical School. Dr. Wibbelsman is the news anchor for a Bay Area television series, "Medicine in the Nineties," and is an online expert specializing in adolescent health.

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Review of Mary Ellen's Complete Home Reference Book (Paperback)

I received this book as a wedding gift, and have found it to be an invaluable reference tool in my life as a homemaker.Any question about how to clean ANYTHING can be answered with this book.The author includes recipes for homemade cleaning solutions that REALLY work, as well as tipsfor "frugal" living and ecological conservation.Illustrateddrawings help teach how to "fix" things that the husband keepspromising he will and never seems to get around to doing.Everyone shouldhave a copy of this book in their home!

Product Description
All the information you need to purchase, maintain, and clean everything you own--now in paperback! "Answers almost every household question you could imagine.--Salt Lake Tribune 50 black-and-white photographs.



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