Suzanne Somers - Ageless: The Naked Truth About Bioidentical Hormones

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This book contains general information and is not intended to be, nor should be, used as a substitute for specific medical advice.

Copyright 2006 by Suzanne Somers
Foreword copyright 2006 by Michael Galitzer, M. D.

All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Crown Publishers, an imprint of the
Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York.
www.crownpublishing.com

Crown is a trademark and the Crown colophon is a registered trademark of Random House, Inc.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Somers, Suzanne, 1946
Ageless : the naked truth about bioidentical hormones / Suzanne Somers.1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
1. Longevity. 2. MenopauseHormone therapy. 3. Middle-aged women
Health and hygiene. 4. Middle-aged menHealth and hygiene. I. Title.
RA776.75.S68 2006
618.175dc22 2006020962
eISBN: 978-0-307-38321-1

v3.1

To my granddaughters,
Camelia, Daisy, and Violet
This is for you

When the time comes
this passage will be easier

And for my grandsons,
you, too, will have
an easier time of it

W RITING THIS BOOK was like getting my PhD with the worlds greatest professors. What a thrill. Obtaining this cutting-edge information has been empowering. Understanding how our bodies work allows each of us to make better choices for a longer, healthier life. I am deeply indebted to all the people and professionals who gave me their time and knowledge.

First of all, my editors. Kristin Kiser, Editorial Director for Crown Publishers, has guided me through eleven books to date. As usual, her advice, enthusiasm, and steering of this project were superb. She never bugs me, just gently prods.

Maggie Greenwood Robinson, my editor, was excellent at shuffling this vast array of information. I am very grateful for your assistance.

Marsha Yanchuck, my assistant of thirty years, devoted excellent work to the resources and bibliography. Thank you for the hours spent putting this together for me, and for making sure I came off grammatically correct.

My new agent, David Vigliano: I look forward to years of working together.

Marc Chamlin (The Closer), my lawyer for the last eleven booksI couldnt get it going without you.

Sandi Mendelson, my publicist, has chosen to carry on under the most adverse conditions and continues to excel. I thank you and admire you.

Caroline Somers, my daughter-in-law and ace. After the book was written, it was Caroline who helped me write and hone the introduction.

Bruce Somers, my son, gave me his usual excellent insight in his interview on periandropause.

Thanks to Gloria, for her honesty; Wendy Fitzgerald, for her candor and appreciation of her new healthy life; and Larry G., for the remarkable turnaround in his health (and for the compliments).

And now, the doctorseach one of them amazing people doing the most incredible work to thwart the onslaught of the environment and the devastating and misunderstood passage of hormone loss.

Dr. Michael Galitzer, my doctor and friend, thanks for writing the foreword and for your dedication to health and wellness and energy.

Dr. Larry Webster continually supplied me with cutting-edge information and spent hours working on the glossary. I am deeply appreciative.

Thank you to Dr. Eugene Shippen, for his passion; Dr. Julie Taguchi, for her bravery; Dr. Marc Darrow, for his intelligence; Dr. Joe Filbeck, for his incredible work; Dr. Prudence Hall, for her dedication; Dr. Herb Slavin, for his savvy; Dr. Randy Randolph, for his caring; Dr. Erika Schwartz, for her insight; Dr. Daniela Paunesky, for her passion and sincerity; Dr. Philip Lee Miller, for his breakthrough work; Dr. Robert Greene, for his dedication and passion; Dr. Paul Savage, for his amazing comprehension; Dr. Gordon Reynolds, for his wisdom; Dr. Ron Rothenberg, for his cutting-edge understanding; and Dr. Peter Hanson, my friend and teacher.

Thanks to Julie Carmen, who has brought me into the beautiful world of yoga, and special thanks to Paul Schulick, master herbalist and dear friend.

Thank you to Jeff Katz and his team. What a cover! Every time we work together it gets better and better. I never thought you could top the last one, but you did. You know you are my favorite photographer.

And Jeffs team: Stuart Gow, Gabriel Hutchison, and Andrew Strauss.

A huge thank you to T. S. Wiley, who gave and gave and gave. Its been a crash course in molecular biology and a real eye-opener. The bonus is that along the way we became friends.

Special thanks to Dr. Joe Sugarman and Dr. Soram Khalsa.

Thanks to Julie Turkel in my officeyou are the best. And to Lindsay Orman, Kristin Kisers assistant.

And then theres Mooney my darling friend and hairdresser and fellow health-crazed person. You are so special to me.

Barbara Farman, my makeup artist, who took a very tired Suzanne and put life back into her face.

Laurie Baer and Claire Harbo for your stylingits always the perfect rose.

And Brently Lemons, my computer guy, for helping me make sense of Word.

My team at Crown, for the past thirteen books. What a fantastic group to work with. Most of all, I cherish the laughs we have had together along the way. This is an amazing relationship. You are all wonderful: Jenny Frost, President and Publisher; Steve Ross, Publisher; Philip Patrick, Director of Marketing; Tina Constable, Executive Director of Publicity; and Tammy Blake, Director of Publicity. And to the behind-the-scenes team, who have been with me on many books and are invaluable: Amy Boorstein, Managing Editor; Camille Smith, Production Editor; Leta Evanthes, Production Supervisor; Lauren Dong, Interior Designer; and Dan Rembert, Jacket Designer.

Thanks also to Sona Vogel, my fantastic copy editor, who has an awesome grasp of structure and flow.

And last but never least, thanks to my husband, Alan Hamel, who is supportive, enthusiastic, and a true visionary, who loves me and thinks I am wonderful. With that kind of support, I feel I am capable of anything. I love you with all my heart.

D O YOU REALIZE that the only time in our lives when we like to get old is when were kids? If youre less than ten years old, youre so excited about aging that you think in fractions.

How old are you? Im four and a half! Youre never thirty-six and a half. Youre four and a half going on five! Thats the key.

You get into your teens; now they cant hold you back. You jump to the next number or even a few weeks ahead.

How old are you? Im gonna be sixteen! You could be thirteen, but hey, youre gonna be sixteen! And the greatest day of your life you become twenty-one. Even the words sound like a ceremony: You