Shawn Tassone - The Hormone Balance Bible: A Holistic Plan to Create Lifelong Health

The thyroid also produces a hormone called calcitonin, which helps regulate the amount of calcium circulating in the blood.

If you are experiencing vaginal dryness, you may consider applying coconut oil directly to the vulva. This can help with lubrication in the short and longer term.

Whenever possible, seek out organic and wild-caught options, as these tend to contain higher levels of various nutrients, including iodine.

I recommend seeking out organic, cage-free dairy options whenever possible, as these tend to be more nutrient-dense.

A book is the culmination of so many ideas and people. This book is no exception, and without the help of many different people who embodied certain strengths, it would never have come to be. Keeping with the theme of archetypes, I am thanking the people below with their corresponding archetype and how they have been a part of my life in bringing this book into existence.

Karen (Tassone) Hvizda (The Mother)She is literally the mother of my life and the reason you are holding this book. Without her struggles, I would not be the physician I have become. I hope she is proud.

Carrie Thornton (The Visionary)President and Editorial Director at Harper Dey Street. She is the one who could see the book for what it is and what it will be. Her guidance is immeasurable.

Scott Hoffman (The Creator)The man who met me as a stranger and decided this book needed to happen. My literary agent and now friend, this is what youve helped create.

Dado Derviskadic (The Expert)Literary agent at Folio who was a major force behind the proposal. My coach, my sounding board, and friend.

Nancy Hancock (The Alchemist)So many times you have taken the ore that is this book and turned it into gold. This book is because of you on so many levels.

Kelly McNamara (The Storyteller)The one who sat on the phone with me for endless hours getting the stories out of my head and onto paper.

Nat Kringoudis (The Best Friend)You embody all the friends into one and youve been there from the beginning and your light always illuminates the darkness.

J. J. Virgin (The Godmother)Its been nineteen years since I had an Earthly mother, and you filled that energetic role and so many others, its hard to place them all. You are a protector and visionary.

Karl Krummenacher (The Integrator)This man can turn water into wine and on countless occasions simply was there and kept me going. He transformed not only my business, but my life.

Jessica Sindler (The Organizer)You change what you see and what we cant. With your help and keen eye, this book has become a force.

Ivy McFadden (The Reformer)A true editor and leader bringing this book as close to perfection as possible.

Hannah, Hunter, Angelo, and Anthony (The Children)You are why I do what I do.

Wayne Tassone (The Dad)My dad, always supporting me, and you may not think it, but you are my role model.

Ed Hvizda (The Stepdad)You were always there for me and Mom, and for that I will be forever grateful.

Mary Agnes Antonopoulos (The Networker)You introduced me to Scott, my agent, for an impromptu dinner, and that meeting set this all into motion.

Jerry Bailey (The Jester)You keep me laughing and continue to show me how to assume the best in people.

Anthony Youn (The Renaissance Man)Physician, marketer, father, husband, dog-lover, and you are unabashedly you. Thanks for being a leader in my life.

My Patients (The Reasons)Tens of thousands of reasons for me to be here and this book to have a place.

To all my friends in the Mindshare and Mastermind communities, who are too numerous to count, you all have made me the human I am today, and I appreciate your love and support over the last four years of this project.

SHAWN TASSONE, MD, PhD , is Americas Holistic Gynecologist and is certified by both the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the American Board of Integrative Medicine. He holds a medical degree, in addition to a PhD in mind-body medicine, and has taught at Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com .

Australia

HarperCollins Publishers Australia Pty. Ltd.

Level 13, 201 Elizabeth Street

Sydney, NSW 2000, Australia

www.harpercollins.com.au

Canada

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd

Bay Adelaide Centre, East Tower

22 Adelaide Street West, 41st Floor

Toronto, Ontario, M5H 4E3

www.harpercollins.ca

India

HarperCollins India

A 75, Sector 57

Noida

Uttar Pradesh 201 301

www.harpercollins.co.in

New Zealand

HarperCollins Publishers New Zealand

Unit D1, 63 Apollo Drive

Rosedale 0632

Auckland, New Zealand

www.harpercollins.co.nz

United Kingdom

HarperCollins Publishers Ltd.

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF, UK

www.harpercollins.co.uk

United States

HarperCollins Publishers Inc.

195 Broadway

New York, NY 10007

www.harpercollins.com

I n the , I told you a bit about my mother and the health issues she was going through during my snarky teen years. But that certainly isnt the whole story. In many ways, my mother was an inspiration to me. We were a family of three (counting my stepfather), so we were exceptionally close. I knew from a young age that I wanted to practice medicine. I understood early on that getting to the root cause of a problem could help you more easily solve it. Watching my mother suffer made me determined to find answers. Once I was in medical school, I chose to specialize in obstetrics and gynecology in large part because of the ongoing health challenges my mother faced. When I was a second-year resident, my mother was having pain in her right side, which turned out to be ovarian cancer. As she battled cancer, I watched as the disease and the treatments took a collective toll on her body, and I recall feeling distinctly that I couldnt help her and wanted more: As a son, I wanted more time with my mother. As a physician, I wanted more treatment options, more information about what was happening to her, and more possibilities . Over the course of her treatments, my mothers hair fell out, she couldnt sleep, her joints ached, she was weak, and she was in constant pain. Her battle continued until she eventually entered hospice care, slipped into a coma, and passed away. I was emotionally devastated, and I also found myself discouraged by the limitations of what Western medicine had been able to offer her.

My medical training and career took shape during my mothers health struggles, and what I went through with my mother indelibly affected the way I practice medicine and care for my patients today. Early on in my career, I made two enduring commitments that continue to guide my work as a physician. First, I made a firm commitment that I would never allow myself to be as limited in my treatment of patients as a doctor as I felt throughout my mothers health struggles. I knew there had to be more options and more that could be done to ease suffering, find solutions, and heal.

The second commitment I made came after my mothers death, as I became profoundly aware that she wasas we all areso much more than the body that encased her being. This led me to the realization that there is so much more to health than traditional medical interventions allow for. And so I committed to pushing the boundaries of traditional Western medicine and to learning everything I possibly could about the way the mind, body, and spirit work together to determine our health, and whether we are just surviving or thriving.