Women’s stories

“Within just four months, I’m almost back to my ‘old self’...”

Carly was at her wits’ end because of her symptoms. She had tried acupuncture and a naturopath, but her pain, panic attacks, depression, and IBS only got worse. In desperation she turned to conventional medicine, only to be told her tests were “normal” and that she needed antidepressants. After contacting our Help Desk, Carly recognized she was in perimenopause, at 48. So she started her Personal Program, and within a matter of months of following it carefully felt so great she just had to write us.

“Women to Women, you’re a lifesaver! I’d been sick, depressed, in pain, and practically unable to function, but now, within just four months, I’m almost back to my ‘old self’ — which I haven’t experienced in years!

“Prior to contacting your Program, I had been to an acupuncturist and a natural health practitioner since I’d been suffering with pain in my right lower side and right upper chest for over a year. Some days it was so bad I had to stay in bed. I was also bloated, depressed and gaining weight uncontrollably. To my surprise, neither of them could tell me what was wrong, and the treatments and herbal remedies they suggested made me feel worse.

“Soon afterward I started feeling lightheaded, with nausea and heart palpitations that sent me to the emergency room. I prefer natural medicine, but the hospital episode scared me, so I went to a conventional doctor to see if they could give me some definitive answers. I had every kind of test imaginable. ‘Nothing is wrong with you,’ they said after two months of testing. ‘On paper, you’re perfectly healthy.’ So they put me on beta blockers for my heart palpitations and suggested Zoloft to ‘calm my nerves.’

“I refused the Zoloft, but by then I was a physical and emotional mess. Nothing was wrong with me, yet I kept getting worse. I started having panic attacks, night sweats, and IBS symptoms. I was referred to a gastroenterologist who barely examined me, then suggested a colonoscopy. Once again everything was ‘normal,’ they told me. ‘You’ll have to go on antidepressants — especially since you’re an artist and, well, you know how artists are!” I was also told, ‘You have a chemical in your brain that’s making you depressed and causing your IBS symptoms. If you don’t take the antidepressants, your mind will destroy your body.’ I literally ran out of that office! Thankfully, I still had the presence of mind to refuse the antidepressants. But my condition continued to worsen. I was in bed most days. I was scared — and at my wits’ end, since I had tried both holistic and conventional medicine and no one could help me.

“Then someone suggested a marvelous book, The Wisdom of Menopause, by Christiane Northrup, MD. I recognized my symptoms from the testimonials in the book! Me? Menopause? At 48? That’s where I learned about perimenopause and the havoc that unbalanced hormones can wreak. And in that book I discovered Women to Women. I called your Help Desk immediately and spoke to one of your advisors who actually listened and understood my symptoms. I felt so relieved! She was not at all surprised by my physical problems, and she actually took the time to ask me the right questions, to get my background prior to making an assessment.

“‘Your adrenals are shot, and your hormones are out of balance. You’ve stressed out your system, you haven’t been eating properly, and you’re in perimenopause,’ she said. She suggested I try the Personal Program for a month, risk-free. (That was the first time anyone had suggested a money-back guarantee!) I somehow felt that this was the right thing to do, so I ordered the Personal Program.

“I followed my Program to the letter, and within two weeks noticed a ‘shift’ in my body — like it was becoming stronger from the inside out. Within a month I was able to discontinue my beta blocker, and my symptoms continued to improve gradually. Two months later I was a lot better, but some symptoms still remained, and the original pain in my lower right side was getting more pronounced. I would have been lost had you not sent a letter around this time, suggesting I contact the nurse if I continued to have problems.

“I was fortunate to schedule a telephone appointment with one of your Nurse–Educators. To be honest, I was a bit reluctant to trust a telephone consultation, especially when all sorts of doctors, healers and natural practitioners had seen me in person and couldn’t figure out what was wrong. But your nurse knew exactly what she was doing! She had my file with her when we spoke and had obviously taken the time to review my background.

“She listened attentively and without hesitation made suggestions for herbal remedies as well as a book on Digestive Wellness. She guided me but allowed me to take responsibility for my own self-care. She didn’t try to ‘take my power’ like many doctors (and natural health practitioners) do. It was up to me to try the remedies and see how my body reacted. What a scary and wonderful gift to give to a patient! Now this was exactly the type of consultation I was hoping for all this time.

“I spent the next few weeks getting reacquainted with my body and working with dosages to maximize my healing. And it worked! I felt my body make another shift as I got stronger. For the first time in my life I could feel my body healing itself with the help of natural remedies, rather than having the symptoms simply covered up by synthetic pills. After almost two years of pain and feeling absolutely lousy, I am now over 90% healed — in just four months — and I lost weight, too! I haven’t felt this great in 15 years.

“To all the wonderful women who’ve guided me at Women to Women, and to the wonderful doctors who developed a natural healing program that works, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!”

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Our Personal Program is a great place to start

The Personal Program promotes healthy hormonal balance with nutritional supplements, gentle endocrine support, dietary guidance, and optional phone consultations with our Nurse–Educators. It is a convenient, at-home version of what we suggest to our patients at the clinic.

• Articles on women’s health — the collective wisdom of our practitioners on the topics that concern you most.
• A personalized, at-home program for hormonal balance based on our natural approach. We’ve helped thousands of women feel like themselves again. To learn more, read how it works or call us at 1-800-798-7902.
• Patient care at our medical clinic for those who can make the trip to Yarmouth, Maine to see us.

Last Modified: 08/17/2009