Here are some "mixed" reviews of the book from Amazon.com
Excellent for women, good for men, January 4, 2007
Reviewer: Lopan (Milpitas, CA) - See all my reviews
I bought this as a gift; so I read it in two days. Easy read and easy to understand. I am not neccessarily a fan of hers but I think this book will open the eyes of people. I don't appreciate that she thiks of herself as a scientist or that she refers to Wiley as though he is a doctor (I don't think he has even a bachelors degree). I have read many (20) books on this subject as well as delved into this subject personally. So there was nothing ground breaking for me here, but the information is organized in a very easy to understand manner. For the person that wants most of the information and steps in an easy to understand format this is a great book. The primary focus of this book is women but most men would learn from it as well. Note: Hormone therapy is expensive (I know personally) and potentially dangerous. Read more than one book! And work with a reputable doctor and pharmacy. All products are not equal. Enjoy
2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
Ageless Indeed, December 24, 2006
Reviewer: lauren zitello "lz in lq" (la quinta, california) - See all my reviews
"Ageless" by Suzanne Somers is a splendid account of her personal history with aging and hormones. it is an excellent book which reads well because, for the most part, it is in layperson's terms and easy to understand. there is a lot of technical information for those who really want to know the details. i, myself, want the bottom line, and i get that here too.
mind you i have questions for Suzanne, and i am not 100 percent convinced that the bioidentical hormone is the answer to all of my issues, but i do believe it might be worth a try, and this material is presented in such a positive, upbeat manner with quotes from many medical professionals that it is really convincing.
i would definitely recommend this book for anyone with aging/menopause/hormone situations because it is thought-provoking and informative. i may even go out and purchase suzanne's other books.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Fairly complete book for the educated public, December 9, 2006
Reviewer: Michelle Indianer "mikitik" (Los Gatos, Ca.) - See all my reviews
I am always looking for books to recommend my patients to read, and this one is a pretty good one. As a Psychiatrist, I have been using bioidentical hormones as part of my Integrative medical practice for almost a decade because of the limitation of conventional psychiatric medicines. Again Suzanne uses her fame to interview some interesting people in the field of Anti-Aging medicine. This offers the general public some ammunition to take to their physicians when seeking more complete medical care. This book has received quite a bit of heat in the general press and from physicians who just aren't keeping up with the latest research and the desires of their patients. Some of the points of view in her book are quite controversial in the field (such as cycling or not, especially T.S. Wiley style and the use of Growth Hormone), but I believe that it is worthwhile for these issues to be covered.
The addition of Adrenal and Thyroid health to this book (from her previous books) is extremely important as people can't achieve truly good health without these being in balance.
Like the push to have Natural Childbirth in Hospitals lead by the baby boomer women
in the 1970s, the use of bioidentical hormones is probably going to be the conventional way to treat aging women--and men--once the Baby Boomers push their doctors to be ready for prime time....This book is a good place to start.
10 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
Newsweek just did an expose on this book, December 2, 2006
Reviewer: Ben - See all my reviews
It turns out that the primary "independent" researcher (T.S. Wiley) who is billed as an "anthropologist focusing on evolution biology and environmental endocrinology" with a degree from Webster University... actually has no degree at all. I'm also a little bothered by the picture on the cover. She does look young, but it seems to have been modified (Photoshop? Makeup?) because if you at a regular picture of her, she looks her age and her skin is pretty sun damaged. There may be some validity to this argument, but the deception is disturbing.
13 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
Life Saving, Osteoporosis Saving, December 2, 2006
Reviewer: Kat Richard (Venice, CA USA) - See all my reviews
This info saved my life. I was heavy into menopause and hot flashes, nightmares, fatique and constant vomiting kept me from taking care of my bed-ridden osteoporotic mother with many chest fractures. By getting a doctor recommendd in the back of her book I turned all this around and maybe I won't have to wind up bedridden with paiful osteoporosis for the last seven yrs. of my life like my mom. My mom was told by her doctor at Kaiser NOT to take hormone therapy because it was "too risky." Kaiser finally put my mom on hormones at age 80 when it was TOO LATE. I believe Suzanne, not Kaiser!
4 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Ageless is Priceless, November 28, 2006
Reviewer: Melody X "star of the DVD 'NEW S E X NOW' & the book '9 Free Secrets...' - consultant to 'GODDESS WORSHIP' DVD" - See all my reviews
Suzanne and a host of "Western" doctors explain and demonstrate why our accepted school of medicine is inadequate and outdated, and overly reliant on drugs for treating everything. In "Ageless" she presents a clear case that drugs will not make us better. With Suzanne's brand of anti-aging medicine you can HEAL what's really wrong with your body instead of staying on an endless drug-treatment treadmill that will never allow you to get where you really need to go. This book teaches you how to keep the inner machinery of your body in great condition, and with the inside running great, the outside looks and performs better too.
11 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
Ageless, November 25, 2006
Reviewer: C. Foltin - See all my reviews
I am disappointed in this book. Suzanne comes off as a medical authority on bioidentical hormones. She is not a practicing doctor, so how can she make recommendations on a conversational system of administering hormones called the Wiley protocol. The doctors on Larry King Show should have taken her to task. Suzanne has done a good job of educating women about the impact of insulin on their weight. However, she fails to discuss that at the age of 60, she is taking human growth hormone which helps people lose weight. It is a very expensive and controversial therapy. Believe me she doesn't look the way she does just by dieting. She also has had plastic surgery which she reluctantly admitted to. Women have to stopped being influenced by these hollywood types who hustle books and products to get rich. We all age and go through menopause. There is no magic bullet to weight loss. Eat less and excercise more. We will all get wrinkles and start to sag.
25 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
My least favorite book of Ms Somers, November 20, 2006
Reviewer: Beth Hartford-DeRoos "Beth Hartford DeRoos" (Jackson, California) - See all my reviews
The positive parts of the book are the areas that discuss food choices, getting enough sleep and physical activity and even uses of herbs that have been used for centuries. This is why I like her other books dealing with food and physical activity.
This is my least favorite book by the author. Probably because she isn't a degreed medical person and because she makes statements that if one looks closer at reputable research, you see are way off base a bit or alot.
As an example. On page 80 she writes that seventy-five years ago women routinely died at age 40 and forty five because their purpose was to reproduce. Fact is as any first year college student taking a health and history class finds out, is that men and women died before the age of fifty years ago, because of issues like tuberculosis, polio, pneumonia, flu, and water and insect born diseases that were a result of contaminated water and waste systems.
On page 81 she makes the statement that men lose hormones and get grumpy and big bellies as they age. Fact is men become more sedentary after age forty which with high fat, junk food eating results in big bellies and overall lack of energy. She also states that prostate cancer is the male equivalent of breast cancer. Not exactly, since most men studies have shown men who are past age eighty will have some form of prostate cancer. Most breast cancer happens well before eighty and unlike most men who will get prostate cancer, most women wont get breast cancer.
On page 81 she also says that French women are amongst the healthiest on the planet. Not so. They may have the least fat, but their smoking rates are very high as are the cancer and other health related issues connected with smoking. Live there and you learn these things. Same with Asian countries that have high smoking stats, yet better eating choices that keep them less fat etc.
Also overlooked is all the millions of healthy, fit elder women in far off lands who don't use any man made stuff to deal with what seems to be a problem here in the west. Which is menopause being a medical condition rather than something women have been going thru for centuries on end. How do these other cultures survive? How do those women live to be ninety and beyond with few if any health problems? Read up on the topic and its clear they don't consume anything with man made additives etc.
Then on a recent Larry King show she and her friend T S Wiley seemed to attack the degreed medical experts that disagreed with the book. Do a google search on the author or Wiley and you will see neither has an earned college degree. In fact the Wiley website notes 'Wiley Pending B.A. in Anthropology, Webster University, 1975'. Pending? Anthropology? This from a woman who on the King Show said she was a scientist? She doesn't even have a degree in anything!!
As compared to the other guests/critics that were on the show who when one does a google search shows not only BA's but advanced degrees from reputable universities.
Another thing that concerns me that involves both the book and the King Show is that when Dr. Wolfe Utian, the executive director of the North American Menopause Society spoke about what he didn't like about the book, T S Wiley says 'Dr. Utian is a man. He cannot relate to what we go through. But women out there all over America cannot sleep, cannot...' . Yet the author has no problem in her book using male physicians who agree with her. If Utian being a man cannot relate then how can any male relate?
2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
Awesome and Informative, November 19, 2006
Reviewer: Jillian Press (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
I am a big fan of Suzanne for bringing the topic of bioidentical hormones to my attention and have read all of her books on the subject. If you are a women late 30's to 90's, this book has something for you. Suzanne looks amazing at age 60 and better than most 30-40 year olds, so clearly the success is evident.
Loved the book and will keep it as a reference guide. I am 46 and need to know as much as possible about bioidentical hormones.
15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
A review from an informed OB/GYN, November 17, 2006
Reviewer: Lisa B. Hirsch MD "Bioidentical HRT OB/GYN" (Newport Beach, CA) - See all my reviews
I am an OB/GYN who has been prescribing bioidentical HRT for the past 18 years.
I commend Suzanne Somers for her continuing campaign to raise the awareness on the importance of bioidentical HRT and the various health options women have. The book includes a variety of opinions from many doctors of various medical specialties. This gives the patient the understanding that there are many approaches available. Women are empowered with choices to fit their individual needs.
There is plenty of published scientific data and research on the safety and effectiveness of bioidentical HRT. This book will hopefully set the wheels in motion for continued research.
After reading this book, patients will be more educated consumers, enlightened to ask questions and choose the best doctor that meets their needs for comprehensive health care. This integrative approach allows patients to receive health care that addresses the entire body.
I commend Suzanne for guiding the readers to consider doctors that are members of ACAM, American college for the Advancement in Medicine.
This organization is an educational forum for doctors who want to expand their knowledge beyond conservative medical school approaches.
Lisa B Hirsch, MD
Newport Women's Health and Wellness
Newport Beach, CA
