Book Review: Naturally Healthy Woman by Shonda Parker

This was an easy read that gave lots of good information. It can be read straight through or used as a reference and research book. Shonda’s goal is to help you understand and glory in the way the female body is formed. She wants to give women information so that they know the health issues they may face and how to handle them, starting with diet and supplements long before drugs and surgery. I appreciate her willingness to walk through other options instead of more and more drugs with more and more side effects.

Her attitude: we are fearfully and wonderfully made. Her awe at the interworking of the female body is infectious. If you struggle with frustration or even a bit of self-loathing as you cycle every month and deal with all the physical issues that abound in your body as a woman, this might be an encouraging book for you to read. There is good information here for mothers about how to help their daughters from an early age to understand their bodies and help them have the best health possible. Shonda also encourages not just physical health, but mental, emotional, and spiritual health via your church attendance and participating in the means of grace.

As someone who has for various reasons always struggled to master my health and my understanding of female health, this book was a great place to start. It doesn’t go into too many gory details that make me feel ill, or into such deep scientific explanations that my eyes glaze over. I’m feeling more confident about my health and my understanding of how my body works than I was before.

This would be a great book for high school-aged daughters to read to help them understand their health for the future and the different struggles they may face. She covers cycles, menopause, PCOS, endometriosis, chronic health, and more.

Obviously, I would suggest, or insists, that you talk with your Doctor/Chiropractor before self-administering herbs for different issues unless you’re familiar with them and what they will do to your body. There were a few things she said that seemed a bit outdated, like using soy to raise your estrogen during menopause, but overall, much of this lined up with what my chiropractor had me do through various health struggles.

This is a good book to read and have on the shelf for future reference. It’s a great place to start as you take charge of your health and educate your daughters. It will help you select appropriate herbs and supplements as well as give you a good starting point when talking with your doctor. Homemakers, we are the front line on health, this book is a good assistant in that responsibility.