Foreword

By Ann Louise Gittleman, Ph.D., CNS

The truth is, no one-size-fits-all menopause plan works for everyone. But there is a custom-tailored program that meets your body’s special needs, and it is masterfully laid out in Dr. Gary Wagman’s Yin Yang Balance for Menopause: The Korean Tradition of Sasang Medicine.

Having written several menopause books and gone through “The Change” myself, I only wish I had had Dr. Wagman’s priceless resource at my fingertips. He tackles menopausal myths, the most common menopausal symptoms, and current health challenges with the most balanced and individualized solutions for each one based upon four distinct body types. The beauty of his work lies in the realization that every one of us comes into this world with unique physical and emotional strengths and weaknesses. Figuring out your personal body type allows you to make more appropriate diet, supplement, herb, and exercise choices not just during menopause but also for the rest of your life. Based on the Korean Sasang medical system, identifying personal body type is a powerful tool in helping to treat hot flashes, loss of libido, and weight gain as well as dealing with more serious challenges like osteoporosis, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

I am particularly struck by Dr. Wagman’s insightful knowledge of the underappreciated impact of emotions on physical well-being and structural issues. His description of a client with frozen shoulder syndrome—which he connects with the emotion of grief (connected to the lung meridian)—spoke to me personally, having experienced great sorrow after my father’s death and an immobile shoulder since then. Gems like that make this book one you will want to read over and over again.

Not only are the menopausal years a time when we endure power surges—otherwise known as hot flashes—and other changes in our bodies, they are also a time when many of us truly come into our own. I encourage everyone to use this book as a body, mind, and spirit guide to all with menopausal and aging concerns. Dr. Wagman’s understanding of herbal medicine and its application is particularly extraordinary.

It is my hope that this book will empower women from adolescence to the menopausal transition to continue the self-health and self-improvement movement that has changed the way we view and now treat menopause. Attention to proper diet, exercise, lifestyle changes, and what the body is actually telling us will make the journey into midlife a time of great freedom and renewed energy. The postmenopausal years should be the time of a woman’s life free of child rearing and responsibilities that is rewarded with nothing but good health. As Margaret Meade put it, “The most creative force in the world is a menopausal woman with zest!” Certainly keeping our bodies in biochemical balance is a lifetime adventure that will ensure our passage through each stage of life is filled with zest. The time to repair is now, and with Dr. Wagman’s expert advice by our side we can’t help but sail through menopause and into a second spring.

ANN LOUISE GITTLEMAN, PH.D., CNS, is a New York Times bestselling author of more than thirty books on diet, detox, the environment, and women’s health. Beloved by many, she is regarded as a nutritional visionary and health pioneer who has fearlessly stood on the front lines of holistic and integrative medicine. A Columbia University graduate, Gittleman has been recognized as one of the top ten nutritionists in the country by Self magazine and has received the American Medical Writers Association award for excellence and the Humanitarian Award from the Cancer Control Society.