Tremendous resources are available these days for anyone who wants to take an active role in her own health and well-being, from laugh-out-loud memoirs of motherhood to consumer-oriented websites, medical reference books, or disease prevention handouts from your HMO. We think the ones mentioned below are the cream of the crop.

The foundation of caring for your health as a mother is understanding the whys and wherefores of everything that's happened to you since you became a mom. Sometimes it really helps to read about the experience of other mothers, or get suggestions about managing some aspect of raising a family. There are many excellent books out there, and here are some that we've gotten a lot out of ourselves.

Operating Instructions, by Anne Lamott. Fawcett Books, 1994. Intimate, hilarious, inspiring description of life as a new mother.

Mothers Who Think, edited by Camille Peri and Kate Moses. Villard, 1999. Excellent collection of first-person stories of motherhood by excellent writers.

A Slant of Sun, by Beth Kephart. William Morrow, 1998. Beautifully written account of raising a child with special needs.

Mother's Nature. Anthology by Andrea Alban Gosline, Lisa Burnett Bossie, and Ame Mahler Beanland. Wonderful gathering of inspiring, heartwarming passages from many authors.

The Birth of A Mother, by Daniel N. Stern, M.D., Nadia Bruschweiler-Stern, M.D., and Alison Freeland.Basic Books, 1998. Sensitive description of the inner transition to motherhood.

Of Woman Born, by Adrienne Rich, Ph.D.. W.W.Norton, 1976. Groundbreaking discussion of "motherhood as experience and institution."

The Mask of Motherhood, by Susan Maushart, Ph.D. The New Press, 1999. Passionate, funny, penetrating review of the hard parts of motherhood and the social prohibitions against acknowledging them.

The Transition to Parenthood, by Jay Belsky, Ph.D. and John Kelly. Follows three couples as they become parents; excellent integration of personal details and research findings.

The Chalice and the Blade, by Riane Eisler. Harper & Row, 1987. Fascinating, eye-opening exploration of the hunter-gatherer cultures in which humans evolved - and in which women and mothers, arguably, played a much more central role than they do today.

What to Expect the First Year, by Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi E. Murkoff, and Sandee Hathaway, B.S.N. Workman Publishing, 1989. Thorough, sensible suggestions from the authors of What to Expect While You're Expecting.

Postpartum Survival Guide, by Ann Dunnewold, Ph.D. and Diane G. Sanford, Ph.D. New Harbinger Publications, 1994. Practical guide, particularly focused on coping with postpartum emotional issues.

After the Baby's Birth - A Woman's Way to Wellness, by Robin Lim. Celestial Arts, 1991. Thoughtful, holistic suggestions for well-being during the challenging first year with a baby.

The cliché that children don't come with a manual carries a profound truth: every parent is thrust into the most difficult and the most important job in the world as an utter beginner, who has to figure out how to do it all on the fly. These books have helped guide our learning - and prevented a few disasters.

The Continuum Concept, by Jean Liedloff. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1977. Classic exposition of the natural chidrearing environment that fosters secure attachment and child well-being.

Natural Family Living, by Peggy O'Mara. Pocket Books, 2000. Excellent resource by the publisher of Mothering Magazine, who is a staunch advocate for mothers and a gifted writer.

Your Baby and Child, by Penelope Leach, Ph.D. Knopf, 1997. Thorough, sensible guide to raising children, from newborns to five-year-olds.

The Interpersonal World of the Infant, by Daniel N. Stern, M.D. Basic Books, 2000. Scholarly but highly readable integration of research and psychoanalysis that offers useful insights into the experience of an infant with his or her mother.

Raising Your Spirited Child, by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. HarperPerennial Library, 1992. Encouraging, practical suggestions for children with a high-energy temperament.

Positive Discipline, a series of books by Jane Nelsen and others. Depending on the ages of your children, you'll find loving and effective ways to cultivate good values and good behavior.

Though written for anyone, these books contain helpful perspectives and tools that can be applied to the sprcific issues of a mother and her partner.

The Road Less Traveled, by M. Scott Peck, M.D. Simon and Schuster, 1997. A soul-searching blend of psychology and spirituality.

The HeartMath Solution, Doc Childre and Howard Martin, with Donna Beech. HarperSanFrancisco, 1999. Presents practical techniques for lowering stress, releasing negative emotions, and tapping the native intelligence of the human heart.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R Covey. Fireside, 1990. A classic for good reason. Penetrating consideration of core principles of mental health and interpersonal effectiveness.

Wherever You Go, There You Are: Mindfulness Meditation in Everyday Life, by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Hyperion, 1995. An accessible, common-sense, and warmly written introduction to meditation and mindfulness.

Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman, Ph.D. Bantam Books, 1997. Fascinating survey of how the brain processes emotion - with plenty of practical applications.

Focusing, Eugene T. Gendlin, Ph.D. Bantam Books, 1982. Describes fundamental method for becoming highly aware of one's experience and helping it shift into a more positive direction.

The Dance of Anger: A Woman's Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships, by Harriet Lerner, Ph.D. HarperCollins, 1997. A calm, clear guide to managing anger in your relationships.

You Just Don't Understand, by Deborah Tannen, Ph.D. Ballantine Books, 1990. Fascinating guidebook to the different ways that men and women tend to communicate; full of practical suggestions.

Why Marriages Succeed or Fail: And How You Can Make Yours Last, by John Gottman, Ph.D. and Nan Silver. Fireside, 1995. Excellent combination of research information and practical advice, from a leading researcher on marriages.

The internet has hundreds of websites offering research information and suggestions about how to improve your health. Here's a sampling of our favorites:

• The Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Center at Columbia University - Go to (cpmcnet.columbia.edu/dept/rosenthal/)

You can also read about your health in these books:

Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom (2^nd Ed.), by Christiane Northrup, M.D. Bantam Books, 1998. Thorough, warm-hearted handbook on women's health.

Encyclopedia of Natural Medicine (2^nd Ed.), by Michael Murray, N.D., and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D. Prima Publishing, 1997. Excellent coverage of nutritional medicine (with hundreds of research citations), including in depth summaries of how to treat 70 conditions.

Staying Healthy with Nutrition, by Elson Haas, M.D. Celestial Arts, 1992.

Great detailed reference book on nutrition.

Nutrition Made Simple, by Robert Crayhon, M.S. M. Evans & Co., 1996. Excellent introduction to nutrition; easy reading, but filled with useful information.

Fats that Heal and Fats that Kill, by Udo Erasmus. Alive Books, 1999. Everything you ever wanted to know (and more) about fats. Quite technical.

Smart Fats: How Dietary Fats and Oils Affect Mental, Physical and Emotional Health, by Michael Schmidt. Frog Ltd., 1997. Lots of information about fats and oils. Readable for a beginner, but still full of important material.

The Web That Has No Weaver (2^nd Ed.), by Ted Kaptchuk. Contemporary Books, 2000. Beautiful introduction to Chinese medicine.

Everybody's Guide to Homeopathic Medicines (3^rd Ed.), by Stephen Cummings and Dana Ullman. J. P. Tarcher, 1997. Easy to use guide for homeopathic remedies.

The Family Guide to Homeopathy; Andrew Lockie and William Shevin. Fireside, 1993. Another well-done introduction to homeopathy, with attention to children's health.

The Insider's Guide (Appendix E) discusses the spectrum of licensed health care providers. For referrals to physicians in general, see:

For referrals to licensed professionals oriented toward complementary and alternative medicine, see:

For other professional groups, see:

These are the specialized tests mentioned in Chapter 5:

• Food sensitivities, other allergies- Blood testing of IgG antibodies for food sensitivities. Blood can also be tested for allergies to potential airborne allergens, such as pollen or mold.

• Stool - Assesses beneficial and pathogenic microbes, including yeast, parasites, and bacteria, and other markers of digestion, absorption, and intestinal health

• Amino acids - Measures amino acid levels, and also produces nutritional and metabolic information

• Organic acids - Analyzes urine for byproducts of pathogenic intestinal microbes, and some markers for vitamins, neurotransmitter metabolites, and energy metabolism

• Essential fatty acids - Evaluates your levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, and the metabolic pathways associated with them

• Minerals - Various tests assess mineral levels in blood, urine, or hairboth those that are too high (toxic) and those that are too low (nutritionally deficient).

• Salivary hormones - Analyzes saliva for cortisol, DHEA, estrogen, progesterone, and melatonin; especially useful for evaluating levels of "free" (available and active) hormones. Some labs do an extended test of ovarian hormones across the menstrual cycle.

• Estrogen metabolites - Assesses markers of estrogen metabolism that may be associated with disease

• Thyroid - 24-hour urine test for thyroid that measures the levels of this hormone that are "free"

• Immune markers - Detailed assessment of cells in your immune system

Labs use test kits that can be sent back to them overnight from anywhere in the U.S., so the location of a lab should not be a concern. But in most cases, you'll need a licensed health professional to order and interpret these tests. Your doctor could order a test, but if he or she is unfamiliar with it or otherwise disinclined to order it, please see Appendix E for how to locate an appropriate, licensed practitioner; you could also contact the labs below and ask them for a referral to a professional in your area who uses their tests.

There are hundreds of medical laboratories around the country. We list here those that do the specialized tests described above. We are familiar with these labs, but others also do specialized testing, and your practitioner may prefer to use a lab other than the ones below.

800/542-3526

63 Zillicoa Street

Ashville, NC 28801

www.gsdl.com

Excellent full spectrum, "functional medicine" laboratory; very good interpretation and clinical support for providers. This may make it easier for your practitioner to use tests with which he or she is not that familiar.

888/347-2781

The Great Plains Laboratory

11813 West 77th

Lenexa, KS 66214

www.greatplainslaboratory.com

Great Plains developed the organic acid test in its present form. This test was initially used with autistic children, but it can also be quite informative for adults with compromised health.

800/631-7900

933 Davis Street, Suite 310

San Leandro, CA 94577

www.aeron.com

Excellent hormonal assessment, particularly through testing saliva.

530/466-2445

1815 NW 169^th Place, Suite 5050

Beaverton, OR 97006

www.salivatest.com

Salivary hormone assessment.

800/323-2784

3755 Illinois Avenue

St. Charles, IL 60174-2420

www.doctorsdata.com

Focuses on mineral assessment, but also does other metabolic tests.

253/859-8700

515 West Harrison Street, Suite 9

Kent, WA 98032

www.meridianvalleylab.com

Offers a wide spectrum of testing.

800/221-4640

5000 Peachtree Ind. Blvd.

Norcross, GA 30071

www.metametrix.com

Full range of tests with good support.

800/522-2611

1715 Wilshire, Suite 715

Santa Ana, CA 92705

www.antibodyassay.com

Innovative testing of the immune and endocrine system. Will not give referrals to local professionals who use their tests.

800/328-7197

21 Loop Road

Arden, NC 28704

www.advancedaccesslab.com

Focuses on high quality stool testing.

480/777-1078

903 South Rural Road

Tempe, AZ 85281

www.parasitetesting.com

Specializes in detection of parasites

Supplements and herbal products are available at our website,

Additionally, most of the supplements we've discussed are available at good health food stores, which may carry Chinese herbal formulasas well. Chinese formulas will also be available from an acupuncturist and at stores specializing in Chinese herbs (which can be found in most large cities), or they may be purchased from:

510/849-0290

Berkeley, CA 94709

Email: shennong@pacbell.net

Natural, hormone products are available at:

Transitions for Health

(800) 888-6814

621 SW Alder, Suite 900

Portland, OR 97205