Sunday, October 05, 2008

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Mary Byers is a professional speaker and writer whose passion for transforming lives is evident in every project she takes on. In her first book with Harvest House Publishers, The Mother Load: How to Meet Your Own Needs While Caring for Your Family, Byers teaches women how to take care of themselves so that they can nurture a happy, healthy family. The mother of two lively children, she offers down-to-earth suggestions, spiritual truths, and real-life advice on how to juggle family responsibilities while creating a balanced life through supportive friendships, stress-relieving laughter, regular exercise, rejuvenating solitude, and an intimate relationship with the Lord. The founder of Word Works, Byers graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Telecommunications. She is also a Certified Association Executive. Byers and her husband, Stuart, reside in Illinois with their two children. To learn more about Mary visit her website at www.marybyers.com.

A Word from the Author

"It’s my hope that this book will bring help, hope and healing to moms who suffer from PMS. It’s been a source of despair in my own life but things are looking up now that I’ve developed my own coping plan. Those I interviewed for this book shared intimately about their own battles and I believe their stories, along with that of Callie’s (the main character in the book) will convince other women that it is possible to change their current response to PMS and encourage them to start today.”


ABOUT THE BOOK:

The SOS for PMS:
Practical Help and Relief for Moms

In her latest book, Mary explores an often frustrating topic, the symptoms of PMS, and offers practical advice and encouragement for mothers. Readers will find comfort in the stories shared by other moms, realizing that they are not alone in their struggles with PMS.

With this book, you will find suggestions designed to inspire healthier lifestyles, relationships, and daily choices for all women.

Gather any group of moms together and the topic of frustrating PMS symptoms rises up in conversation along with the guilt and concern about its effects on family members.

Now Mary Byers, author of The Mother Load, offers mothers encouragement, help, and camaraderie as she shares:

~women's stories-the good, bad, and the hopeful

~overlooked symptoms and how to manage them

~foods and activities to avoid or indulge in

God's first aid for stress, depression, and anxiety a call for help-how husbands can come to the aid of their wives

This gathering of useful advice and shared experiences will comfort readers who have ever felt alone in their PMS plight and will inspire healthier lifestyles, relationships, and daily choices for all women.

If you would like to read an excerpt, go HERE

MY REVIEW:

The SOS for PMS is an easy-to-read pick-me-up resource handbook that doesn't just offer quick fixes to PMS but also lasting results. It is not one of those manuals and educational references that bores you to death with endless physiological-medical details and unfathomable terms you can't even spell out. On the contrary, the book focuses on the emotional awareness and management side so that women are able to accept, understand and act on their PMS accordingly.

The book shares a clear and brutally honest portrayal of what's really happening (and why it's happening) when a woman is under the influence of the tyrant PMS. The story installment at the beginning of each chapter makes it easy for readers to relate to the topic currently being discussed. Aside from practical strategies (which are also helpful not just during PMS reign), it also provides hope & encouragement from other women (who've been through the PMS misery) and helpful advice from experts in the field. There were also useful tools and information like nutrition do's and dont's, sleep deprivation, herbal supplements, etc. stated that you can use to maintain your health and your family's well-being.

I think one of the things that sets this book apart from the others is the chapter about "PMS and Faith". I don't think there's a PMS-related book in the market today that tackles faith-related issues while being logical.

On a last note, while PMS may not be ultimately "curable", it is manageable. Geoffrey Redmond, M.D., emphasizes that the problem is not the hormones themselves but how a woman's body reacts to them. So, it's really up to the woman to manage her symptoms if she wants a pain-free pre-menstrual period.

Remarks:
I wish the author had inserted a little bit of humor in the book. It's a serious subject and women who have low attention span (or men who may be interested in reading the book) may not be able to endure the 186 pages. But overall, the book is not only reader-friendly and insightful but also uplifting and helpful. It is still highly recommended!

9 nuggets of wisdom from SOS for PMS:

** Silence is the enemy of healing.

** When you say yes to life, you automatically say no to something else. That's why it's important to know the price of your yes.

** It's one thing to understand why questionable behavior is occuring. It's another to do something about it.

** There's a direct connection between what you eat & drink and how you feel.

** Eating about 3-4 hours in small amounts can regulate blood sugar more rapidly than eating in traditional "3 squares" and can help avoid a rapid drop in sugar level thus preventing meltdowns that might occur if too much time elapsed between snacks and meals.

** Experts recommend 4 ounces of water every hour you are awake. If you wait to drink until you're thirsty, your body's fluids are already depleted.

** Serotonin is a neurotransmitter in the brain that has an enormous influence over many brain functions. The functions of serotonin are numerous and appear to involve control of appetite, sleep, mood, behavior (including sexual behavior) and depression. When serotonin is at an ideal level, you feel mellow and relaxed, hopeful and optimistic. You have a sense of being at peace with life. Low serotonin levels can result in feeling depressed, having a short attention span, feeling "blocked" or scattered, acting impulsively, feeling suicidal, and craving sweets and simple carbohydrates to quickly increase the serotonin level.

** Sleep, sunlight, sex and exercise increase serotonin while caffeine, alcohol and stress lower serotonin.

** Thirty minutes of aerobic exercise is approximately equivalent to 20 mg of Prozac. That's how powerful exercise is!


The S.O.S. for PMS: Practical Help & Relief for Moms by Mary M. Byers
ISBN-10: 0736921702
Publisher: Harvest House Publishers
Release Date: September 1, 2008
$10.19 from Amazon.com


Purchase The S.O.S. for PMS: Practical Help & Relief for Moms by Mary M. Byers HERE!!!