The Essential Oils Hormone Solution

I've been excited to read this book as I'm really enjoying using essential oils and learning more about them. Dr. Mariza Snyder does an excellent job of talking through different hormonal issues women face and how we can use essential oils as well as diet and supplements to help manage hormone problems that may arise. I appreciate that Dr. Mariza is clear there is not a one size fits all and offers several things to try as well as things to talk to your health care provider about.

The first section of the book talks about using essential oils to balance your hormones instead of using hormones. This was very educational and eye opening on many fronts, as well as encouraging. Dr. Mariza shares how to appropriately use oils in a safe way as well as the top oils to use for balancing hormones. This is a great introduction to oils if you have not used them much.

Part two goes into using essential oils to to address hormonal symptoms. This section was excellent as it covered a variety of struggle areas for many women today and gave an overview of those symptoms and natural ways to manage them. The symptoms covered are stress, energy and fatigue, sleep issues, weight issues, female hormones including fertility, perimenopause and menopause, libido, emotions, cognitive issues, digestive issues and toxicity. Each section goes into the problems that are often dealt with and then oils and supplements and other care items that can help with each issue. Each section has a good overview and recommendations to get you started.

The last section Dr. Mariza takes you through her 14-Day Rescue Plan to help you reset your hormones. This includes a meal plan and oils to help you detox and reset your system. Since I'm currently pregnant I have not done this, but I am intrigued by it and may try the meal plan after my postpartum period.

For the information she gives this is an excellent book and resource. However, there are some things in this book that were too much for me. Her over indulgent focus on self care was very frustrating. I know she is coming at this from a secular western worldview, but telling women to look in the mirror every night and tell themselves "I love you" is unwise on so many levels. As a Christian this is just poor advice. I was also annoyed with being told I deserve to indulge in these things.  Again, she's not a Christian so as a Christian reading this just ignore the self-focus and find Biblical avenues to care for your soul where Dr. Mariza tells you to focus on yourself.

I also did not appreciate the feeling of demonization of gluten and dairy. Again a secular view of food and the belief that God created foods to hurt us. She does say you can introduce these things back, but her attitude is you're better without them. I thrive on dairy!

Overall I'd give this book 3.5 stars. Great info to help with natural solutions to health problems, but a way too focused on self.

Reading Challenges:
I'm using this book as a Book Printed in Hardcover in Tim Challies 2020 Reading Challenge in the Obsessed section.