A Barefoot Doctor's Guide for Women

Written in an approachable, conversational tone,A Barefoot Doctor's Guide for Womenfocuses on women's hormonal health. Author Georgette Delvaux describes issues such as menstruation, pre-menopause, and menopause, explaining how they can begin as mere annoyances and gradually develop into major problems that affect both body and mind. She discusses accompanying problems that can be directly related to hormonal issues or that simply occur at the same timefluid retention, inflammation, indigestion, anxiety, and insomniaand details how osteoporosis can be treated with good nutrition and weight-bearing activity. A central theme of the book concerns the harmful effects of the popular practice of eliminating hormonal imbalances using artificial or natural hormone supplements. Delvaux encourages women to trust subtle changes in their own sensations that may indicate imbalance, showing that small imbalances are often easy to treat using reputable alternative practitioners. In addition, she explains how to prevent the development of more serious problems that may require treatments with dangerous side effects. The book discusses how contemporary Western medical approaches are complemented by alternative methods such as homeopathy and naturopathy, as well as age-old Eastern medical practices like acupuncture and Ayurveda.

Georgette Delvaux was born in Luxembourg, studied anatomy in Geneva, and came to the United States to study Rolfing. She graduated from the Rolf Institute of Structural Integration in Boulder, Colorado in 1979, and was certified as an Advanced Rolfer in 1986. A licensed chiropractor, Delvaux also practices craniosacral osteopathy, is interested in herbalism, homeopathy, and acupuncture, and is a student of Taoism and Buddhism. She currently shares a Rolfing practice with her husband, Michael Salveson, in Berkeley, California.