The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution: A Proven 4-Week Program to Rescue Your Metabolism, Hormones, Mind & Mood Hardcover – January 31, 2017

After struggling for more than 2 years with chronic exhaustion, insomnia, stubborn weight gain, and other symptoms, I was thrilled to stumble upon Dr. Aviva's book and counted the days until it was released and showed up in my mailbox. I just finished reading it this morning, and It is everything I was hoping it would be and more.At least 25% of the women I know (and probably closer to 50%) struggle with low energy; hormone, thyroid, or autoimmune problems; and/or anxiety/depression. Unable to get help from their primary physicians, many of them have just resigned themselves to living this way. But it doesn't need to be so! Drawing upon cutting edge research, Dr. Aviva connects the dots between chronic exhaustion, digestive trouble, autoimmune disease, hormone imbalances, insomnia, stubborn weight gain, bad moods, and a host of other seemingly unrelated symptoms--that in reality are very much related!. She understands the problem, and what's more, she has answers and solutions.Women who have felt dismissed by the medical community or who have been told, "Your labs look great!" or, "It's all in your head," or even, "You just need to eat less and exercise more," will find a true and understanding friend in Dr. Aviva.Rather than focusing on treating symptoms, Dr. Aviva uses a natural, functional medicine approach to seek out and eliminate the root causes of those symptoms. In the first part of the book, she discusses how our lifestyle, stress level, processed food diets, environmental toxins, and stealth infections have gotten us into the health crisis so many of us women find ourselves in. The book is full of up-to-the-minute research on ideas and concepts that to me were--well, revolutionary! For example, take the critical role our microbiome plays in our health. I enjoyed a fascinating discussion on p. 79 about how harmful gut bacteria can actually make us crave junk food. She also explains the connection between our microbiome health and our susceptibility to mood disorders like anxiety and depression.Next in the book come several symptom questionnaires that allow the reader to discover her own personal root causes, which help her to form her own personalized solutions in the following section. Next, Dr. Aviva provides a practical plan for a quick return to health and vitality--in many cases actually reversing autoimmune disease and other major diagnoses.I had a true lightbulb moment when I read the sections about self-care. As a mother of four small children, I find myself taking care of everyone else first and never finding time to take care of myself. Dr. Aviva gives all of us busy women permission to pause; to take time to nurture and replenish our own emotional, mental, and physical stores. And in doing so, everyone around us benefits too! Also, her words about learning to overcome perfectionism, approval addiction, worry, and scarcity thinking were truly enlightening.In addition to providing a wonderful, nourishing eating plan, Dr. Aviva includes are many, suggestions and resources for using natural herbs and supplements to help the reader in her journey toward better health, and--in some instances such as hypothyroidism--medications when warranted. There is also a wonderful chapter on thyroid health that really helped me decipher my lab results and understand what in the world has been going on with my thyroid.The book is even beautiful to look at, with lovely graphic design and (blue!) color. The recipes I have tried suggest that resetting our diets does not have to mean deprivation--rather, quite the opposite! She has a flourless chocolate cake recipe that I am especially excited to try. I will say that the food plans and combination of recipes was a bit intimidating to me. A true foodie would find herself in foodie heaven, but if you are a kitchen novice, I would recommend that you also read Dr. Alan Christianson's book The Adrenal Reset Diet. His recipes are very simple and could be adapted for Dr. Aviva's program.I am so grateful for the research and hard work that have gone into this wonderful book, and I truly hope it will spark a revolution in women's healthcare. I am currently implementing the program in my life and will try to update this review when I have finally taken back my health.

In the summer of 2015, at age 22, I started crying for "no reason" and feeling incredibly stressed, depressed, and overwhelmed all the time. I was recently married to a wonderful and loving husband, had a well paying job doing what I love in downtown Chicago, lived in a great neighborhood in a beautiful apartment across from Lake Michigan.I saw a couple physicians, OBGYNs, counselors, Christian pastors, hippie healing people, and therapists. I left most appointments feeling unheard, more overwhelmed, and bombarded with prescriptions write ups for a quick-fix. I didn't understand why doctors were prescribing specific medications. I became so frustrated that I wasn't getting answers. I knew my body well enough to know something in my body was off balance and wasn't right. I asked for very specific panels and tests to be done and most doctors made me feel crazy. After some research I wondered if I had a hormonal imbalance. I asked my OBGYN at Northwestern if they could test me for this and they told me that I was probably mid-cycle and was longing for a baby. I was so deep in depression and confused with my body that I went home and tried to convince my husband that if I got pregnant, all of my overwhelm, anxiety, and mood swings would disappear (LOL). I told close friends and my husband that I felt like I needed a "total body reset." Some program that would help me balance my diet, hormones, mind so I could feel like myself again, but I never thought I'd find something like that.A friend of mine "liked" Dr. Aviva Romm on FB and I began reading through her blog archives, videos, and comments. Her wisdom, experience as an herbalist, midwife, and MD and her approach to eastern/western medicine was very intriguing to me. I ordered her book as soon as it came out and started following her 4-week program. The Adrenal Thyroid Revolution has helped me get my mind and body back and regain control of my life. The book and idea behind the book is much more of a revolution than a 4-week program. Dr. Aviva has been active in her supportive FB group and although I've never met her, she is warm, welcoming, wise, and every time I tune into her live videos, I feel like I'm hearing from my favorite aunt! This book is SO worth it.Thank you Dr. Aviva for taking the time to write this book and imparting your wisdom on young women like me through this book, your FB page and groups, your podcasts and website. I truly feel like I am thriving and I know my body so much better than I did 2 years ago.I HIGHLY recommend this book to women (no matter your age) who have felt trapped by and have experienced an unusual amount of stress, anxiety, depression, sleep loss, weight gain, brain fog, etc. etc.

I finished this excellent book the very week it was released and, as a midwife myself, filled with hope for my own clients and readers, I've already shared it countless times.Women in American society seem to be suffering an ever-increasing myriad of distressing symptoms that are markedly disrupting their lives. These symptoms range from exhaustion to difficulty controlling weight, from errant hormones to clouded comprehension and concentration, from moods askew to impaired immunity to aching, sub-functioning bodies.Too often, once a woman, desperate to “feel like herself again,” at last seeks solutions to the problems plaguing her, finds herself shipped off to various and sundry specialists, each focused more on treating her symptoms than on uncovering and attending to their source.Aviva Romm, a Yale-educated family physician, midwife, and herbalist, has taken a look at the list of issues assailing today’s woman with fresh eyes, has recognized their origins to be a simple, symbiotic system gone awry, and has recommended a revitalizing plan of action substantiated by science and validated by the steadily improving health of her clients here in her newest book.If you suffer from any semblance of the ailments listed above, why don’t you invest in yourself and take a little time to explore Aviva’s book and recommendations? It’s filled with comprehensive research, interesting, real-life examples, and easy to follow instructions.