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When I got the opportunity to get this book I thought this would be very informative. After all I am in mid life and going through Menopause and things are not going as smoothly as they used to.

“Many books on Women’s sexuality focus on the mechanics of sex, but miss out on the big picture and don’t address where your libido comes from in the first place”

In this case this book definitely covers the big picture.

The following quote resonated with me:

“A large part of being a healthy, vital, sexual woman is your core relationship with yourself”

I have been on a self-discovery journey in the last few years and can see the truth in this statement. I also found their definition of what natural medicine is very interesting. The authors say that Naturopathic medicine focuses on creating health rather than eliminating disease.

Just reading the “Using this book to Most Effectively Enhance Your Sexuality” chapter by chapter summary of benefits, created real interest for me to read on.

In Chapter 1 they explain the link between being healthy and sex. Being healthy increases your capacity to enjoy sex, and having sex helps keep you healthy.

Chapter 2 concentrates on creating a healthy lifestyle with organic, natural diet, supplements, exercise and dietary cleansing. This was mostly overall good health information that I have read in other places. Much of it does make sense, unfortunately choosing the natural way is more expensive in my experience. I do want to eat healthier and would love to take some supplements. I will actually try a few of the natural remedies that are discussed in the book. However we in the West need to embrace the Eastern practices by making it covered by our insurance. It’s difficult to choose costly natural medicine over prescriptions meds that only cost us $2.

Chapter 3 was extremely informative. I knew some of it but I learned a lot more about my body. I think every woman should read this information and get to know their bodies better.

I’ve learned a lot about how stress affects me and learned some more from chapter 4 about getting my hormones in balance. I found helpful information about hormones and menopause and a very interesting explanation of why cancer happens.

There is even a chapter to help us understand men’s sexuality.

I would recommend the book as it is quite informative. I did however find it quite repetitive.

Though I received "Great Sex, Naturally" by Dr. Laurie Steelsmith and Alex Steelsmith what feels like ages ago, I've been holding off on writing this review. Truthfully there's just so much information packed into this book that I wanted to fully get my head around most of it before I sat down to talk about it. So here we are, weeks later, and I'm still going back into the book and learning new things every single time I open its pages.

What I loved most about this book is its emphasis on all of the many precursors to great sex that take place well before the bedroom. The Steelsmiths have put together a thorough guide to a woman's healthy lifestyle that ultimately enables her to experience a more rewarding sex life. There's information on everything from building self esteem and a positive state of mind, to balancing hormones, to detoxing both the body and home. Helpful hints regarding diet, anatomy, supplements, and accupressure abound, and the overall message is certainly one of empowerment.

Halfway through the book, after they've provided ample opportunity to build a strong and healthy foundation, the authors get into aphrodisiacs and sensuality. There are suggested herbs, oils and foods, along with explanations as to why these items influence sexuality. Next, there's a section on different pleasure enhancing lubricants, exercises, and massages, based both in Eastern and Western traditions.

Though the text is geared towards women, there's also a chapter on enhancing a male partner's health as well. Finally, the Steelsmiths leave us with advice for maintaining the lifestyle.

With advice ranging everywhere from naturally alleviating menstrual cramps to practicing tantric techniques, "Great Sex, Naturally" is a welcome addition to my library. It's a wonderful text for anyone looking for a technical yet approachable guide to bringing natural balance and pleasure to one's own body.

(Note: I received a copy of this book for review purposes from Hay House Publishing)

Confession: the last time a patient of mine suggested that he was engaging in sexual behaviours, I was caught off guard, lost my professionalism and turned beet red. Worst. Sex-flush. Ever. Despite knowing that “everyone does it”, I wondered why this was something I’d be embarrassed about but concluded that it’s a part of our culture and upbringing. It’s summed up so well in Mother-Daughter Wisdom by Christiane Northrup, who writes, “While male writers generally talk with pride about their first sexual experiences, female writers – and girls everywhere- tend to hide the facts of their past sexual experiences for fear of how others will think of them”. Having stopped caring about what “other people think of me” a long time ago, I chose to review Great Sex, Naturally by Dr. Laurie Steelsmith and Alex Steelsmith. Part of me was thinking that I could prevent a second awkward situation with my clients by arming myself with *knowledge* and becoming a bit of a sexpert. Part of it was curiosity. And part of it was trying to open up the doors for women to discuss sex. At the risk of sounding a bit like a feminist, “this was for female equality and empowerment”.

In short, this book
• Discusses the science of sex (i.e. the influence of hormones, pheromones, female anatomy, etc)
• Brings awareness to and makes recommendations for pathology that could be affecting one’s sex life (i.e. vaginal dryness, subclinical hypothyroidism, erectile dysfunction, benign prostatic hyperplasia, etc)
• Suggests lifestyle changes to improve sexual functioning
• Lists scientifically-supported supplements to enhance libido
• Provides detailed descriptions of several aphrodisiacs

While the cover advertises this book as “Every woman’s guide to enhancing her sexuality through the secrets of natural medicine”, I felt that content-wise, a lot of it wasn’t so much for “every woman”, but “women with health issues” like the vaginitis, UTIs, etc. I would have liked there to be less focus on this, but think it would be useful for these groups of women. I will likely use it for reference when I come across these cases. One thing I did like about this section was that the authors addressed adrenal fatigue and hypothyroidism. As a practitioner of natural medicine myself, I see these issues all the time. The problem is that many people with the generalized fatigue, slow metabolism, etc associated with these conditions, have accepted it as the norm. Once something becomes “normal”, we don’t often make the connection that a) this is actually a problem that can be fixed and b) it could be affecting us in other areas of our life – like sex. So I do like how the authors brought awareness to it and show you how to reclaim your health.

For every reader, the authors promote exercise, healthy self esteem and a balanced diet rich in organic whole foods as the foundation for a good sex life. These are the things in life that fuel us and give us more vitality so that we actually have energy for sex. This is in comparison to behaviours such as eating fatty food because they can make you feel lethargic and tired. I thought these were pretty obvious, but that could be because I am holistically trained and/or am a pervert. Either way, there were a bunch of supplements, products and acupressure recommendations that I’ve never heard of, so this book is definitely worth a look.

I don't think it's possible for Great Sex, Naturally to have had a more intriguing title. This book was written for women specifically, and authored by Dr. Laurie Steelsmith, and her husband Alex Steelsmith. As I guy, I was expecting it to be filled with Kama Sutra-like positions, and secret, little tricks you can perform with your anatomy. This wasn't the case, but I wasn't disappointed. There are plenty of sex books out there like that. This one's chief concern is to empower a healthy sexuality treated with a holistic, or whole person approach. This idea permeates the book, and offers some paradigm shifting ideas. Of course our heart health, diet, exercise, and self-esteem affect our sex lives, but at a cursory glance it just doesn't seem that way. Looking deeper, the authors make a great case for their point, that a holistic, or balanced approach to your entire life will greatly enhance your sex life as well. Great Sex, Naturally is divided into two sections. The first part deals with balancing your lifestyle. The second part is about new ideas for enhancing your sex life. It seems to be written more for monogamous couples, but certainly, singles could benefit as well. This is a great reference book to keep around for the detailed information on harmonizing your hormones. There is also tons of great info on aphrodisiacs, lubricants, and pressure points which I think many people are going to find really exciting.
FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.

When I ordered this book, I was curious to see how it approached the idea of sex. Which word of its title would it focus on: "sex" or "naturally"? Would it provide exercises and techniques, or health information?

I was pleasantly surprised to find that it covers the subject in a comprehensive way – there are sections on hormonal balance, acupressure, healthy eating, as well a section on erotic massage. I like that it views sex as a holistic experience that is affected by all aspects of our selves: physical, mental, emotional and spiritual.

At the moment, I find this book most useful as a resource, rather than a sit-down-and-read-it-cover-to-cover. There were sections that I was drawn to read and take information from, others that felt like they weren’t applicable to me at the moment. However, I can imagine times earlier in my life when I had a lot of questions about sex and performance, and at that time I probably would have read it cover to cover. For that reason I think it will be helpful to people at many stages of their sexual experience.

One thing that I particularly appreciate is a suggested eating plan for 21 days to help get the body into top shape for sexual activity. It sounds pretty yummy and I’m thinking of trying it!

***

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for free from Hay House Publishing for this review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.

My first Hay House book review is of Great Sex, Naturally by Alex Steelsmith and Dr. Laurie Steelsmith. I received this book free from Hay House Publishing to review. The opinion in this review is unbiased and reflects my honest judgment of the product.

Great Sex, Naturally is a tremendous resource of invaluable information for women who are looking to enhance their lives, not just sexually. It starts with the very basics of the anatomy of female sexual organs in particular, the role hormones play in our sexuality, and then progresses further into how our physical and emotional selves affect our sexual selves. This book may be particularly helpful for women who are just discovering this connection or who may need guidance in that area.

My one main contention regarding Great Sex, Naturally, however, is that it is heterocentric. Although the Steelsmiths use the term partner very often, whenever a pronoun is needed it is always male. Additionally, the discussion of sexuality in the book is heternormative - penetrative sex between a man and a woman.

While I wasn't expecting an in-depth overview of sex, I think it does a great disservice to assume that all of the women who may be experiencing sexual dissatisfaction are heterosexual women, and that the ultimate goal to achieve is penetrative sex. I would have liked to see the authors embrace a broader scope of female sexuality.

Overall, Great Sex, Naturally is a great resource for women to turn to who haven't taken the first step toward taking control of their own sexual satisfaction because it does contain a lot of information in one book.

Do you want to powerfully transform your sexual energy, and boost your overall health at the same time? Whether you already enjoy a healthy sex life and would like to dramatically enhance it, or you need solutions to specific sexual health challenges, Great Sex, Naturally is the book you've been waiting for.
It reveals for the first time how you can combine modern medicine, ancient secrets, and completely natural methods to dynamically recharge both your sexuality and your total health. This invaluable resource gives you many easy, safe, and effective tools and techniques—including Western and Eastern herbs, aphrodisiacs, nutritional supplements, dietary changes, exercises, natural hormones, vaginal lubricants and suppositories, acupressure, detoxification, and more—that you can use to increase your libido and transform your life on many levels.

A completely accessible all-purpose guide, Great Sex, Naturally is loaded with practical advice, specific tips, and simple solutions you can apply yourself. You can use it to directly address any immediate concerns you may have—such as enhancing libido naturally and safely, diminished sex drive, vaginal dryness, menstruation, ovulation, fertility, perimenopausal and menopausal changes, and many others—or you can read it cover to cover and experience the ultimate sexual health makeover. This unique book will empower you to take control of your sexual health and your overall well-being, and make changes in your life that will benefit you on a daily basis. A groundbreaking resource, innovative and comprehensive, this work is destined to become a classic for women who want to create more fulfilling sex lives.

My Thoughts: Sexual health is a topic rarely discussed. Funny given all of the changes a woman's body endures from adolescence to beyond. The authors take their time and present a topic rarely discussed in a professional manner. Great Sex Naturally presents factors which impact a women's sexual health such as environment, nutrition, life and provides a thorough discussion as to how these factors affect our bodies and proposes changes we can make to get healthier. In a world where we are inundated with media addressing male sexual health, it's nice to see some attention focusing on women.

Dr. Steelsmith and Author Steelsmith offer tips to help us manage our bodies using natural remedies, exercises, education and medication. For example, there were several tips on how to lessen menstrual pain which I found particularly interesting. I discovered natural remedies and homeopathy several years ago when Hubby and I were undergoing infertility treatments. Some of the side effects from medications we were prescribed were so dangerous we chose to seek alternative means of increasing our, well my, fertility. It was nice to see some of these remedies in the book. The authors tackled tough topics like breast cancer and pregnancy with compassion and professionalism. I really feel as if I will be more willing to address some of my concerns with my physician during my next office visit. Oftentimes there are changes in our body we just blow off as "Oh, this is normal" when in fact it may be a precursor to something else.

I also enjoyed reading those questions that have longed plagued my mind. Ever hear something during Girls Night Out and wonder if it's really true? Well this book answered a lot of those questions to which I've always wanted to know but have been too embarrassed to ask. Like how does weight gain or weight loss affect your sex life? Or why some foods are aphrodisiacs and others not so much? Or why there's no Viagra for women? Overall, a very informative read worth sharing with a woman in your life.

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes. The views expressed above are mine. Click here for the Disclosure Policy of Three Boys and an Old Lady blog.