Things got

"hot, hot, hot" at First Baptist Church of

Peachtree City when Dr. Ron Eaker took the stage to talk

about his recent book, "Holy Hormones, Approaching

PMS and Menopause God's Way."

Eaker

started his presentation leading the group of close to

200 in "menopause aerobics" to the tune

"Hot, Hot, Hot" played by his musical toy

gorilla "Mini Paws."

Using a

combination of humor, scientific fact, personal

experiences and Biblical references, the self-proclaimed

"recovering traditionalist" educated and

entertained the crowd on the subject of PMS

(pre-menstrual syndrome) and menopause.

Eaker said,

"I talk about the natural approach to menopause and

PMS, but I don't throw science out. My bias is to look at

`natural' ways of approaching menopause. My background is

in traditional medicine."

Eaker is a

board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist with 15

years of experience in working with PMS and menopause. He

is a well-respected advocate of women's health education.

Eaker and wife, Susan, have taught numerous seminars on

"healing and prayer and complementary approaches to

health issues."

In his

recent presentation to local women and medical

professionals, Eaker stressed the importance of what he

titles the "healing triad" of mind, body and

spirit. He also focused on the need for individuality in

medical treatment saying, "You can not cook book

your approach to health."

His

Bible-based foundation was prevalent throughout his

presentation. He said, "There are no `Ten

Commandments' of menopause, yet the wisdom and guidance

that can be gleaned from both the Old Testament and New

Testament can be applied daily to your life."

Using

"Four A's," attitude, action, aptitude and

apothecary, Eaker gave tips and advice on treating the

symptoms of menopause and other hormone-related issues.

Citing

scientific studies to support his belief, he said,

"Attitude is the first for a reason - in my

mind, it is the most important."

He noted

that in the Japanese language there is not a word for

menopause. "Japanese women have a lot less

menopausal symptoms." He added that while diet

played a big role, the country's attitude toward women

and aging was also a strong factor.

He quipped,

"Menopause is not a disease. It is puberty with

experience."

Aptitude,

the second A, is "education, knowledge. Ask

questions, talk to others, and take responsibility,"

Eaker stressed. "Be partners [with your physician],

not victims." Throughout his talk, Eaker wove the

theme of personal responsibility and the need for

individuals to take a proactive part in their medical

treatment.

He asked

the audience to consider how much time they would spend

buying a new refrigerator, then urged them to "now

take as much time learning about your body."

Personal

responsibility included not just education, but also the

need to make healthy life-style choices. He said,

"If we could eliminate nicotine, alcohol and

obesity, there would not be much for doctors to do other

than deliver babies."

All of the

A's were "useless" without the third A, action,

he noted. "Action is two fold. It is taking

something and doing something and, my bias,

exercise."

He said,

"If I told you I had a pill that would make you feel

better, act better, lose weight, reduce your chance of

heart disease, breast cancer and stroke, reduce or

eliminate PMS and menopausal problems and do all of this

without side effects, would you take it? Of course you

would. Well, that pill exists. It's called exercise and

it takes about 30 minutes to swallow."

The fourth

A, apothecary, covered traditional and natural or

"complementary" approaches to the treatment of

menopausal symptoms. He explained the pros and cons of

treatment choices, discussing dietary changes, the use of

vitamins and herbs, hormone replacement therapies,

life-style changes and finding the right doctors. Using

real life cases from his practice, he demonstrated the

effectiveness of various treatments based on individual

personalities, belief systems and physical differences.

The

five-hour Conference for Women also was a day of fun and

pampering for attendees. Ici Paris gave neck and hand

massages, Ulta treated women to a complimentary hand wash

treatment and One Magnolia Lane gave moisturizing hand

massages. The church's health ministry did medical

testing including blood pressure, body fat content and

cholesterol tests. Book stores, vitamin vendors and

natural food vendors showcased and gave samples of their

products, also.

Deborah

Wuerslin was the moving force behind the conference. Her

efforts to educate women were sparked by her personal

experiences. "I don't want ladies to go through what

I went through. I wanted to ensure they were educated and

knew they had choices." Wueslin, along with women

from "ten or more churches" formed Christian

Women of South Atlanta, the sponsor for the Holy Hormones

Conference.

Eaker can

be reached at 706-733-4427. Eaker's book, "Holy

Hormones, Approaching PMS & Menopause God's

Way," can be purchased by calling 800-917-BOOK.

Contact Deborah Wuerslin for more information regarding

Christian Women of South Atlanta.