Welcome to the better half of your life. The New York Times bestselling author of The Female Brain explains how a woman’s brain gets “upgraded” in midlife, inspiring and guiding women to unlock their full potential.
“This is an important book. I want all women to read it. I wish I had read it years ago!”—Jane Fonda
Dr. Louann Brizendine was among the first to explain why women think, communicate, and feel differently than men. Now, inspired by her own experiences and those of the thousands of women at her clinic, she has a message that is nothing short of revolutionary: in the time of life typically known as menopause, women’s brains are reshaped, for the better, in a way that creates new power, a bracing clarity, and a laser-like sense of purpose if you know how to seize it.
With guidance for navigating the perimenopausal and menopausal storm while it lasts, and actionable, science-backed steps for preserving brain health for the rest of your life, The Upgrade is a stunning roadmap, told through intimate stories, to a new brain state and its incredible possibilities. Dr. Brizendine explains the best science-backed strategies for:
• Hormones: If timed and handled properly, hormone management can save your life. Brizendine cuts through the controversy to give you the latest guidance for HRT.
• Exercise: Leg strength correlates directly with healthy brain function at age 80. Here are the strategies for maintaining your strength.
• Sleep: It’s critical for maximizing the Upgrade, and Brizendine shares how to achieve healthy rest during challenging transitions.
• Mindset: Brizendine shows how to seize the opportunities of your midlife brain changes by shifting your mindset and vision with intention.
• Brain Health: The Upgraded brain requires special care when it comes to sugar, alcohol, inflammatory foods, and the microbiome. Here’s advice for fueling and maintaining cognitive function for decades.
The Upgrade amounts to a celebration of how women step into their power and an entirely new—and radically positive—understanding of aging.
*Includes a downloadable PDF of diagrams from the book
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"Dr. Louann Brizendine’s The Upgrade is uplifting and upbeat about the physical, mental, and social health of women in the upper chamber of the life cycle. As she did in The Female Brain (a bible for all women), Dr. Brizendine writes clearly and jauntily, this time explaining why, generally, we get happier as we age. The Upgrade is an engrossing read, rich with science and psychology and hopefulness."
— Leslie Stahl, correspondent, 60 Minutes
This fine book integrates information from many fields of studies. It is holistic, filled with useful insights, and inspiring. Brizendine is one of America’s great cultural educators.
— Mary Pipher, PhD, New York Times bestselling author of Women Rowing NorthDr. Brizendine is a trailblazer and in her groundbreaking, science-backed new book, she not only shows how much we can do naturally to optimize the menopausal brain but also explains why the mature brain is so much better than what came before. Read this book and you’ll learn how to seize the possibilities afforded by your amazing brain.
— Anna Cabeca, DO, bestselling author of The Hormone Fix and MenuPauseThe author’s mastery of scientific research impresses, as does her accessible and authoritative delivery. Blending academic rigor with self-help practicability, this is an optimistic and well-observed take on the benefits of life’s second half for women.
— Publishers WeeklyBe the first to write a review about this audiobook!
Louann Brizendine, MD is a practicing clinician, bestselling author, public speaker, and media commentator who specializes in the relationship dynamics that result from the neurobiology of male and female brains. She completed her degree in Neurobiology at UC Berkeley, graduated from Yale School of Medicine and did her internship and residency at Harvard Medical School. She has also served on both the faculties of Harvard University and University of California at San Francisco. Now at UCSF, she pursues active clinical, teaching, writing and research activities, where she founded the Women’s Mood and Hormone Clinic in 1994 and continues to serve as the clinic’s director.
Nancy Linari is an actress and Eaphones Award–winning narrator. She has appeared on Fringe, Brothers and Sisters, Desperate Housewives, Grey’s Anatomy, and General Hospital. Her theater credits include I’m Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road, and I’m Not Rappaport.