Nisha Jackson knew it was time to write a book when women kept asking her for one.

The Medford nurse practitioner treats women who are struggling with physical and psychological changes that precede meno-pause. She often speaks to groups of women about the role hormones play in their health, but she noticed that some women seemed overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information she served up.

"Somebody would always say, ‘Don’t you just have a book that I could follow?’" Jackson says.

Now she does.

Jackson has just published "The Hormone Survival Guide for Perimenopause" (174 pages, Larkfield Publishing, $14.95). The book summarizes Jackson’s approach to helping women avoid depression, mood swings, weight gain and fatigue during "perimenopause" — the years before they stop ovulating.

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"It’s not really a book about menopause," she says. "It’s not about hormone replacement therapy. It’s about what happens to a female during all the years prior to menopause."

Jackson and other practitioners attribute a number of women’s health problems to hormone imbalance, a result of declining hormone levels that occur naturally as women age. She advocates the use of nonsynthetic hormones (derived from soy beans and yams) to restore sinking hormone levels.

The book explains why hormone levels change; how hormone imbalance affects body and mind; why testing for hormone levels is important; how supplemental hormones can address the imbalance; and why diet affects hormone balance.

Jackson opens each chapter with a specific patient as an example and walks the reader through each woman’s treatment. "I wanted women to be able to turn to a specific chapter, identify with the woman, understand the problem, and know how to treat it," she says.

Jackson says her approach is an alternative to the synthetic hormones and antidepressants that are often prescribed for perimenopausal women. She tests each patient to measure her hormone levels and then prescribes appropriate supplemental hormones to restore the appropriate balance.

"You have to test," she says, "or otherwise you’re shooting in the dark.

"You have to understand what symptoms are stemming from certain hormones and how they relate."

She includes chapters on eating properly and reducing stress because unhealthy habits tend to exacerbate hormone-related health problems.

"Much of the book is about how to take care of yourself," she says. "It’s all about self care and educating women about what their bodies are doing in the pre-menopausal years."

Jackson says balancing hormones has helped about 85 percent of her patients. The best results come to women who are also willing to change their diet, reduce the stress in their lives, and exercise regularly.

"There’s work involved," she says. "That’s the unpleasant part of coming to see me."

Reach reporter Bill Kettler at 776-4492, or e-mail bkettler@mailtribune.com