There's an easier way, according to New York-based health writer Gabrielle Lichterman.

Pay attention to your hormones and you might save your sanity - maybe even a little money - during these 22 remaining days before Christmas.

"Hormones are extremely powerful," she says. "This guide is for women to take advantage of their good moods and ameliorate their stress."

Her holiday shopping guide is derived from her book, 28 Days: What Your Cycle Reveals about Your Love Life, Moods and Potential.

The book is essentially a daily horoscope of how you can expect your hormones - as they rise and fall throughout your menstrual cycle - to influence your mood, patience, energy, even temptations.

At least one health professional cautions against taking too seriously a connection between hormones and daily outlook.

About 5 percent of women suffer from hormone-related discomfort that is serious enough to impinge on daily life, says Angela Deneris, a certified nurse midwife and associate professor at the University of Utah's College of Nursing.

For others to plan their shopping outings around hormone levels is a bit silly, she says.

"A lot of women will tell you they feel a little irritable before their menses, but to affect them in a significant way, I don't think so," she says.

"We all feel like there are days we can't face the mall, and it doesn't matter where you are in your cycle."

Lichterman says her "hormonology" advice comes straight from her review of "study after study" on hormones.

"The more you know about how your hormones affect you, the better you are at predicting your day and planning your life," she says.

rlynn@sltrib.com

Smart shopping

Here is how Gabrielle Lichterman suggests saving money as you shop during these last three weeks:

* Days 1 (first day of menstruation) to 3 - Testosterone is on the rise, so rein in your urge to buy gadgets and other stuff you don't need.

* Days 4 to 10 - Your left brain - the part responsible for logic and reasoning - is sharpest now, thanks to rising estrogen and testosterone. Use it to spot the best deals.

l Days 11 to 13 - Be careful with the checkbook. Peaked estrogen and testosterone may make you overestimate your finances.

* Days 14 (ovulation in a typical cycle) to 22 - As progesterone rises, keep an eye out for products marketed with sweet little puppies, babies and other heart-melting images. They're designed, as one marketing executive put it, to harness the power of progesterone and sucker you into a purchase.

* Days 23 to end of cycle - Stick to your shopping list. Descending hormones give you the blues and make you more susceptible to "medicinal shopping" for comfort items that make you feel better.

Online

* For more information on Gabrielle Lichterman and her book, 28 Days: What Your Cycle Reveals About Your Love Life, Moods and Potential, visit http://www.hormonology.info.