Menopause Health Center
Menopause and Alternative Therapy
Complementary and alternative therapies for menopause are medical treatments that are considered nontraditional. They include dietary and herbal supplements, acupuncture, chiropractic, and massage therapy, biofeedback, homeopathy, and eating certain foods that are thought to prevent disease or heal.
Alternative treatments are often used alone, while complementary treatments are alternative treatments that are used in combination with traditional treatments, such as drug treatments or surgery.
Hormone Therapy for Menopause and Perimenopause
By Francesca ColtreraYour need-to-know guide to today's hormone therapy -- what's safe, what's new, what's right for you Not long ago, a friend told me about a coffee date she’d had with a 50-something former office mate, Susan. As the two women were sipping their lattes and catching up on each other’s lives, Susan nervously glanced around the coffee shop, then leaned across the table and confided in a low voice, “I’m taking estrogen.” So it’s come to this. Whereas women once chatted openly...
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Women going through menopause may find relief from their symptoms if they include botanicals such as phytoestrogens in their diet. There are also other nutritional supplements that may relieve menopausal symptoms such as black cohosh and flaxseed.
What Are Botanicals?
Botanicals are medicines that are derived from plants. They have been used for centuries by "folk healers" and are the foundation for nearly half of prescription drugs used today. Botanicals are sold in the form of herbs and nutritional supplements make up a large part of alternative medicine therapies. Because supplements are not regulated by the government like drugs, there is lack of standardization in the production of these alternative therapies. Different manufactures can have different ingredients in their supplements which can lead to accidentally taking too much or too little.
Can Botanicals Relieve Menopausal Symptoms?
Some botanicals, such as phytoestrogens, may help relieve menopause symptoms, although research results are contradictory. Phytoestrogens are substances found in plant-based foods that are thought to have weak estrogen-like effects. Some may help lower cholesterol levels and have been suggested to relieve hot flashes and night sweats. Examples of plant estrogens include isoflavones. Isoflavones can be found in foods such as soy products (tofu, soymilk, soybeans).
Black cohosh is a botanical that is widely available. The most well known brand is Remifemin. The North American Menopause Society reports that black cohosh may be helpful in the very short term (six months or less) for treatment of hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. Safety beyond six months of use is not known. Side effects are rare and include gastrointestinal upset.
Evening primrose oil is another botanical that is often used to treat hot flashes, although there is no scientific evidence to support this. Side effects include nausea and diarrhea. Many women with other conditions, or those that take certain medications, should not take evening primrose oil.
Flaxseed is an edible seed that contains lignans, another class of phytoestrogens. Although there is little scientific evidence to support this, flaxseed is thought to decrease the symptoms of menopause, particularly hot flashes. In addition, some studies show that flaxseed may lower breast cancer risk in women. Also known as linseed, flaxseed is available in whole seed, ground up meal, and seed oil forms. However, only the crushed or ground forms of flaxseed contain lignans that your body can digest.
WebMD Medical Reference
Menopause Guide
