Menopause Health Center
This article is from the WebMD News Archive
Flaxseed May Ease Hot Flashes
Aug. 30, 2007 -- New research shows that the tiny flaxseed may bring some relief for menopausal hot flashes.
The flaxseed findings need to be confirmed, so flaxseed isn't guaranteed to soothe hot flashes.
But in a small, preliminary study, women halved their hot flashes by eating 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed, twice daily, mixed into their cereal, juice, fruit, or yogurt.
The flaxseed study comes from Sandhya Pruthi, MD, and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn.
Pruthi's team studied 29 women who had been having 14 hot flashes per week for at least a month and weren't taking estrogen to relieve their menopausal symptoms.
The women didn't start taking flaxseed right away. First, they spent a week just keeping a diary of their hot flashes and quality of life.
After that initial week ended, the researchers gave all of the women crushed flaxseed and told the women to sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the flaxseed on cereal, juice, yogurt, or fruit twice daily for six weeks.
During the six-week study, the women continued their hot flash diaries and reported any side effects.
At the end of the study, the researchers had sufficient data on hot flashes for 21 of the women.
The results show that the women halved their number of daily hot flashes while taking flaxseed. In addition, the intensity of the women's hot flashes dropped by 57% during the study.
Side effects included abdominal bloating (14 women) and mild diarrhea (eight women).
The study has some limits. It had relatively few participants, and there was no comparison group of women taking a flaxseed-free placebo powder.
Pruthi's team concludes that more research is indeed warranted. The full report appears in the Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology.
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VIVELLE-DOT (estradiol transdermal system) IS AVAILABLE BY PRESCRIPTION ONLY.
INDICATION
Vivelle-Dot is used after menopause to: reduce moderate to severe hot flashes; treat moderate to severe dryness, itching and burning in or around the vagina; help reduce your chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones); and treat certain conditions in which a young woman's ovaries do not produce enough estrogens naturally. Vivelle-Dot 0.025 mg/day is only used to prevent osteoporosis from menopause. If you use Vivelle-Dot only to treat your dryness, itching, and burning in and around your vagina or if you use Vivelle-Dot only to prevent osteoporosis from menopause, talk with your healthcare professional about whether a different treatment or medicine without estrogens might be better for you.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Estrogens increase the chances of getting cancer of the uterus (womb). Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are taking estrogens. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb).
Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your risk of dementia (decline in memory and thinking skills).
Vivelle-Dot should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding; currently have or have had certain cancers, including cancer of the breast or uterus; had a stroke or heart attack in the recent past (for example, in the past year); currently have or have had blood clots; currently have or have had liver problems; or think you may be, or know that you are, pregnant.
The most common side effects that may occur with Vivelle-Dot are headache, breast tenderness, and back pain.
You and your healthcare professional should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with Vivelle-Dot.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Full Prescribing Information for Vivelle-Dot.
ENABLEX is a prescription medicine used in adults to treat the following symptoms due to a condition called overactive bladder:
- · having a strong need to go to the bathroom right away (also called "urgency")
- · leaks or wetting accidents (also called "urinary incontinence")
- · having to go to the bathroom too often (also called "urinary frequency")
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
You should not take once-daily ENABLEX if you have certain types of stomach problems, glaucoma, or have trouble emptying your bladder. Side effects of ENBLEX include blurred vision, and more commonly dry mouth, constipation, indigestion, and abdominal pain. Use caution when doing certain activities until you know how ENBALEX affects you.
A generation ago, no one talked about menopause. Today it's openly discussed. But some common menopause myths persist.
