The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

  • Recent Posts

  • Recent Comments

    Black cohosh does not reduce menopausal symptoms

    Another study reports that black cohosh is useless to prevent hot flashes and night sweats associated with menopause.

    Here are the results from the Herbal Alternatives (HALT) for Menopause Study, funded by the National Institutes of Health.

    This was a 12-month randomized, double-blind, comparison of herbal regimens and menopausal hormone therapy vs placebo in 351 women ages 45 to 55.

    Treatments

    • Black cohosh
    • Multibotanical supplement (black cohosh, alfalfa, boron, chaste tree, dong quai, false unicorn, licorice, oats, pomegranate, and Siberian ginseng)
    • The multibotanical supplement plus diet counseling to increase consumption of foods containing soy
    • Menopausal hormone therapy (estrogen with/without a progestin)
    • Placebo

    And the results

    • No difference in the number of daily hot flashes and/or night sweats with any herbal supplement vs placebo.
    • But a significant difference between menopausal hormone therapy and placebo.

    “While this study found that black cohosh alone or with other herbs did not reduce menopausal hot flashes,” said NCCAM Acting Director Dr. Ruth Kirschstein, “it highlights the importance of studying herbs using well-designed research to find out what works and what does not. With this information women and their physicians can have a meaningful discussion of complementary and alternative medicine approaches to menopause.”

    Amen.

    Click “Black Cohosh” on the right column to read more.

    12/22/06 11:23 JR

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