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.

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  • Recent Comments

    Herbal therapy reduces menopausal symptoms

    At least when the herbalists who did the study use them.

    First, the details.

    • 45 women 46 to 59 years old with menopausal symptoms and no menstrual bleeding for 3 months were studied.
    • None took hormone replacement therapy.
    • Participants were randomly assigned to a course of individualized treatment from one of 3 herbal practitioners or no treatment.
    • Treatment was 6 consultations over 5 months including discussion of nutrition, lifestyle, and an individualized herbal prescription.

    And, the results.

    • 44 women completed the study.
    • Those who got treatment had a significant reduction in menopausal symptoms compared to no treatment.
    • Specifically, reduced vasomotor symptoms and increased libido.
    • Total scores for menopausal symptoms reduced for both groups.

    The bottom line?
    The authors concluded, “The treatment package [5 to 9 herbals ] from herbal practitioners improved menopausal symptoms, particularly hot flushes and low libido.”

    This study is more of a testimonial to the skills of these herbalists’ than the medicine they used. How much, if any of this, is transferable to menopausal women in general is unclear.

    11/21/07 18:39 JR

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