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

    Herbal and dietary supplements on cognition in menopause

    Prof. Ernst and colleagues evaluated the evidence regarding the effects of herbal and dietary supplements on cognition (ability to reason) in menopause.

    First, the details.

    • 12 studies were included in the review.

    And, the results.

    • 5 studies suggested that the following supplements may improve cognition in postmenopausal women.
      • Isoflavone
      • Soy
      • Gingko biloba

    The bottom line?

    Most of the included studies had serious flaws in their design, which compromised the validity of the findings.

    The authors concluded, “The evidence that herbal and dietary supplements might positively affect the cognitive decline during the menopause is not compelling.”

    In a more general sense, reviews in 2009 and 2010 (summarized here) concluded that for menopausal symptoms, “herbal formulations such as dong quai, ginseng, kava, and dietary soy, among others, do not appear to benefit patients more than placebo.”

    A negative study of red clover (phytoestrogen) supplement and black cohosh is summarized here.

    3/27/11 20:29 JR

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