Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Herbal menopause remedies ineffective

From the Globe and Mail:
There is little evidence to show herbal remedies purported to relieve symptoms of menopause actually work, according to a new study.

A growing number of women have turned to black cohosh, evening primrose oil and other natural remedies in recent years to treat hot flashes, irritability and other related problems. Evidence that hormone replacement therapy is associated with a risk of heart disease, stroke and other cardio-vascular problems also may have increased the number of women looking for alternatives to prescription treatments for menopausal symptoms.

But evidence demonstrating the effectiveness of these remedies is often under-researched, weak or even "non-existent," according to a new report.

The report appears in this month's edition Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin, published by the British Medical Journal.

"A lot of treatments have become established with time in terms of people trying them out. But if you were looking for cast-iron evidence for lots of treatments you wouldn't be able to find it," said Ike Iheanacho, editor of the bulletin. ...more

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