CAM menopause treatments
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Individual studies of various complementary and alternative medicine treatments for menopause symptoms suggested some benefit, but the overall data of 70 randomized controlled trials of CAM menopause therapies are "insufficient to support the effectiveness" of any of these treatments, according to an evidence review published in the Journal of the American Medical Association July 24. The 48 studies of biologically based treatments such as soy phytoestrogens and black cohosh produced mixed results, but the smaller numbers of studies examining "mind-body, energy, manipulative, and body-based therapies and whole medical systems showed little benefit in treating menopausal symptoms," Anne Nedrow, MD, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Ore., et al., state. The authors recommend that CAM menopause therapies be tested for safety and efficacy, as demand for treatments increase with an aging society...