Research - Menopause
A double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating safety and efficacy of an ayurvedic botanical formulation in reducing menopausal symptoms in otherwise healthy women
E.Steelsab M.Steelecd M.HaroldaL. Adamsa S.Coulsonb
Abstract
Aims
The aim of the present study was to examine the safety and efficacy of a formulated Ayurvedic botanical combination in reducing vasomotor and other menopause-associated symptoms in otherwise healthy women.
Methods
This was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial conducted with 117 healthy women, aged 40–65 years using a formulated Ayurvedic medicine composed of 75 mg Tinospora Cardifolia, 100 mg Asparagus racemosus, 100 mg Withania somnifera and 225 mg Commiphora mukul per capsule, administered as one capsule twice per day over a period of 12 weeks. The primary outcome measure was menopausal symptoms assessed by the validated Menopause-Specific Quality of Life (MENQOL) questionnaire. The secondary outcome measures included a patient-reported diary of vasomotor symptoms, serum hormone levels and health indices (body weight, blood pressure, haematological and biochemistry markers).
Results
A significant difference was demonstrated for the total MENQOL score and the vasomotor (p < 0.001), psychosocial (p < 0.001), physical (p = 0.02) and sexual domains (p < 0.001) between the active treatment and placebo groups after 12 weeks. There was a significant reduction in total hot flushes, daytime hot flushes and night sweats in the active treatment group compared to the placebo group (p ≤ 0.001). There were no significant changes observed in serum hormone levels or health indices between the active and the placebo group.
Conclusion
This study demonstrated a combination of Tinospora cardifolia, Asparagus racemosus, Withania somnifera and Commiphora mukul to be a safe and effective treatment for reducing menopausal symptoms in healthy menopausal women over a duration of 12 weeks.
Source : Journal of Herbal Medicine
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Intake of Novel Red Clover Supplementation for 12 Weeks Improves Bone Status in Healthy Menopausal Women
Anne Cathrine Thorup,1 Max Norman Lambert,1 Henriette Strøm Kahr,2,3 Mette Bjerre,4 and Per Bendix Jeppesen1
Abstract
Objective. To investigate the effect by which daily consumption of a novel red clover (RC) extract influences bone health, inflammatory status, and cardiovascular health in healthy menopausal women. Design. A 12-week randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial involving 60 menopausal women receiving a daily dose of 150 mL RC extract containing 37.1 mg isoflavones (33.8 mg as aglycones) or placebo. Methods. Bone parameters were changes in bone mineral density (BMD), bone mineral content (BMC), and T-score at the lumbar spine and femoral neck. Bone turnover (CTx) and inflammatory markers were measured in plasma and finally blood pressure (BP) was evaluated. Results. RC extract had positive effect on bone health, and only the women receiving the placebo experienced a decline in BMD (P<0.01) at the lumbar spine. T-score at the lumbar spine only decreased in the placebo group (P<0.01). CTx decreased in the RC group with −9.94 (±4.93)%, although not significant. Conclusion. Daily consumption of RC extract over a 12-week period was found to have a beneficial effect on bone health in menopausal women based on BMD and T-score at the lumbar spine and plasma CTx levels. No changes in BP or inflammation markers were found and no side effects were observed.
Source : Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
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Effects of sea buckthorn oil intake on vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
Abstract
Background
Vaginal atrophy, the thinning and drying of vaginal mucosa, is associated with menopause. The standard estrogen treatment is not suitable for all women.
Objective
To investigate the effects of oral sea buckthorn (SB) oil supplementation on vaginal atrophy.
Method
A total of 116 postmenopausal women experiencing symptoms of vaginal dryness, itching or burning were randomized to this placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Ninety-eight participants completed the intervention of three months, during which they consumed 3 g of SB or placebo oil daily. At the beginning and end, factors of vaginal health were scored by a gynecologist, vaginal pH and moisture were measured and vaginal health index was calculated. Symptoms of atrophy and menopause were evaluated at study visits and by daily logbooks. Serum samples were collected for the analysis of circulating lipids, liver enzymes and C-reactive protein.
Results
Compared to placebo, there was a significantly better rate of improvement in the integrity of vaginal epithelium in the SB group when both compliant and noncompliant participants were included (odds ratio (OR) = 3.1, 95% CI 1.11–8.95). A beneficial trend was observed when only the compliant participants were included (OR = 2.9; 95% CI 0.99–8.35). There was a tendency (P = 0.08) toward better improvement of vaginal health index from baseline to the end in the SB group [(0.8 (SD 2.8)] compared to placebo [−0.1 (SD 2.0)].
Conclusions
SB oil showed beneficial effects on vaginal health, indicating it is a potential alternative for mucosal integrity for those women not able to use estrogen treatment for vaginal atrophy.
Source : Maturitas Journal
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Do soy isoflavones improve cognitive function in postmenopausal women? A meta-analysis
Cheng PF1, Chen JJ, Zhou XY, Ren YF, Huang W, Zhou JJ, Xie P.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Several studies have demonstrated that soy isoflavone (SIF) supplementation can improve aspects of cognitive function. However, these findings remain controversial. We aimed to quantify the effects of SIF supplementation on improving cognitive function in postmenopausal women.
METHODS: Databases and relevant Web sites were searched for relevant studies up to March 2014. Two reviewers independently verified all potentially suitable randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the quality of identified RCTs was assessed using the Jadad scale and the Risk of Bias Tool from the "Cochrane handbook for systematic reviews of interventions." Any disagreement on study quality or data extraction was resolved by consensus; a third reviewer was consulted if needed. Standardized mean differences (SMDs) in cognitive function test scores were calculated between SIF-treated and placebo-treated groups.
RESULTS: We conducted a meta-analysis of 10 placebo-controlled RCTs of SIF supplementation (1,024 participants; treatment duration of 6 wk to 30 mo). The overall SMD in summary cognitive function test scores (0.08) was statistically significant (95% CI, 0.02-0.15; P = 0.014). The summary SMD for visual memory (0.10) was statistically significant (95% CI, 0.02-0.18; P = 0.016). In subgroup analyses, the statistically significant SMDs were as follows: 0.12 (95% CI, 0-0.25; P = 0.044) for non-US countries; 0.16 (95% CI, 0.05-0.28; P = 0.004) for mean age younger than 60 years; and 0.15 (95% CI, 0.03-0.27; P = 0.011) for treatment duration less than 12 months.
CONCLUSIONS: SIF supplementation seems to have a positive effect on improving summary cognitive function and visual memory in postmenopausal women. There may be a critical window of opportunity in initiating SIF use at an earlier age in postmenopausal women, and geography and treatment duration seem to be factors influencing the effects of SIF supplementation. All individuals in the included studies should be followed up to observe the incidence rates of Alzheimer's disease and dementia, and future studies should report any adverse effects of SIF supplementation.
Source : Journal Menopause
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Effects of acupuncture on menopause-related symptoms and quality of life in women on natural menopause: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
Chiu HY1, Pan CH, Shyu YK, Han BC, Tsai PS.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This meta-analysis aims to evaluate the effects of acupuncture on hot flash frequency and severity, menopause-related symptoms, and quality of life in women in natural menopause.
METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed/Medline, PsychINFO, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and CINAHL using keywords such as acupuncture, hot flash, menopause-related symptoms, and quality of life. Heterogeneity, moderator analysis, publication bias, and risk of bias associated with the included studies were examined.
RESULTS: Of 104 relevant studies, 12 studies with 869 participants met the inclusion criteria and were included in this study. We found that acupuncture significantly reduced the frequency (g = -0.35; 95% CI, -0.5 to -0.21) and severity (g = -0.44; 95% CI, -0.65 to -0.23) of hot flashes. Acupuncture significantly decreased the psychological, somatic, and urogenital subscale scores on the Menopause Rating Scale (g = -1.56, g = -1.39, and g = -0.82, respectively; P < 0.05). Acupuncture improved the vasomotor subscale score on the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire (g= -0.46; 95% CI, -0.9 to -0.02). Long-term effects (up to 3 mo) on hot flash frequency and severity (g = -0.53 and g = -0.55, respectively) were found.
CONCLUSIONS: This meta-analysis confirms that acupuncture improves hot flash frequency and severity, menopause-related symptoms, and quality of life (in the vasomotor domain) in women experiencing natural menopause.
Source : Journal Menopause
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Effects of a Chinese Medicinal Plant Radix Astragali on the Ovariectomized Female Rats
Yan Zheng,1 Yue Jin,1 Hai-Bin Zhu,1 Shao-Ting Xu,1 Ya-Xian Xia,1 and Yue Huang2
Abstract
Perimenopausal syndrome occurs during the transition to menopause. Complementary and alternative medicine, especially Chinese medicinal plants, has manifested significant effects in alleviating perimenopausal symptoms. However, little research has been focused on the effects of Chinese medicinal plant on the immune function of the perimenopausal women. The present study aimed to explore the effects of Radix Astragali (RA) on the sex hormone levels and the interleukins of the ovariectomized female rats. 24 female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were randomly divided into model control group (MOD group), sham-operation group (SHAM group), RA group and estrogen group (EST group). After all the treatment ended, the serum levels of estradiol (E2), follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were measured using enzyme-linked immune-sorbent assay (ELISA) and the uterus was removed and weighed after blood exsanguinations immediately. In the MOD group, the serum levels of E2 were significantly lower, and the serum levels of FSH and LH were markedly higher than those of the RA group, EST group and SHAM group (P<0.05). In the RA group, the serum levels of E2 were significantly lower, and the serum levels of FSH were markedly higher than those of the SHAM group and EST group, respectively. In the MOD group, the serum levels of IL-2 and IL-8 were significantly lower than those of the RA group, EST group and SHAM group (P<0.05), and no marked differences existed among RA group, EST group and SHAM group in the serum levels of IL-2 and IL-8 (P>0.05). The uterine weight of the rats in the RA group, EST group and SHAM group were significantly higher than those of the rats in MOD group (P<0.05). There were no marked differences among the rats from RA group, EST group and SHAM group on the uterine weight (P>0.05). It is concluded that RA can significantly improve the immune functions of the ovariectomized female rats, although it cannot change the sex hormones levels as significantly as estrogen.
Source : Afr J Tradit Complementary and Alternative Medicine
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Perimenopause Amelioration of a TCM Recipe Composed of Radix Astragali, Radix Angelicae Sinensis, and Folium Epimedii: An In Vivo Study on Natural Aging Rat Model
Ji-Yan Su,1 Qing-Feng Xie,2 Wei-Jin Liu,1 Ping Lai,1 Dan-Dan Liu,1 Li-Hai Tang,1 Tina T. X. Dong,3 Zi-Ren Su,1,4 Karl W. K. Tsim,3 Xiao-Ping Lai,1,4 and Kun-Yin Li5
1School of Chinese Materia Medica, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
2Central Laboratory of the Second Affiliated Hospital, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510006, China
3Department of Biology and Center for Chinese Medicine, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay Road, Hong Kong
4Dongguan Mathematical Engineering Academy of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Dongguan, Guangdong 523808, China
5The First Affiliated Hospital of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510405, China
Abstract
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been extensively applied as preferable herbal remedy for menopausal symptoms. In the present work, the potential of a TCM recipe named RRF, composed of Radix Astragali, Radix Angelicae Sinensis, and Folium Epimedii, was investigated on a natural aging rat model. After administration of RRF (141, 282, and 564 mg/kg/d), the circulated estradiol (E2) level increased accompanied by a reduction of serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH). But no significant impact on serum lutenizing hormone (LH) level was observed. As a result of the E2-FSH-LH adjustment, the histomorphology degenerations of ovary, uterus, and vagina of the 11.5-month female rats were alleviated. And lumbar vertebrae trabecular microstructure was also restored under RRF exposure by means of increasing the trabecular area and area rate. Moreover, levels of hypothalamic dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) rallied significantly after RRF treatment. Results from our studies suggest that RRF possesses a positive regulation on the estrogen imbalance and neurotransmitter disorder, thereby restoring reproductive organ degeneration and skeleton deterioration. The above-mentioned benefits of RRF on the menopause syndromes recommend RRF as a potential candidate for the treatment of perimenopausal syndrome.
Source : Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine
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Sexual Health for Women With Hot Flashes Is Improved by Hypnotic Relaxation Therapy
Hypnotic relaxation therapy improves sexual health in postmenopausal women who have moderate to severe hot flashes, according to Baylor University researchers who presented their findings at the American Psychological Association's recent annual meeting.The study, which examined sexual comfort, sexual satisfaction and sexual pleasure, is a first step toward a safe and effective alternative toward hormone replacement therapy, which carries associated risks of cancer and heart disease, said Gary Elkins, Ph.D., director of Baylor's Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory and a professor of psychology and neuroscience in Baylor's College of Arts & Sciences.
The conclusion was based on a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. For the research, 187 women were randomly assigned to receive either five weekly sessions of hypnotic relaxation therapy or supportive counseling, said lead researcher Aimee Johnson, a doctoral student in psychology and neuroscience at Baylor University.
Led by researchers at Baylor's Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory, all study sessions were conducted by master's-level therapists trained in clinical hypnosis. Participants in the hypnotic relaxation therapy group received a hypnotic induction followed by suggestions for relaxation, coolness and mental imagery. Participants who received sessions of supportive counseling discussed their symptoms with a trained therapist but did not receive any hypnosis.
Women completed questionnaires at the beginning of the study, at the end of treatment and at a 12-week follow-up. They also were asked to complete a self-report questionnaire assessing the extent to which hot flashes interfered with sexual intimacy. The decrease in estrogen that accompanies menopause is associated with hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain and vaginal dryness, discomfort or pain.
"The most common complaints are being too tired, anxiety, depression, hot flashes and the fear of close contact," Elkins said. Because warmth that comes from closeness can trigger a hot flash, some women grow to fear intimacy, he said.
At treatment's end, women who had received hypnotic relaxation therapy reported significantly higher sexual satisfaction and pleasure, as well as less discomfort. This improvement also was seen at the 12-week follow-up assessment.
"Women's sexual health improved, whether because of sleeping better, less stress or fewer hot flashes, or perhaps other unknown mechanisms," Elkins said.
Researchers noted that postmenopausal sexual health can be affected by factors other than hot flashes, among them fatigue, self-esteem, a partner's health, relationship quality and a lack of interest by either or both partners.
For many women -- among them those who have had breast cancer -- hormone replacement therapy is not an option for menopause-related symptoms. Estrogen, for example, has been associated with more rapid growth of breast cancer.
Previous research by Elkins has shown that clinical hypnosis can effectively reduce hot flashes and associated symptoms among postmenopausal women, including a lessening of anxiety and depression
Source : Newswise
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The Effect of Qigong on Menopausal Symptoms and Quality of Sleep for Perimenopausal Women:A Preliminary Observational Study
Shu-Chuan Jennifer Yeh, PhD, RN,1and Mei-Ying Chang, PhD, RN2
Abstract
Objectives:The study objectives were to examine the effect of a 12-week 30-minute-a-day Ping Shuai Qigong exercise program on climacteric symptoms and sleep quality in perimenopausal women.
Design:This was a prospective observational study.
Settings/location:The subjects (N=70) from two communities were women aged 45 years and above who were experiencing menopausal symptoms.
Subjects:Thirty-five (35) women from one community were assigned to a Ping Shuai Qigong intervention group,while 35 women from the other community were assigned to the control group.
Interventions:This was a 12-week, 30-minute-a-day Ping Shuai Qigong program.
Outcome measures:The Greene Climacteric Symptom scale and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index were the outcome measures.
Methods:Descriptive analysis and repeated-measures analysis of variance were used.
Results:Pretest scores at baseline found no significant group differences in climacteric symptoms or sleep quality. Significant improvements in climacteric symptoms were found at 6 weeks and 12 weeks (t=4.07,p<0.001 and t=11.83,p<0.001) in the intervention group. They were also found to have significant improvements in sleep quality in those times (t=5.93,p<0.001 and t=10.58,p<0.001, respectively).
Conclusions:Ping Shuai Qigong improved climacteric symptoms and sleep quality in perimenopausal women a t6 weeks and 12 weeks. The longer a person practiced this form of meditative exercise, the greater the improvement in sleeping quality and climacteric symptoms
Source : Journal Alternative and Complementary Medicine
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Hypnosis for hot flashes: results from a randomized clinical trial and future directions
G Elkins*, W Fisher, A Johnson
From International Research Congress on Integrative Medicine and Health 2012 Portland, Oregon, USA. 15-18 May 2012
Purpose
Hot flashes are a significant clinical problem for many women. Currently there are limited options to hormone replacement therapy as non-hormonal pharmacological agents are associated with only modest activity and many adverse side effects. Hypnosis is one mind-body therapy that seems particularly promising for treating hot flashes and was investigated in the present study. This study examined the efficacy of hypnosis in reducing both self-reported and physiologically determined hot flash frequency and severity among post-menopausal women.
Methods
One-hundred and seventy post-menopausal women with moderate to severe hot flashes were randomly assigned to either a 5-session hypnosis intervention or a 5-session structured-attention control condition. All sessions were provided consistent with a treatment manual and all therapists were trained to criteria for consistency and treatment fidelity. Primary outcome measures were selfreported hot flash frequency and severity (determined via daily diaries) and physiologically monitored hot flashes (determined via sternal skin conductance). Physiological assessment of hot flashes were made using 24-hour recordings of sternal skin conductance. Measures were obtained at baseline, at the end of the five weeks intervention, and at 12 week follow-up.
Results
Results demonstrated that hot flash scores (self-report of frequency and severity of hot flashes) for the participants that received the therapist delivered hypnosis intervention decreased by approximately 70% at 5 weeks and continued to decline to approximately 80% at the 12 week follow-up. Physiologically assessed hot flashes demonstrated a 50% reduction at 5 weeks and approximately 60% reduction at 12 weeks for participants in the therapist delivered hypnosis condition.
Conclusion
To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate a clinically significant reduction in physiologically measured
hot flashes using a hypnosis intervention. This study has important implications for women experiencing hot flashes who are contraindicated for hormone replacement therapy.
Source : BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2012, 12(Suppl 1):O57
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Menopause: Relaxation Good Therapy for Hot Flushes
Women who have undergone group therapy and learned to relax have reduced their menopausal troubles by half, according to results of a study at Linköping University and Linköping University Hospital in Sweden.
Seven out of every ten women undergoing menopause have at some point experienced problems with hot flushes and sweating. For one in ten women, the problems lasted five years or longer, primarily causing discomfort in social situations and insomnia.
The background to this is not known. What is known is that the decreasing amounts of the female hormone estrogen -- which occurs after menopause -- affects the brain's heat regulation centre in the hypothalamus.
Medication with estrogen has proven to have a good effect. At the end of the 1990s, Swedish doctors prescribed hormone tablets to around 40% of women with moderate to severe symptoms. But since new observations have shown that the treatment increased the risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, their use has decreased drastically. Today, the number of women with menopausal problems receiving estrogen is down to 10%.
The situation triggered an interest in alternative forms of treatment. For her doctoral thesis, Women's Clinic consultant Elizabeth Nedstrand arranged a study where a group of women were randomly assigned to three different treatments alongside estrogen: acupuncture, exercise, and applied relaxation -- a method based on cognitive behaviour therapy developed by psychologist Lars-Göran Öst.
The results were so interesting that a larger randomised study around the effects of applied relaxation began n in 2007. 60 women who saw a doctor for moderate to severe symptoms occurring at least 50 times a week -- but who were otherwise completely healthy -- were randomly assigned to two groups: one had ten sessions of group therapy and the other received no treatment whatsoever. The results are now being published by Nedstrand and Lotta Lindh-Åstrand in the scientific journal Menopause.
Nedstrand herself conducted the therapy, which is based on learning to find the muscle groups in one's body and getting the body to relax with the help of breathing techniques.
"The participants were given exercises to practice daily at home. The goal was for them to learn to use the method on their own and to be able to manage their own symptoms.
During the intervention period and for three months thereafter, the women kept a diary of their hot flushes. They also had to fill out a "quality of life" survey on three occasions, in addition to submitting a saliva sample for analysis of the stress hormone cortisol.
The results were striking. The women in the treatment group reduced the number of hot flushes per day from an average of 9.1 to 4.4; the effect remained for three months after the last therapy session. The numbers in the control group also decreased, but only from 9.7 to 7.8.
The women in the therapy group also reported improved quality of life as regards memory and concentration, sleep, and anxiety. On the other hand, there were no statistically significant differences in stress hormone secretion.
"The study confirms that applied relaxation can help women with menopausal troubles. My hope is that women can be offered this treatment in primary care and from private health care providers," Nedstrand says.
Source : Science Daily
Attitude may play an important role in how exercise affects menopausal women, a new study shows.
A new study published in Maturitas identifies two groups of women—those who have more hot flashes after exercise and those who have fewer.
“The most consistent factor that seemed to differentiate the two groups was perceived control over hot flashes,” says Steriani Elavsky, assistant professor of kinesiology at Penn State.
“These women have ways of dealing with (hot flashes) and they believe they can control or cope with them in an effective way on a daily basis.”
Women who experienced fewer hot flashes the day after participating in vigorous to moderate physical activity were more likely to be part of the group that felt they had control over their hot flashes.
Women who had more hot flashes following exercise were likely to be those who felt they had very few ways of coping with their hot flashes. Cognitive behavioral therapy may be helpful to these women, Elavsky says.
The participants with fewer hot flashes the day after vigorous exercising were also less likely to experience anxiety and depression. However, women who had fewer hot flashes the day after only light or moderate physical activity had higher levels of pessimism and depression than others.
“The bottom line for research is that people need to look at individual differences,” says Elavsky. “It’s not enough anymore to do a study and look at overall impact of an exercise program on symptoms. It’s very clear that we need to look at the different responses that women might have, and try to understand these individual differences more.”
Elavsky and her colleagues followed 24 menopausal women for the length of one menstrual cycle, or for 30 days if they were no longer menstruating. Each woman used a personal digital assistant to record hot flashes and wore an accelerometer at the hip to track physical activity. The women in the study regularly had hot flashes before the start of the study, experiencing from five to 20 a day.
“The real-time reporting of symptoms and the objective measurement is a strength of the study,” Elavsky says. “There aren’t any studies out there that use both of these approaches. … To ask a woman to report a symptom when she’s experiencing it is the most valid assessment.”
At the beginning of the study, participants completed evaluations that looked at their depressive symptoms, chronic stress, perceived control over hot flashes, and personality. They had a physical exam where researchers measured levels of reproductive hormones and body composition. Each woman served as her own control, therefore the data was analyzed for each separately.
If a woman experienced a hot flash during the observation period, she entered the event on the PDA, along with the severity and length of the event, where she was, if she had recently consumed a trigger, such as coffee, and included other situational information.
At four random times throughout the day, the PDA prompted the woman to assess and record daily stressors and mood. At the end of the day, each completed a fifth assessment and looked retrospectively at how her day went and how well she coped with her hot flashes that day.
“I was surprised by how large the individual differences were,” says Elavsky. “I was also surprised that the association was present in terms of statistically significant association only in a handful of women—and among those, there were two whose physical activity led to more hot flashes the next day and one that had the opposite.
“Maybe the reason why we don’t see the associations in larger studies is because they cancel each other out.”
The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development supported this research.
Source : Futurity
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Management of distress during climacteric years by homeopathic therapy.
Nayak C, Singh V, Singh K, Singh H, Gupta J, Lamba CD, Sharma A, Sharma B, Indira B, Bhuvaneshwari S, Bindra SK, Luxmi KS.Source1
Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) , New Delhi, India .
Abstract
Objectives: The purpose of this study was to ascertain the usefulness of homeopathic therapy in the management of distressing symptoms encountered during climacteric years in women (primary objective) and also the changes brought about in the levels of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and lipid profile in these women after homeopathic treatment (secondary objective).
Materials and methods: An open, multicenter, prospective, observational study was carried out to ascertain the usefulness of homeopathic treatment in distress during climacteric years (DDCY). Patients were enrolled from the general outpatient department of the six Institutes/Units of Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH) and were required to complete a follow-up period of 1 year as per the protocol designed by the CCRH. A uniform questionnaire assessing 15 predefined symptoms of menopause was adopted, with assessment of each symptom at every visit. Levels of serum FSH and lipid profile were monitored at entry and at completion. Effect size of the study was also calculated. CARA Software was used for repertorization of the presenting symptoms of menopause along with the characteristic attributes of each patient to arrive at a simillimum. The selected medicine was prescribed in a single dose as per the homeopathic principles. The assessment of the results was made through statistical analysis using the Wilcoxon signed rank test on Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) comparing symptom score at entry and completion of 1 year of treatment and t test for analyzing improvement in laboratory findings.
Results: Homeopathic therapy was found to be useful in relieving menopausal distressing symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, palpitation, depression, insomnia, and so on. Influence on serum levels of FSH, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein was not significant but serum levels of cholesterol, triglycerides, and very-low-density lipoprotein decreased significantly. Effect size of the study was found to be large. The medicines found to be most frequently indicated and useful were Sepia, Lachesis, Calcarea carb., Lycopodium, and Sulphur.
Conclusions: This study proves the usefulness of homeopathic medicines in relieving DDCY.
Source J Altern Complement Med. 2011 Nov;17(11):1037-42
Link to Source as Above
Treating hot flushes in menopausal women with homeopathic treatment--results of an observational study.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: There is great controversy concerning treatment for menopausal symptoms. We evaluated homeopathic treatments for hot flushes and their effect on quality of life in menopausal women.
METHODS: Open, multi-national prospective, pragmatic and non-comparative observational study of homeopathic treatments prescribed and their effectiveness, observing their impact on quality of life.
RESULTS: Ninety-nine physicians in 8 countries took part in this study and included 438 patients with an average age of 55. Homeopathic medicines were prescribed to all patients; 98% of the prescription lines were for homeopathic medicines. Lachesis mutus, Belladonna, Sepia officinalis, Sulphur and Sanguinaria canadensis were the most prescribed. A non-homeopathic treatment and/or food supplement prescribed for 5% of the patients. This observational study revealed a significant reduction (p<0.001) in the frequency of hot flushes by day and night and a significant reduction in the daily discomfort they caused (mean fall of 3.6 and 3.8 points respectively, on a 10cm visual analogue scale; p<0.001). Ninety percent of the women reported disappearance or lessening of their symptoms, these changes mostly taking place within 15 days of starting homeopathic treatment.
CONCLUSIONS: The results of this observational study suggest that homeopathic treatment for hot flushes in menopausal women is effective. Further studies including randomized controlled trials should be conducted.
Source Homeopathy 2008
Link to abstract as above