Wednesday Bubble: what’s black and red and so not over?
How about black cohosh and red clover?
Naysayers keep bashing both of these herbs for relief of menopausal symptoms. And yet, anecdotal evidence show otherwise; I know quite a number of women who have successfully shut down their flashes and night sweats with standardized black cohosh in particular. For red clover, the results have not been quite as favourable. Still, I say this bubble ain’t over yet.
In the latest study, published in Menopause journal, researchers examined the safety and effectiveness of standardized black cohosh or red clover compared to hormone replacement or placebo in 89 menopausal women with severe hot flashes or night sweats (52 to 71 per week). Participants took one of these compounds for a year.
The results showed that while all women reported improvements, reductions in the frequency of symptoms varied by compound:
Black cohosh 34%
Red clover 57%
Placebo 63%
HRT 94%
However, contrary to previous reports, both black cohosh and red clover were found to be safe.
So, what should you do when it comes to black cohosh or red clover? As always, speak to a health practitioner about your symptoms so that you and she can make an educated decision about therapeutic strategies. Be sure that any herb you try is standardized and manufactured in a reputable facility. Finally, be aware that herbs take much longer than pharmaceuticals to start working so don’t get discouraged. The good news is that both of these products can be safe when used responsibly and under supervision. Nevertheless, like any medication, they can interact with other drugs and other conditions so you need to do your homework wisely.
Read MoreWednesday Bubble: Nutrafem promises much…will it deliver?
Not gonna burst this one. At least not yet. Because there’s a new botanical formulation in town and the evidence supporting its effectiveness looks pretty strong!
Nutrafem® is a supplement containing a proprietary blend of phytoestrogens – namely Eucommia ulmoides bark (a deciduous rubber tree whose bark has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine practice for centuries) and Vigna radiata (mungbeans).
In a study that appears in the Advanced Online Edition of Menopause, Nutrafem was shown to reduce the number of hot flashes and night sweats that women were experiencing by 26% over a 12-week time period. What’s more, among the 156 postmenopausal women studied, symptoms were reduced in almost half of the women. At the start of the study, participants were reportedly experiencing at least 21 or more hot flushes or night sweats weekly, and at least a third of these were described as being severe to moderate.
Earlier studies have also been favourable, suggesting that Nutrafem also leads to significant improvements in general health, body aches/pains, energy and fatigue, and emotional wellbeing.
This formulation appears to be safe and reported side effects during use have been minimal. Importantly, both of the key ingredients have a long history of as food or herbal medicines; the mung bean in particular has been used to address effects of radiation during breast cancer therapy, such as headache, fatigue or sleeplessness. Additionally, while Nutrafem appears to activate estrogen receptors, it does not promote the proliferation of breast cancer cells.
I have high hopes for Nutrafem. Have you tried it?
Read MoreViva la sweats!
Night sweats, that is! I never thought that I’d write that but it does seem that having night sweats may actually save your life someday.
Reporting in the September/October issue of Menopause, Norwegian researchers followed up on over 800 women in menopause who had previously provided information about lifestyle and menopausal history (including vasomotor symptoms). Of the 73% of women who reported having hot flashes, 39% also reported night sweats. Women reporting both were shown to have a 28% lower risk of dying from any causes over the next 20 years. A reduced risk of dying remained even after the researchers made adjustments for past or current hormone use, body mass index, physical exercise and smoking.
Will these data make me stop the herbs and start sweating away my nights? No. But it’s good to know that vasomotor symptoms, such as night sweats, may have a role beyond “nuisance,” “disruptive,” “mood changing” and sheet-ruining!
Read MoreWednesday Bubble: Equol-ity
Not bursting this one. At least not yet….
Last January, I shared some news on a key component in a type of isoflavone known as Daidzein. The component, S-equol, is produced by some people by the bacteria that lives in their intestines after eating soybeans and soy foods. Japanese women who produce S-equol naturally have been shown to have milder menopausal symptoms.
No wonder I was excited to see more information about S-equol coming out of September’s North American Menopause Society meeting. This time, researchers asked 320 postmenopausal women complaining of at least one hot flash a day to take a 10 mg equol supplement or a placebo tablet for 12 weeks. Menopausal symptoms were evaluated before and after taking the equol supplement, both by questionnaire and by a visual scale.
The findings are encouraging, as it appears that taking a daily equol supplement significantly reduced the frequency of hot flashes by as much as 58%. Women taking the supplement also reported declines in neck and shoulder stiffness. What’s more, no side effects were reported. However, while menopausal symptoms scores improved overall, S-equol did not appear to affect night sweats, mood issues or quality of life.
Obviously, S-equol is not yet available for mass consumption and only time will tell if these benefits can be duplicated in larger groups of women. Still, it’s nice to know that plant-based compounds are slowly proving their worth in the quest to find non-pharmaceuticals to alleviate menopausal symptoms. I’m all for equality when it comes to solutions for menopause and equol has my vote so far!
Read MoreThe domino effect
I’ve never heard of the term ‘Domino Effect’ being applied to menopause, although, if one thinks about it, it makes perfect sense. For example, hot flashes beget sleep disruptions beget mood swings, and so on and and so on.
But do they?
In a study published in Menopause Journal ahead-of-print, 55 women were asked to keep daily records of their symptoms for up to five years or until they fully entered menopause. whichever came first. The researchers then evaluated whether or not changes in hot flashes or night sweats would predict a change in sleep the very same day, and if these changes then predicted changes in moods the next day. They also factored in whether or not women were initially depressed to insure that any results they found would not be unduly influenced.
They found that daily hot flashes or night sweats accurately predicted same day sleep problems and disruptions, which in turn, worsened moods the next day. However, the researchers were unable to connect hot flashes and night sweats directly to shifts in mood without this interim step except for in women who were already mildly depressed.
Are you confused yet?
What this really shows is that while night flashes and hot sweats may affect overall mood swings during menopause, the reason is unlikely to be attributed directly to sleep disruption but rather to some other mechanism. In the long run, this may allow lead to better interventions that individually address these factors so that the sum of the parts becomes a more positive sense of well-being regardless of any physical disruptions.
Every action has a chain reaction. Hopefully, this finding will lead to something positive for us all.
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