although some alternative therapies like botanical and herbal therapies have shown promise for relieving menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, more research is needed. eighty-five percent of the women in the united states experience hot flashes of some kind as they approach menopause and for the first year or two after their periods stop. between 20 and 50% of women continue to have them for ...

BACKGROUND Hot flashes cause significant morbidity in postmenopausal women, including women with breast cancer. We undertook a pilot study to estimate the effectiveness of black cohosh to reduce hot flashes. METHODS Women who reported significant hot flashes (> or = 14 per week) were enrolled. Black cohosh was given in the form of the commercial product Remifemin. The first week was a no-trea...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to examine the associations of demographic characteristics, health behaviors, and hormone concentrations with the experience of any, current, more severe, and more frequent midlife hot flashes. METHODS Baseline data from 732 women aged 45 to 54 years who were enrolled in the Midlife Women's Health Study were analyzed. A clinic visit was conducted to collect...

Hot flashes are a significant problem for many breast cancer survivors and can cause discomfort, insomnia, anxiety, and decreased quality of life. In the past, the standard treatment for hot flashes has been hormone replacement therapy. However, recent research has found an increased risk of breast cancer in women receiving hormone replacement therapy. As a result, many menopausal women and bre...

BACKGROUND An imbalance in the production of proinflammatory and anti-inflammatory cytokines may play a role in the pathophysiology of perimenopausal depression. The aim of this study was to examine serum levels of the proinflammatory cytokines interleukin 6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα), and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, in perimenopausal women suffering from depression. Fu...

According to the National Cancer Institute, more than 230,000 new cases of prostate cancer will occur in the United States in 2005. Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men, with an estimated 29,900 deaths in 2004 (American Cancer Institute, 2004). The standard palliative treatment for men with advanced disease is testosterone suppression, which can be accomplished thr...

Although much research is underway to develop new treatments for postmenopausal hot flashes, it is hindered by a lack of suitable outcome measures. Therefore, the author invented a miniature, ambulatory hot flash recorder. The purpose of this study was to ascertain patient satisfaction with this device. Subjects were 38 postmenopausal women reporting frequent hot flashes. They wore the recorder...

Hot flashes continue to be a troublesome problem for menopausal women the world over. After >50 y of research, we still do not understand the etiology and mechanism of hot flashes, nor do we know how estrogen, the major pharmaceutical treatment, works to reduce hot flashes. We are gaining insight into sociocultural complexities that may affect how and whether women report hot flashes. And we ar...

In light of the article ”Understanding CYP2D6 and Its Role in Tamoxifen Metabolism” (Smith, 2013), we feel it imperative to comment on the recent, unexpected approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (2013) of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor paroxetine as a nonhormonal treatment for menopausal hot flashes. Paroxetine is a strong inhibitor of CYP2D6, the same enzyme system tha...

The objective of this study is to explore the effects of acupuncture and auricular acupressure in relieving menopausal hot flashes of bilaterally ovariectomized Chinese women. Between May 2006 and March 2008, 46 bilaterally ovariectomized Chinese women were randomized into an acupuncture and auricular acupressure group (n = 21) and a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) group (Tibolone, n = 25). E...