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  • Q&A with Australian Health Practitioners

    Are there natural treatments for menopausal symptoms?

    Related Topics
    Menopause Women's Health
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    Jean Hailes for Women's Health

    Jean Hailes for Women’s Health is a leader in women’s health, supported by funding from the Australian Government. We provide trusted and easy-to-understand information to … View Profile

    People may choose therapies such as acupuncture, naturopathy, manual therapies, traditional Chinese medicine and herbal medicine among other options to assist in managing their health. Natural therapies are often referred to as complementary medicines, in that they work in conjunction with or alongside other treatments.

    A preference for non-pharmaceutical therapy is sometimes based on the idea that natural therapies are safe and that side effects do not occur. This is not always the case. It is important to understand that these remedies should be prescribed by a practitioner trained in their proper use and that with any therapy, natural or pharmaceutical, careful review of potential side effects should be undertaken together with your health practitioner before use.

    Recent studies indicate that acupuncture and mindfulness therapy may reduce flushing and sweating. There is little evidence that over-the-counter menopause products improve symptoms.

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    Dr Michael Elstein

    GP (General Practitioner)

    I am an anti-ageing/wellness expert and author of ‘Eternal Health,’ and ‘You have the power.’ I have appeared on radio and television and currently have … View Profile

    There is evidence that natural remedies can relieve hot flashes or flushes.  The website Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database found at www.naturaldatabase.com provides expert and critical evaluation of natural therapies that are used to treat medical conditions.  Black Cohosh found in a product called Remifenin, eicosapentaenoic acid at a dose of 500mg 3 x daily, flaxseed, soy, the herb St John's Wort and progesterone cream have all been shown in at least some trials to alleviate flushing and other menopausal symptoms. 
      There is evidence for and against the use of progesterone. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=Effectiveness%20of%20Compounded%20Bioidentical%20Hormone%20Replacement%20Therapy%3A%20An%20Observational
     I agree that these substances should be administered under clinical supervision.
    'You have the power,' found at www.eternalhealth.org has a segment on the management of menopause.

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  • Jean Hailes for Women's Health

    Jean Hailes for Women’s Health is a leader in women’s health, supported by funding from the Australian Government. We provide trusted and easy-to-understand information to … View Profile

    Almost all of the clinical studies of black cohosh have used the commercially available product Remifemin; and yes, some of those trials have shown Remifemin to be effective for treating menopausal symptoms including hot flushes.
    Several trials have also shown St John's Wort to be effective for mild to moderate depression, which can accompany menopause.
    www.managingmenopause.org.au/management/other-therapies/herbal-remedies
    Compounded ‘bioidentical’* hormone preparations, however, should not be considered ‘natural treatments’ despite how they are marketed - the hormones that they contain are all manufactured synthetically, by a similar process to most other hormone products including the pill. The difference is that ‘bioidentical’ formulations are prepared individually by pharmacists, rather than in a quality-controlled manner by pharmaceutical companies, which means they are not subject to Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) rules or Medicines Australia codes of conduct.
    * The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ruled in 2008 that the term ‘bioidentical’ is a “marketing term that carries no scientific or medical merit”.
    www.managingmenopause.org.au/management/other-therapies/bioidentical-hormones
    That said, all medicines, be they ‘natural’ or not, should be treated with care and only taken in consultation with health professionals.

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    Dr Michael Elstein

    GP (General Practitioner)

    I am an anti-ageing/wellness expert and author of ‘Eternal Health,’ and ‘You have the power.’ I have appeared on radio and television and currently have … View Profile

      Having worked in this field for quite some time I have consulted with a number of women who have not done well with conventional hormone treatments, nor are their experiences with orthodox practitioners always of a favourable nature. A welcome departure from the usual vilification metered out to 'bioidentical hormone replacement' can be found in the supplement to the recent April edition of  ‘Climacteric,’ a highly revered journal dealing with women's health, in which experts from around the world highlight the benefits and advantages of oestrogen in the form of a cream and natural progesterone (their phrasing not mine) when compared with oestrogen taken by mouth and the synthetic version of progesterone known as progestins.  http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22432812 .  These articles present evidence which indicates that oestrogen in the cream form and natural progesterone are more breast and heart friendly when compared with conventional treatments.  Their marketing strategy is to call this hormone treatment ‘body-identical.’
      Evidence found elsewhere suggests that progesterone might be preferred to progestins when it comes to problems of weight gain, a highly contraversial and hotly disputed area, when it comes to the supposed connection between HRT and weight loss issues.
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=The%20endocrinology%20of%20perimenopause%3A%20need%20for%20a%20paradigm%20shift
     For those who are interested, the above articles can be downloaded in full by accessing the latest wellness updates at www.eternalhealth.org

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    Dr Carolyn Ee

    Acupuncturist, GP (General Practitioner)

    I'm a Sydney GP with a special interest in women's health especially menopause and TTC ( trying to conceive). I specialise in acupuncture, and am … View Profile

    Some preliminary evidence suggests yoga might help with insomnia during the menopause, and cognitive behavioural therapies may help with hot flushes. It is still unclear if Remifemen or Black cohosh is actually effective, with a recent systematic review concluding it was no better than placebo. Soy isoflavones may provide a modest benefit, however questions remain about the safety of this treatment. 

    Time helps most women. The majority of women will stop flushing within a few years. However this can be a very long few years! 

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