Yes, I’m still fishing ladies, but in checking in with my blogs daily, I happened to notice this news report on my Menopause News Feed in my side bar – menopause symptoms don’t respond to herbal therapy.
Of course, I couldn’t ignore it and felt I needed to check it out since many of us do take herbal supplements for our menopause and perimenopause symptoms.
In the January 2009 Drugs and Therapeutics Bulletin, researchers are stating that there is no clear evidence that menopause symptoms respond to herbal remedies.
Some of the reasons stated are that there is not enough regulation over the herbal industry and nothing is standardized in terms of product ingredients. That is, there is great variation as to what you are buying and how much So, therefore, no solid studies can be conducted to provide reliable evidence one way or the other.
Okay. I can see where this could be a problem and frankly, ladies, I’m going to come clean and tell you that I’ve always had my suspicions on the effectiveness of herbs overall. Being the cynic that I tend to be with so many things, I expect there to be over-blown claims and biased research to back them up. However, I also expect this in the pharmaceutical and medical community as well.
I know women who swear by herbal remedies. I spent my fair share of cash every month (like around $300 at its peak) trying to get relief under the care of a medical doctor who specialized in natural alternatives. Truthfully? The vast majority of what I took had no discernible affect on my perimenopause symptoms.
I was able to whittle my stash down to a few things that I felt really worked, which included: Calcium/Magnesium (good for sleep & taking the edge off of mood swings) progesterone (for sleep, night sweats & also taking a bit of the edge of mood swings) soy milk and soy beans (for hot flashes & night sweats).
I can say with a certainty these things helped me. Everything else I got rid of. I’m not vouching one way or the other for this news story however, though I would suggest you read it. If for nothing else, it’s always good to stay informed and keep abreast of studies and latest research. You can decide for yourself if you think it’s valuable or just a bunch of bunk.
Unfortunately, there is voluminous information available for perimenopause and menopause symptoms and much of it is contradictory. But, if you wade through it enough you can usually find things that most “experts” agree on. That is usually the take-away-value for me. Then, of course, if there are things that you personally do that works, well then, it just doesn’t matter what the experts say. Keep doing it.
I’ll be back from my fishing expedition soon. As always you can reach me via email, comments or my contact form. I will get back to you within 24 hours.
Till then
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Ms. Magnolia,
Thanks for taking time away from fishing to post about herbs and herbal supplements. I, like you, find all the information about easing perimenopausal symptoms confusing but, and this is a big but, I tend to go more with the idea that natural alternatives work.
If I’m going to find a report suspect, I think I’d find more to question about anything coming from the medical establishment. Drug companies hold so much sway over our governmental representatives and, in fact, every area of society. They’re rich, they’re powerful and they want to stay that way. So I, for one, don’t trust ‘em!
Hello Eileen,
Glad to hear I’m not the only cynic and suspicious one when it comes to doctors and drug companies.
And of course, anything that doesn’t disrupt our bodies to terribly much is always preferrable to that which does.
I’m still fishing. Popping in every now and then.