Background: Nearly half of adults in the United States use complementary and alternative therapies each year for a variety of reasons. These therapies are increasingly popular among women seeking alternatives to treatment with estrogen for managing menopausal symptoms. The objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of complementary and alternative therapies in the management of menopausal symptoms.

Data Sources: MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Cochrane Library database, MANTIS, and AMED.

Study Selection: Full-text, English-language, randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses comparing a complementary or alternative therapy with placebo or control for treatment of menopausal symptoms.

Data Extraction: All eligible trials were reviewed, abstracted into evidence tables, and rated for quality.

Data Synthesis: Seventy randomized controlled trials met inclusion criteria. Forty-eight studies of phytoestrogens and other biologically based agents showed mixed results. Smaller numbers of studies using mind-body, energy, manipulative, and body-based therapies and whole medical systems showed little benefit in treating menopausal symptoms.

Conclusions: Although individual trials suggest benefits from certain therapies, data are insufficient to support the effectiveness of any complementary and alternative therapy in this review for the management of menopausal symptoms. Many of these potential therapies warrant further study in trials with rigorous scientific designs to determine benefit and safety.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/archinte.166.14.1453DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

complementary alternative
20
alternative therapies
12
therapies management
8
menopausal symptoms
8
effectiveness complementary
8
management menopausal
8
menopausal symptomsdata
8
randomized controlled
8
controlled trials
8
alternative therapy
8

Similar Publications

Introduction: Cancer patients often face challenges in managing their disease, particularly with regard to contraindications related to medications, foods, and physical activity, which can negatively affect treatment outcomes. This study aimed to evaluate cancer patients' awareness of these contraindications and to explore the influence of sociodemographic factors, support systems, comorbidities, and medication use on their knowledge.

Methods: A cross-sectional prospective study was conducted with 125 cancer patients in Saudi Arabia between December 2022 and February 2023.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Amid ambitious net-zero goals and growing demands for freight logistics, addressing the climate challenges posed by the heavy-duty truck (HDT) sector is an urgent and pivotal task. This study develops an integrated HDT model by incorporating vehicle dynamic simulation and life cycle analysis to quantify energy consumption, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and total cost of ownership associated with three emerging powertrain technologies in various truck use scenarios in China, including battery electric, fuel cell electric, and hydrogen combustion engine trucks. The results reveal varying levels of economic suitability for these powertrain alternatives depending on required driving ranges and duty cycles: the battery electric for regional-haul applications, the hydrogen fuel cell for longer-haul and low-load driving conditions, and the hydrogen combustion engine to meet high power requirements.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The use of traditional and complementary medicine by cancer patients in SSA: A scoping review.

Health SA

December 2024

Discipline of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa.

Background: The rate of traditional and complementary medicine (T&CM) use is increasing worldwide, including among cancer patients who are often willing to try alternate therapies. Despite T&CM popularity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), there are limited data on its use with conventional treatments.

Aim: This scoping review aims to describe the prevalence of use, reasons for use, most common types of T&CM used, patient satisfaction with T&CM and disclosure of T&CM use to physicians among cancer patients in SSA.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

With over two millennia of history, traditional Chinese acupuncture ranks among the most renowned forms of supplementary and other healthcare. The use of acupuncture releases endorphins and serotonin, two naturally occurring painkillers, into the nervous system and stimulates it. It also modifies how pain signals are processed and perceived.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Both Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) pose significant healthcare burdens on the general population of America. Though first-line medications are available, concomitant burdens of polypharmacy, side effects, and inadequate control exist. Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) is a hands-on, physical manipulation technique that offers a personalized and direct approach to modifying the body's neuromuscular and viscerosomatic activity leading to decreased symptomatic burden with minimal side effects.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!