Treatment for hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms

Change is good. But not always easy.

If you read the e-Alert “Throttle Up” (10/6/05) last week and decided to switch from a pharmaceutical to a non-drug treatment to address symptoms of menopause, what’s your first step? For an HSI member named Gui-Ok, sending an e-mail was step number one.

Gui-Ok actually inquired on behalf of a friend. She writes: “My friend is now taking Livial due to her all her menoposal symptoms, especially hot flash. Can you please tell me more details about this medicine especially its side effects? Is there any way she, or any woman, can safely transit to some natural method?”

According to NetDoctor, the active ingredient in Livial is tibolone; a synthetic steroid that mimics the hormonal activity of estrogen and progesterone. Listed potential side effects include headaches, hypertension, depression, itching, numbness, fainting, jaundice and abdominal problems.

Hormonal treatments should be handled with the greatest of care, so changing from this drug to a natural treatment requires the advice and guidance of a doctor or a healthcare professional who is well-versed in a patient’s medical history. That said, there are several natural treatments for menopausal symptoms that Gui-Ok’s friend might try.

Red clover is a botanical that we’ve written about many times in both HSI Members Alerts and e-Alerts. For centuries, healers in Europe and Asia have used red clover to treat chest congestion, gout, psoriasis, eczema, and to generally purge toxins from the body. Red clover has also been shown to relieve hot flashes.

Studies have shown that red clover extracts may thin the blood, so it’s not recommended for patients taking anticoagulant medications. And because estrogenic activity is stimulated by isoflavones, those with hormone sensitive diseases (such as thyroid dysfunction) should also use red clover extracts with caution.

If red clover isn’t right for you, however, there are other ways to address hot flashes without pharmaceuticals. In the e-Alert “Turning Down The Heat” (12/17/02), I shared several e-mails from HSI members who wrote to tell about the natural methods that had worked for them, including indium, natural progesterone yam cream, and high doses of vitamins C and E.

And in the e-Alert “Jumpin’ Pax Flash” 6/9/03) I told you about a special report titled “Look and Feel Your Best,” written by HSI Panelist Linda Page, N.D., Ph.D. In this report Dr. Page shows women how to make their way through menopause naturally, without using hormone replacement therapy. You can use this link to learn more about how Dr. Page’s techniques may make the difference between just surviving menopause, and emerging from it happier and healthier:
http://www1.youreletters.com/t/178920/2397446/779931/0/

Sources:
“Livial” NetDoctor, netdoctor.co.uk