Most Studies Of Alternative Therapies For Menopause Lack Consistent Findings Of Effectiveness, Report Says

Main Category: Menopause
Also Included In: Endocrinology
Article Date: 27 Jul 2006 - 3:00 PDT

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Most clinical trials examining alternative therapies for menopause-related symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats, do not demonstrate sufficient or consistent evidence that the treatments are effective, according to a study published in the July 24 edition of the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, Reuters Health reports (Norton, Reuters Health, 7/24). Anne Nedrow, an assistant professor of medicine at the Oregon Health and Science University, and colleagues examined 70 randomized controlled trials that compared complementary or alternative therapies for menopause-related symptoms with a placebo or control treatment, the New York Times reports. The alternative therapies examined in the trials included herb treatments, "mind-body" techniques, energy therapies using magnets or electrical nerve stimulation, homeopathy, naturopathy or "culturally based non-Western medical treatments," according to the Times. The researchers found that most of the studies on the alternative treatments lacked adequate scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of any of the therapies. In addition, the study finds that some trials were of poor quality, and even the trials found to be of "fair" or "good" quality showed little difference between the effectiveness of alternative and placebo therapies (Bakalar, New York Times, 7/25). Nedrow said that, in each of the studies, there was a "placebo effect," meaning that women who had placebo treatments still reported an improvement in their symptoms (Reuters Health, 7/24). She said, "I think the placebo is a powerful thing and underutilized," adding, "If they're taking a product and they like it and it is safe, I say great, and I won't spend the time to read my article to them" (New York Times, 7/25). Nedrow also said that women should take a "buyer beware" attitude toward nonprescription therapies (Reuters Health, 7/24). But "I think that some of these treatments, if the research was better, might show benefits," she said (New York Times, 7/25).

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