How effective are herbal remedies?
European studies suggest that black cohosh has some beneficial effects. Most have been small, pilot-type trials, and you have to be careful that you’re not just getting a placebo effect. The results of a trial using black cohosh in women on tamoxifen were published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology about a year ago. Apparently, the herb did not demonstrate a benefit against hot flashes, but it did seem to decrease sweating episodes. So the bottom line is that the jury is still out on black cohosh. It looks moderately promising, despite the negative study that’s out there. Let’s say a healthy menopausal woman who has been on HRT decides to stop taking it. What would be your best advice to her if her hot flashes return? If her flashes are mild, she might try vitamin E. If she’s opposed to taking estrogen, progesterone alone can be effective. As I said before, megestrol acetate is another hormonal option. But if a woman wants to avoid hormonal treatments altogether, my first recommendat
