How does cancer treatment lead to hot flashes?
Women who suffer from a particular type of breast cancer fed by unbalanced estrogen are often prescribed drugs that reduce the amount of estrogen in the body. Tamoxifen is the most common of these estrogen blocking drugs and is usually taken daily for several years. One of the common side effects of these types of drugs is hot flashes and night sweats, similar to those experienced during menopause. The traditional treatment for these hot flashes is an antidepressant such as Effexor. These drugs reduce the hot flashes but often have unpleasant side effects such as constipation, nausea, anxiety, dizziness, and dry mouth. Antidepressants may also limit the effectiveness of tamoxifen, as they can prevent it being absorbed properly into the body. The team at Henry Ford Hospital was determined to find a natural alternative to Effexor that was free from side effects. What does the study show? The study, the results of which are published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, involved fifty wom
