Red Hot Mamas In Charge of Change.
By: Red Hot Mamas
Published: March 5, 2007
A Study of Black Cohosh for Menopausal Health
Questions about Hormone Therapy and a Search for Alternative Treatments
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has long been the medical gold standard for maintenance of health of menopausal women. It was thought to prevent heart disease, maintain skeletal health and mental functioning, and to relieve hot flashes and other symptoms that disrupt daily life.
However, this view changed with the results and termination of the government-funded Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study. The study was halted when predetermined safety endpoints defined unacceptable risk with long term use of HRT. The risks included increased cardiovascular events, stroke, venous thromboembolism, cognitive decline, and breast cancer. Thus, purported health benefits of HRT have either been disproved, modified or are now discounted by women who fear adverse events and increased risks associated with taking hormones.
With funding from the National Institutes of Health, we established a Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine Research in Aging and Women’s Health with a goal of researching important questions about how herbs and diet might influence hormonal function and the health of women as they age. The focus: two major studies of non-hormonal treatments of hot flashes and other symptoms associated with menopause, cardiovascular and bone health, and breast cancer. These studies have assumed even greater importance in recent years since the results of the WHI alerted women to the problems associated with hormone replacement therapy.
Many women, more reluctant than ever to take estrogen therapy, are turning in increasing numbers to “natural” alternatives to treat their hot flashes and other symptoms. The market is flooded with herbal preparations and other dietary supplements for menopausal women. This includes many forms of black cohosh, an herb native to the U.S. that has seen a substantial increase in use and media coverage in the past few years. It is now among the top 10 herbs used in the U.S. Research to date suggests that it is not estrogenic in the sense of stimulating breast cancer cells in the laboratory. Thus, it has the potential for benefit with respect to hot flashes, without the associated risks of estrogen therapy. It is of critical importance for women to have a range of choices that are both effective and safe in addressing the various problems that arise in the menopausal years. However, the clinical studies are too few for definitive conclusions to be drawn.
Our research addresses these concerns and will provide information about the value of black cohosh as an alternative to estrogen therapy with respect to the treatment of menopausal symptoms – primarily hot flashes – and including related concerns such as cognitive function, and bone health. Our study will provide valuable safety information about black cohosh.
Of the natural herbal alternatives currently under investigation, black cohosh has a long history of use in the US, and as a prescription herbal drug in Germany for 50 years. It offers great potential for menopausal women.
Our goal is to increase our knowledge about alternative approaches to healthy aging and problems that arise through the menopausal years, so that women, and their doctors, will have better information and more choices. The information to be gained is important for public health and will contribute to improving the wellbeing of women.
This clinical study is of great importance to menopausal women has been completed. The data are ready to be analyzed. But, due to reduction in federal funding, researchers lack the necessary resources to complete the work. Without immediate financial support, important information on natural alternatives to hormone therapy will be lost. We need your help now! Contact Dr. Fredi Kronenberg, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons at fk11@columbia.edu for further information. All contributions are tax deductible.
Dr. Fredi Kronenberg is an associate professor of clinical physiology at Columbia University’s College of Physicians & Surgeons and director of the Rosenthal Center.
