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"Herb fails in treating menopause, study finds"


Calgary Herald

Source: Calgary Herald

Published: 19 Dec 2021

Category: Other

Rating: (2½ stars)

what they said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

A popular herbal treatment called black cohosh is practically ineffective at relieving hot flashes and night sweats in women going through menopause, a study found.

The findings were disappointing news for women seeking alternatives to estrogen-progestin hormone supplements, which have been linked to breast cancer and heart problems.

The yearlong study of 351 women suffering from hot flashes and night sweats found that those given black cohosh got about the same amount of relief as those who took a placebo...

The original article can be found at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/18/AR2006121800544.html

how did it rate? (more information)

Criteria Rating
Total Score 5 of 10
Availability of Treatment Not Satisfactory (?)
Novelty of Treatment Satisfactory (?)
Disease Mongering Satisfactory (?)
Treatment Options Satisfactory (?)
Costs of Treatment Not Satisfactory (?)
Evidence Not Satisfactory (?)
Quantification of Benefits of Treatment Satisfactory (?)
Harms of Treatment Not Satisfactory (?)
Sources of Information Satisfactory (?)
Relies on Press Release Not Applicable
Quantification of harms of treatment Not Satisfactory (?)

what we said (Hover the mouse cursor over underlined words for more info)

Menopausal women have one less option for the relief of symptoms based on the results of this study. A publicly funded trial comparing black cohosh and placebo found that black cohosh is not effective. Once again, the public steps in to fund research where the private sector will not, either because it is afraid of the results or because of the limited commercial value of the product.

Although the newspaper article mentions hormonal treatment for menopausal symptoms it would have been valuable if it had described some of the nondrug therapies that have been found to work.

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