A recent study showed favorable indications that a Traditional Chinese herbal formula could reduce the hot flashes of menopause. The study is not the last word on this subject. The study was small, and there are questions about the amount of placebo affect in the study. From the point of view of herbalists, the study was likely to have inconsistencies because the herbs were not specific to the patients.
Herbal medicine, unlike western Biomedical medicine, focusses on treating the patient, not the medical condition. There are many herbal formulas that are utilized to treat patients who are struggling with the bodily changes that go along with menopause. The herbal formulas should be used based on a proper herbal diagnosis. Some patients are going to try to track down the herbal formula used in the study. This would be ill advised. The best results are going to come from getting a proper diagnosis from a nationally board certified herbalist who can not only prescribe a herbal formula specific to the patient but also provide food and lifestyle advice to improve the outcome.
It is important to remember that studies of traditional Chinese medicine utilizing modern scientific methods is imprecise and should not be used as clinical guidance. Modern biomedical science views the body as a machine to be fixed. Symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats are something to be stopped.
In Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) the body is seen as something that can fix itself. Symptoms indicate what help the body needs in making changes. The goal in TCM is not to stop menopause or adjust the hormones, rather, the goal is to use the symptoms as an indicator as to the type of help the body needs to ease the transition of menopause. TCM herbal formulas can be very powerful in helping women move quickly and easily through this transition. This in turn helps the body naturally regulate hot flashes, night sweats and other symptoms. The place to start is to understand what foods help naturally control the symptoms of menopause and then get the advice of a herbalist who can help with herbal medicines specific to your needs.
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