Use of Alternative Therapies During
Menopause
In 1997, about 42 percent of U.S. adults used some
type of alternative therapy, for a total expenditure of $27 billion.
Acupuncture and several dietary supplements, such as soy, isoflavone,
and black cohosh, have been advocated for treatment of menopausal
symptoms, but the extent of their use in the general population is
unknown. Newton and colleagues surveyed women enrolled in a large
managed-care health plan to assess the prevalence of alternative
treatments for menopausal symptoms and the characteristics of women
who chose such therapies.
As part of a large study of
menopause and hormone replacement
therapy (HRT), the authors surveyed 886 women 45 to 65 years of age
who had been plan members for at least two years. The women were
asked about their beliefs and attitudes toward HRT, menopausal
symptoms, use of alternative therapies, and interactions with health
care providers. Perceived risk of osteoporosis, coronary heart
disease, and breast cancer also was assessed. Specific questions
about alternative therapies concerned the use of acupuncture,
chiropractic therapy, relaxation therapy, massage, and stress
management. Information also was gathered on demographic factors,
height, weight, exercise habits,
smoking and
alcohol use.
Alcohol
addiction
menopause
The majority of participants (90 percent) were white, and most
(78 percent) had at least some college education. Overall, 76
percent of the women reported using at least one alternative
therapy, and 22 percent reported using such therapies specifically
for menopausal symptoms. Use was higher among the younger and
better-educated women. Women who reported engaging in moderate to
strenuous exercise and who did not smoke were more likely to report
using alternative therapies.
The most commonly used therapies were stress management or
relaxation techniques (43 percent); herbal, homeopathic, or
naturopathic remedies (37 percent); chiropractic therapy (32
percent); massage therapy (30 percent); dietary soy (23 percent);
and acupuncture (10 percent).
Nine percent of the women had consulted a homeopathic or
naturopathic practitioner, and 5 percent had visited a herbalist.
Herbal, homeopathic, or naturopathic remedies had been used
specifically for menopausal symptoms by 13 percent of the women and
7 percent had used soy products. Up to 75 percent of the
participants said the alternative therapies were very helpful. The
strongest support was reported for chiropractic therapy,
acupuncture, massage therapy, and stress management.
Nearly two thirds of the women favored natural therapies for
menopause; 61 percent agreed with the statement that natural
approaches were better than taking hormone pills. Nearly one half of
the women who agreed with this statement were current HRT users. Use
of stress-management techniques, massage therapy, chiropractic
therapy, acupuncture, and soy products was greatly increased in
women who reported sleep disturbances. Women with a history of breast cancer were six times more likely than other women to use soy
products.
menopause
The authors conclude that use of alternative therapies among
menopausal women--even those using HRT--is common. Some products,
especially soy, appear to have particularly high use in the subset
of women with a history of breast cancer.
ANNE D. WALLING, M.D.
Newton KM, et al. Use of alternative therapies for
menopause symptoms: results of a population-based survey. Obstet
Gynecol July 2002;100:18-25.
menopause
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