Cognitive Behavioural Therapy or CBT is a safe and effective therapy for hot flashes and night sweats, the most common symptoms of the menopause and an alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT).
This is according to two new studies published this month. Both studies were led by Professor Myra Hunter of the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London.
Almost a quarter of women going through the menopause commonly suffer from hot flushes and night sweats which leads to them experiencing sleep disturbances, embarrassment and discomfort.
The first study followed women who had hot flashes and night sweats after breast cancer treatment and the second followed healthy menopausal women and was published in Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society.
In the second study, 140 healthy menopausal women were followed in a Randomized Controlled Trial over 26 weeks and were divided into two groups. One had group cognitive behavior therapy and the other self-help CBT. It was found that both group and guided self-help forms of CBT led to significant improvements in how women coped with the menopause symptoms.
In addition, mood, quality of life and sleep improved.
What's more, these improvements following brief interventions of CBT were still effective 6 months later.
Source: King's College, London
Showing posts with label menopausal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label menopausal. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Friday, May 27, 2011
Menopausal Women Benefit From Green Tea and Tai Chi
According to Dr Chwan-Li Shen, Green Tea and Tai Chi enhance bone health and reduce inflammation in postmenopausal women.
Dr. Chwan-Li (Leslie) Shen is an associate professor and a researcher at the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and has conducted a study focused on postmenopausal women and investigating the potential for green tea to work synergistically with tai chi (an eastern fitness activity) in enhancing bone strength after the menopause.
She carried out a double-blind, placebo-controlled, intervention trial which involved 171 postmenopausal women with an average age of 57 years old, who had weak bones but not full-fledged osteoporosis.
The study lasted for 6 months, during which time blood and urine samples were collected and muscle strength assessed.
The results show that drinking about 4 to 6 cups of steeped green tea daily and doing tai chi, enhanced markers of bone health by the third and sixth month. A similar effect was found for muscle strength after six months. Participants taking tai chi classes also reported significant beneficial effects in quality of life in terms of improving their emotional and mental health.
What she found important was the substantial effect that both the green tea and tai chi had on biological markers of oxidative stress. Because oxidative stress is a main precursor to inflammation, this finding suggests that green tea and tai chi may help reduce the underlying etiology of not only osteoporosis, but other inflammatory diseases as well.
Dr. Shen and colleagues hope to soon complete a more long-term study utilizing more technically savvy measures of bone density.
In the meantime, I for one, will be enjoying my well earned cuppa green tea!
Dr. Chwan-Li (Leslie) Shen is an associate professor and a researcher at the Laura W. Bush Institute for Women's Health at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and has conducted a study focused on postmenopausal women and investigating the potential for green tea to work synergistically with tai chi (an eastern fitness activity) in enhancing bone strength after the menopause.
She carried out a double-blind, placebo-controlled, intervention trial which involved 171 postmenopausal women with an average age of 57 years old, who had weak bones but not full-fledged osteoporosis.
The study lasted for 6 months, during which time blood and urine samples were collected and muscle strength assessed.
The results show that drinking about 4 to 6 cups of steeped green tea daily and doing tai chi, enhanced markers of bone health by the third and sixth month. A similar effect was found for muscle strength after six months. Participants taking tai chi classes also reported significant beneficial effects in quality of life in terms of improving their emotional and mental health.
What she found important was the substantial effect that both the green tea and tai chi had on biological markers of oxidative stress. Because oxidative stress is a main precursor to inflammation, this finding suggests that green tea and tai chi may help reduce the underlying etiology of not only osteoporosis, but other inflammatory diseases as well.
Dr. Shen and colleagues hope to soon complete a more long-term study utilizing more technically savvy measures of bone density.
In the meantime, I for one, will be enjoying my well earned cuppa green tea!
Sunday, June 18, 2006
Soya for Menopause
natural menopause
Soya beans and any products made from them, such as tofu, tempeh, miso,
soya milk and soya sauce, are rich in phytoestrogens, plant substances that mimic human oestrogen.
These have been shown to be especially beneficial for menopausal women, helping to control symptoms as well as having a protective factor against osteoporosis and heart disease.
Soya may also help to boost memory by promoting and protecting nerve cell communication and have a protective effect on the prostate.
natural menopause
Soya beans and any products made from them, such as tofu, tempeh, miso,
soya milk and soya sauce, are rich in phytoestrogens, plant substances that mimic human oestrogen.
These have been shown to be especially beneficial for menopausal women, helping to control symptoms as well as having a protective factor against osteoporosis and heart disease.
Soya may also help to boost memory by promoting and protecting nerve cell communication and have a protective effect on the prostate.
natural menopause
Friday, May 12, 2006
Osteoporosis Diagnosed by Fingernail Test
natural menopause
Scientists have devised a way of testing for the bone disease osteoporosis simply by scanning a patient's fingernail.
Both fingernails and bones contain a crucial bonding substance which helps give them strength.
The team, including University of Limerick experts, say low levels in the fingernail indicate low levels in bone.
The idea has been nominated for the Medical Futures - Innovation Awards, due to be announced later this year.
Osteoporosis is a weakening of the bones that can lead to breaks which are difficult to heal.
This test could be a low cost and simple way of assessing someone's risk and if they need to go for further checks according to Mark Towler.
It affects one in three women and one in 12 men and is responsible for 200,000 broken bones per year in the UK - and 40 deaths a day.
The first clue the fingernail could play a role in diagnosing the disease came when a doctor noticed his osteoporosis patients had floppy nails.
Mark Towler, a lecturer in materials at the University of Limerick was asked to look at the properties of nail and bone.
Dr Towler checked the nails and bones in 10 people with osteoporosis and 10 without.
He found that levels of disulphide bond - needed to bind one protein molecule to another - were lower in people with osteoporosis.
The researchers went on to look at another 200 people, who were also given bone scans - the conventional way of assessing if someone has a risk of osteoporosis.
Everyone shown by the scans to have osteoporosis was also found to have low levels of disulphide bond.
Dr Towler said "People are usually referred to hospital for bone scans if their doctors feel they have risk factors, such as being post menopausal, or if they smoke.
This test could be done in a GP surgery, or someone could send off a nail for testing."
Good news for us women going through the menopause, as this would be a cheaper, easier, time saving and no hassle way of testing.
natural menopause
Scientists have devised a way of testing for the bone disease osteoporosis simply by scanning a patient's fingernail.
Both fingernails and bones contain a crucial bonding substance which helps give them strength.
The team, including University of Limerick experts, say low levels in the fingernail indicate low levels in bone.
The idea has been nominated for the Medical Futures - Innovation Awards, due to be announced later this year.
Osteoporosis is a weakening of the bones that can lead to breaks which are difficult to heal.
This test could be a low cost and simple way of assessing someone's risk and if they need to go for further checks according to Mark Towler.
It affects one in three women and one in 12 men and is responsible for 200,000 broken bones per year in the UK - and 40 deaths a day.
The first clue the fingernail could play a role in diagnosing the disease came when a doctor noticed his osteoporosis patients had floppy nails.
Mark Towler, a lecturer in materials at the University of Limerick was asked to look at the properties of nail and bone.
Dr Towler checked the nails and bones in 10 people with osteoporosis and 10 without.
He found that levels of disulphide bond - needed to bind one protein molecule to another - were lower in people with osteoporosis.
The researchers went on to look at another 200 people, who were also given bone scans - the conventional way of assessing if someone has a risk of osteoporosis.
Everyone shown by the scans to have osteoporosis was also found to have low levels of disulphide bond.
Dr Towler said "People are usually referred to hospital for bone scans if their doctors feel they have risk factors, such as being post menopausal, or if they smoke.
This test could be done in a GP surgery, or someone could send off a nail for testing."
Good news for us women going through the menopause, as this would be a cheaper, easier, time saving and no hassle way of testing.
natural menopause
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)