Black Cohosh

The medicinal herb Black Cohosh as an alternative herbal remedy for rheumatism, arthritis - Black cohosh is a plant native to North America.Common Names--black cohosh, black snakeroot, macrotys, bugbane, bugwort, rattleroot, rattleweed

Latin Names--Actaea racemosa, Cimicifuga racemosa Picture of Black Cohosh

Black Cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa) has been used for thousands of years by Native Americans. It has become more well-known in the Western world through research on its supportive effect on hormone functioning and support of the female reproductive system. (Liske E. "Therapeutic efficacy and safety of Cimicifuga racemosa for gynecologic disorders".Adv Ther. 1998 Jan-Feb;15(1):45-53. Review.) (Frei-Kleiner S, Schaffner W, Rahlfs VW, Bodmer Ch, Birkhäuser M. "Cimicifuga racemosa dried ethanolic extract in menopausal disorders: a double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial". Maturitas. 2005 Aug 16;51(4):397-404. Epub 2004 Dec 10. PMID: 16039414.)

What Black Cohosh Is Used

For Black cohosh has a history of use for rheumatism (arthritis and muscle pain), but has been used more recently to treat hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, and other symptoms that can occur during menopause. Black cohosh has also been used for menstrual irregularities and premenstrual syndrome, and to induce labor. Herbal remedy for menopausal symptons.

Herbal Remedy Products with Black Cohosh as part of the ingredients

Fertile XX™ - Herbal remedy to help promote effective female reproductive system support for fertility and healthy natural ovulation
- Promotes fertility by supporting female reproductive health
- Helps maintain menstrual cycle regularity
- Supports healthy, regular ovulation and egg production
- Encourages healthy fertility hormone levels
- Tonic benefits support healthy conditions for conception
- Promotes healthy libido and sexual pleasure
- Maintains balanced mood for sustained well-being
- Promotes overall systemic health and functioning

MellowPause™ - Herbal remedy to support hormonal balance, healthy sleep patterns and reduce common hot flashes during menopause
- Reduces common hot flashes
- Supports balanced mood and routine calmness
- Maintains healthy sleeping patterns
- Supports hormonal balance during perimenopause and menopause

How Black Cohosh Is Used

The underground stems and roots of black cohosh are commonly used fresh or dried to make strong teas (infusions), capsules, solid extracts used in pills, or liquid extracts (tinctures).

What the Science Says about Black Cohosh

Study results are mixed on whether black cohosh effectively relieves menopausal symptoms.
Studies to date have been less than 6 months long, so long-term safety data are not currently available.
NCCAM is funding studies to determine whether black cohosh reduces the frequency and intensity of hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms.
There are not enough reliable data to determine whether black cohosh is effective for rheumatism or other uses.

Side Effects and Cautions about Black Cohosh

Black cohosh can cause headaches and stomach discomfort. In clinical trials comparing the effects of the herb and those of estrogens, a low number of side effects were reported, such as headaches, gastric complaints, heaviness in the legs, and weight problems.
No interactions have been reported between black cohosh and prescription medicines.
Black cohosh has recently been linked to a few cases of hepatitis (inflammation of the liver), but it is not clear whether black cohosh caused the problem.
It is not clear if black cohosh is safe for women who have had breast cancer or for pregnant women.
Black cohosh should not be confused with blue cohosh (Caulophyllum thalictroides), which has different properties, treatment uses, and side effects than black cohosh. Black cohosh is sometimes used with blue cohosh to stimulate labor, but this therapy has caused adverse effects in newborns, which appear to be due to blue cohosh.
It is important to inform your health care providers about any herb or dietary supplement you are using, including black cohosh. This helps to ensure safe and coordinated care.

News About Black Cohosh

How to Grow Black Snakeroot From Seed

Source:http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2015/09/bitter-melon-isnt-as-exotic-as-you-might-think.html

By Bridget Kelly (Demand Media)

Black snakeroot (Sanicula marilandica) is a carrot relative and a perennial herb. Although it produces scented flowers in the summer, it is typically grown for its dark, almost black foliage. Black snakeroot provides a stunning focal point to a shady spot in the garden. Growing from 1 to 4 feet tall, it thrives in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 8. The seed germination process differs, depending on whether the black snakeroot seed is fresh or if it has been stored, such as purchased packaged seed.

How to Grow Fresh Blacksnake Seed

1 Moisten a handful of peat moss and insert the black snakeroot seeds into it until they are completely enveloped. Place the bundle in a sandwich bag, seal it and leave it in the refrigerator for 90 days. Check the moisture content of the moss periodically. If it is drying out, drip water onto it until it’s slightly moist again. 2 Fill a germination container with soilless potting mix. The container can be anything, as long as it has holes in the bottom for drainage. Nursery flats work well if you’re planting lots of seeds; otherwise, a standard nursery pot will suffice. After filling the container with the mix, use your hands to press it down to firm it.

3 Sow the seeds on the surface of the mix and cover with a 1/8-inch layer of sand or perlite. Use water from a spray bottle to keep the top layer moist during germination.

4 Place the container in a polythene bag or cover it with plastic wrap. Place the container in a lightly shaded area on a heat mat set to 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

5 Remove the container from the bag when the seeds emerge. Keep the soil moist at all times and transplant the seedlings into individual pots filled with potting soil when they have their third set of leaves.

Grow Stored Black Snakeroot Seed

1 Sow the snakeroot seeds onto the surface of a germination container filled with moist, soilless planting mix. Cover them with a 1/8-inch layer of the mix. Enclose the container in a polythene bag or cover it with plastic wrap. Place the container on a heat mat set to 70 F. Allow it to remain for three months.

2 Move the covered container to the refrigerator and allow it to remain for an additional three months. Check the media periodically to ensure that it remains moist.

3 Place the covered germination container back on the 70-degree heat mat for another three months.

4 Remove the seedlings from the bag and transplant the seedlings into individual 3-inch pots filled with potting soil when they have their third set of leaves. Set the pots in a lightly shaded indoor area and keep the media slightly moist.

5 Harden off the black snakeroot seedlings before planting them outside. Choose a shady area outdoors and leave the potted seedlings there for four hours the first day. Gradually increase the amount of time they spend outdoors and the amount of sunlight they receive over two weeks.

6 Choose a partly shady area in which to plant the black snakeroot seedlings. Loosen the soil in the planting area to a depth of 6 inches. Improve heavy soil by digging in a 3-inch layer of compost. Moisten the area to a depth of 4 inches.

7 Plant the black snakeroot seedlings to the depth that they are growing in the pot and 24 inches apart.

Things You Will Need

• Peat moss

• Sealable polythene bag

• Germination container

• Soilless potting mix

• Heat mat

• Compost

• Shovel

Tip

If germination does not occur three months after the second warm stratification period, repeat the entire stratification process.

Getting to the root of black cohosh's uses

Source:http://www.irishtimes.com/news/health/getting-to-the-root-of-black-cohosh-s-uses-1.902222

By DONAL O'MATHUNA

DOES IT WORK? Black cohosh is often used in place of HRT, but does it have much impact?

MENOPAUSE IS a natural part of ageing, and begins as production of female hormones (particularly oestrogen) decreases. When it occurs varies, but it signals the end of a woman's child-bearing years. For some, the transition is relatively smooth, but for others it is a difficult time emotionally or physically.

Hot flushes, depression, vaginal dryness and irritation are the most common symptoms. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) became very popular until long-term studies published in 2002 found that some women were at risk of serious side effects.

Many women then turned to natural approaches to treat their menopausal symptoms, with black cohosh being one of the most popular.

Black cohosh is made from the underground parts of a North American plant that Native Americans called squawroot.

Evidence from studies

Recent interest in black cohosh began in the 1980s when several clinical studies were conducted with a German product called Remifemin. This product is of a type called a standardised extract.

Herbs naturally produce varying amounts of different ingredients, some of which can have medicinal properties. The amounts of these active ingredients vary with growing and production conditions.

When the active ingredients are known, manufacturers can ensure each batch contains a specific quantity. This is called a standardised product.

Remifemin is standardised to contain specific amounts of triterpene glycosides (although whether these are the active ingredients is unclear). All the German studies in the 1980s found that women improved with the herb and reported no adverse effects.

However, seven of these studies were not double-blinded. In other words, the women knew what they were receiving. Many studies have found that this tends to lead to more positive results than when studies are double-blinded.

Since those early studies, a small number of double-blind studies have been carried out and the results have varied widely. Most of these were conducted for three months or less. Only one found black cohosh of more benefit than placebo.

The largest and longest randomised, double-blind trial to date was published in 2006. Women were randomly put into groups taking black cohosh, a multiherb product, a placebo, soy products, or HRT. Only the group taking HRT had significantly better results compared to placebo. This study lasted one year, and during that time the menopausal symptoms in the placebo group decreased by almost one-third in both frequency and severity.

Thus, many women can expect their symptoms to improve over a year without taking anything.

Problematic aspects

Most women have no side effects from black cohosh, although intestinal problems and rashes can develop. These are usually rare, mild and reversible. On very rare occasions, liver problems have been reported.

Herbalists have traditionally used black cohosh to induce labour, leading many to urge that it not be used during early pregnancy or breast-feeding.

Blue cohosh and white cohosh are completely unrelated plants and should not be used in place of black cohosh.

Recommendations

Black cohosh appears to bring relief from some menopausal symptoms and is generally safe to take. However, much of the herb's reputation is based on traditional use and older trials that were not designed as well as possible.

More recent, better-designed studies have not had similarly positive results. Most producers recommend taking two to four milligrams of triterpenes daily.

Products vary in how much active ingredient they contain per tablet. Given the herb's good safety profile, it may provide some benefit for those who do not want to use hormonal therapies.

Black Cohosh Herbal Remedy

Source:http://www.goodnewsnaturally.com/black-cohosh-herbal-remedy/

(Good News Naturally)

Let’s talk about some new studies, a couple of new studies that I’m going to focus on right now, but the first one is on some new benefits that have been discovered with an herbal remedy referred to as black cohosh.

Now, many of you ladies listening may have heard of black cohosh because it has a long, long, history of benefit in research in the area of both perimenopausal and menopausal symptoms in general. Things like hot flashes and night sweats, and interrupted sleep, and things like that. Again, been around for a long, long time, but now there’s a new study that is found that it can be useful in helping to reduce fibroid tumors among postmenopausal women.

The study, which was published in the “Evidence-Based Complimentary and Alternative Medicine Journal”, looked at the progression of fibroid tumors in 62 women who would either take in black cohosh … And this was a very specific form of black cohosh standardized to its active ingredients and I’ll try to talk about that more in this segment.

They took that, either took black cohosh or a prescription drug for menopausal symptoms which you can guess was a thing like Premarin, for example, typically the synthetic drug used, and so, they had taken it 10 years earlier to treat menopausal symptoms. Now, what they ended up finding out was that the fibroids were smaller amongst those who had taken the herbal remedy and were definitely bigger among those who had taken the medication. Okay?

This is an important point because this kind of focuses on something that I’ve talked about a number of times here on Good News Naturally, and if you want to go digging around the goodnewsnaturally.com in the podcasts, you can find an interview that I did with Dr. Marita Schauch. She is from Vancouver, Canada. She’s a naturopath. We did a segment there on Healthy Hormones, and one of the topics that we got into discussing was the topic of estrogen dominance in a woman’s body.

Part of the driver with fibroids is that the women are experiencing something called estrogen dominance. You can even refer to it as simply a hormone imbalance. Why did the black cohosh herbal remedy show better results in this fibroid situation than the synthetic form of estrogen that was used in these women? The answer is pretty simple. What we’re looking at here is natural versus synthetic. Let me explain to you how this works.

There are receptor sites. As our body produces hormones, there are receptor sites that uptake those hormones. They’re also referred to as parking spaces if you will. They park into those sites so that they do the job the hormone was created to do. Alright?

If you use black cohosh, this is a plant-based form or what they would refer to as a phyto or plant-based estrogenic-type substance. What happens here is that because it is not synthetic, as it parks into that receptor site for that hormone, it does a couple of things.

Number one, it helps the woman’s body feel satisfied that it’s produced this hormone and it’s up-taken into this receptor site. That’s a good thing. That’s why it benefits the menopausal symptoms of hot flashes and night sweats, and things like that, but here’s what else it does.

When a woman has estrogen dominance, you have bad estrogen circulating in your body that should have been excreted, okay? It should have been excreted and there is a process of the phase one and phase two detoxification that goes on in the human body that is responsible for getting rid of that excess estrogen.

Many times, there’s either an abundance of estrogen which is what happens when you take synthetic estrogen, plus, we get estrogenic effect from other environmental toxicities like pesticides, herbicides, and even things like common health and beauty care products and cleaners, and things like that.

The black cohosh is doing two things. It’s parking in that receptor site, helping the body feel satisfied, but by also parking in that receptor site, guess what else it does. It prevents that bad estrogen from getting into that receptor site, thereby, protecting the woman from things like uterine fibroids, and worse, some of the estrogen-driven cancers that women deal with.

You see how that works? I hope you guys stayed with me through that explanation. I know that’s a lot to try to grasp and understand. Hopefully, you’re sitting somewhere where you can comprehend what I just said. Alright?

The natural is parking in that receptor site giving benefit and giving protection. The synthetic estrogen is giving the woman more estrogen which she really does not need and that creates a problem with driving fibroids and other forms of cancer. That’s why so many doctors and so many women have now turned away from using synthetic estrogen such as Premarin as a form of menopausal treatment, period. Okay?

It’s something I want you to understand and this is just one of the many benefits that I think black cohosh can bring to women with this benefit of both parking and the feel-good side of it along with the protective side of it. Again, this is a classic form of medicine versus synthetic or allopathic medicine. Okay?

Now, here’s my recommendation for you. If you’re concerned about this at all, if you’ve got hormone imbalances you need help with, you’re perimenopausal, menopausal, or postmenopausal and you still need some hormone balancing, here’s a great combination for you to look at.

The company is called Natural Factors and they have a product called MenoSense. MenoSense, just like it sounds. There’s also a companion product known as EstroSense.

I love recommending these two products together because the MenoSense contains that black cohosh along with other historical herbal remedies for women’s hormonal health balance in one formula called MenoSense, so you can utilize that. Then, you use the EstroSense along with it and what this does is this helps you to detoxify and disarm the harmful excess estrogens that you may have in your body via estrogen dominance.

Primarily, that’s going to be coming from environment and things like that, this estrogenic activity, plastic, for example. We don’t even think about some of this common household stuff, but they are now making lots of connection between things like plastics. As I mentioned, these cleaners that are being used in the homes and even health and beauty care products, the things we refer to as parabens for example, these all bring this estrogenic influence into the human body.

Even some of the foods that people are consuming are doing that. If you are consuming high, high levels of soy, then, you are getting excess estrogen coming into you from that. This EstroSense has the herbs and nutrient contents such as the active ingredients in cruciferous vegetables. They help to disarm and help the body to excrete these out of the system. Better to break that estrogen-dominance cycle that so many women have got in this country, so take that into consideration.

Black cohosh may cut breast cancer risk

Source:http://uk.reuters.com/article/health-black-cohosh-dc-idUKCOL66565720070426

(Reuters)

(Reuters Health) - A new study provides preliminary evidence that an herbal medicine used to help women cope with menopausal symptoms may reduce breast cancer risk.

However, much more research is needed before the herb, black cohosh, can be recommended to prevent the disease, Dr. Timothy R. Rebbeck of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia and colleagues caution.

Many women use hormone-related supplements such as black cohosh, dong quai, red clover, ginseng and yam to deal with hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause, Rebbeck and his team note in the International Journal of Cancer.

To examine how the use of these herbs might relate to breast cancer risk, the researchers compared 949 women with breast cancer to 1,524 healthy controls.

African-American women were more somewhat likely than European Americans to use the herbs. Women who reported taking black cohosh (5 percent of blacks and 2 percent of whites) were at 61 percent lower risk of breast cancer, the researchers found.

Also, those who took an herbal preparation derived from black cohosh called Remifemin had a 53 percent lower risk of the disease.

Previous studies have shown that black cohosh can block cell growth, Rebbeck and colleagues note. The herb is also an antioxidant, and has been shown to have anti-estrogen effects as well. On the negative side, the herb can have side effects, and animal studies have suggested it may affect breast cancer severity.

"Substantial additional research must be undertaken before it can be established that black cohosh, or some compound found in black cohosh, is a breast cancer chemopreventive agent," the researchers write.

"Furthermore," they stress, "women may wish to seek guidance from their physician before using these compounds."

Study finds no evidence black cohosh damages liver

Source:http://www.reuters.com/article/us-black-cohosh-idUSTRE70R7IL20110128

By Amy Norton

(Reuters Health) - Despite reports of liver damage in some women using black cohosh to ease menopause symptoms, clinical trials testing one major brand of this herb have so far found no evidence that it is to blame, according to a research review.

Extracts of black cohosh, a plant native to North America, are marketed as a "natural" form of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and are most commonly used to treat hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause.

Studies so far have come to conflicting conclusions about whether black cohosh works.

There have also been concerns raised about its safety. Reports of liver inflammation and liver failure in a small number of black cohosh users prompted some countries, like Australia and the UK, to require warning labels on the products.

But it has never been clear that black cohosh was to blame for those cases of liver damage. In most cases, doctors were unable to account for the patients' drinking habits or use of medications that can harm the liver.

And many postmenopausal women who are plagued by hot flashes and night sweats prefer to try black cohosh instead of taking hormones. Hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, has been controversial since 2002, when the Women's Health Initiative, a massive government-sponsored clinical trial, found that women on HRT had higher rates of heart attack, stroke, breast cancer and blood clots than placebo users.

Experts now advise that while HRT is effective for menopausal symptoms, women should take the lowest possible dose for the shortest time possible.

For the new study, reported in the journal Menopause, researchers combined the results of five previously published clinical trials of the black cohosh product Remifemin. Together, the studies involved more than 1,100 women who used either this black cohosh product or a comparison substance -- either an inactive placebo or a hormonal medication called tibolone -- for three to six months.

Overall, the researchers found, 88 women dropped out of the studies, but none did so because of abnormal liver enzymes, a potential sign of liver damage.

And there was no evidence that black cohosh triggered harmful changes in liver enzymes. In both the black cohosh and comparison groups, about 5 percent of women developed abnormally high levels of a liver enzyme known as AST.

On the other hand, of 37 black cohosh users who had abnormally high AST levels before treatment, 62 percent saw those levels drop back into the normal range during therapy.

The study was led by Dr. Belal Naser of Salzgitter, Germany-based Schaper & Brummer GmbH & Co., which manufactures Remifemin.

But an expert not involved in the study said the findings are consistent with other evidence that black cohosh is safe for the liver.

Dr. Richard B. van Breemen, a professor at the University of Illinois College of Pharmacy in Chicago, was part of a 2009 clinical trial that tested black cohosh against a placebo, standard hormone replacement and red clover -- another alternative therapy for menopause symptoms.

They found that over one year, black cohosh was no better than the placebo for easing hot flashes and night sweats.

But there was also no evidence that the herb harmed women's liver function.

"Although black cohosh did not prevent hot flashes in menopausal women in our study, we found that black cohosh was safe," van Breemen told Reuters Health in an email. "In particular, we tested for liver damage in our study and found that black cohosh was not hepatotoxic (toxic to the liver)."

That trial, which was funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health, was not included in the current analysis -- which focused only on trials of Remifemin.

That narrow focus, van Breemen noted, is a weakness of the study.

Still, he said, "the conclusion...that black cohosh does not cause liver damage is consistent with the results of our investigation and many other clinical trials."

In general, experts do advise that women stop using black cohosh and tell their doctor if they develop any potential signs of liver toxicity, including abdominal pain, dark urine or jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes).

Three months worth of Remifemin tablets costs about $30 in the U.S. -- roughly the same as Premarin, a widely used hormone replacement drug.

Exploring Black Cohosh, Hot Peppers, in Breast Cancer Treatment

Source:http://wnpr.org/post/exploring-black-cohosh-hot-peppers-breast-cancer-treatment

By Jenifer Frank

Dr. Erin Hofstatter, a young research scientist and breast cancer specialist at Yale’s Smilow Cancer Hospital, often prescribes tamoxifen, raloxifene and similar drugs to her patients. The drugs “reduce your risk (of cancer recurring) by half … but they come with baggage,” she tells her patients, “hot flashes, night sweats, leg cramps, small risk of uterine cancer, small risk of blood clots, small risk of stroke, you have to get your liver tested.”

Hofstatter’s unease with standard treatments for breast cancer has spurred her to seek alternative, safer ways to treat breast cancer. To this end, she has begun a study of black cohosh, in the pill form of an herb from the buttercup family, used for thousands of years by Native Americans to treat menopausal symptoms.

Dr. Erin Hofstatter, a young research scientist and breast cancer specialist at Yale’s Smilow Cancer Hospital, often prescribes tamoxifen, raloxifene and similar drugs to her patients. The drugs “reduce your risk (of cancer recurring) by half … but they come with baggage,” she tells her patients, “hot flashes, night sweats, leg cramps, small risk of uterine cancer, small risk of blood clots, small risk of stroke, you have to get your liver tested.”

Hofstatter’s unease with standard treatments for breast cancer has spurred her to seek alternative, safer ways to treat breast cancer. To this end, she has begun a study of black cohosh, in the pill form of an herb from the buttercup family, used for thousands of years by Native Americans to treat menopausal symptoms.

Just as practices like acupuncture and meditation – once considered, at best, nontraditional are now widely used to help patients cope with the side effects of cancer treatments and other illnesses, natural products – foods (blueberries, walnuts, soy), herbs like black cohosh and plant-based anti-oxidants like capsaicin (which makes hot peppers hot) have become accepted subjects for research.

But far from simply embracing these practices or foods, scientists now apply rigorous scientific methods to what are considered non-traditional medications to determine just how effective – or ineffective -- they are. A similar scientific focus is being directed at exercise, diet, and meditation. Research is also going on into something called energy healing.

“I think that when we think about therapies, whether for breast cancer or anything else, we do need to think outside of the box and evaluate things that we may not have been open to evaluating in the past,” said Dr. Anees Chagpar, director of The Breast Center - Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale-New Haven. “Because there are natural therapies that may be very useful and helpful.

“[T]here is a paucity of scientific evidence and research to back up these complementary and alternative approaches. And so I think that anything that we can do to help shore up the knowledge that we have about their utility is a good thing,” she said.

Alternative Medicine’s Integration

Once marginalized by the medical establishment, alternative medicine has now become part of the establishment. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) is one of the 27 institutes and centers that comprise the country’s premier research institution, the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

NIH data show that funding for NCCAM research projects has climbed from $54.3 million in 2000, to $97.6 million in 2014 – an 80 percent increase. Among the grantees in 2014 is Yale University, which received nearly $1 million for four research projects into complementary and alternative medicine – including one study, with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation – that is testing “mindfulness meditation” for children suffering from fibromyalgia or chronic pain.

In addition, the American Board of Integrative Medicine plans to give its first accreditation test in November. The exam will include questions on “Mind-Body Medicine and Spirituality” and “Whole Medical Systems” (such as homeopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine and the ancient Indian system, Ayurveda), as well as on nutrition, dietary supplements and “Lifestyle, Prevention and Health Promotion.”

The Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine, which began in 1999 as a small group trying to draw attention to and expand the use of integrative medicine, has grown into an organization of 57 medical centers, many connected to some of the country’s most prestigious medical schools and health organizations. The consortium includes the integrative medicine programs at Yale and UConn’s schools of medicine, and the Integrative Medicine Center at Griffin Hospital in Derby, which collaborates with Yale.

Alternative medicine’s evolution is at least partially fueled by public enthusiasm. A widely quoted 2007 survey, by the National Center for Health Statistics, shows that in 2006, Americans spent $33.9 billion out-of-pocket on alternative medicine. Some health professionals say this shows the widespread dissatisfaction with the traditional health system.

“Our current health care system is not sustainable. It’s not working, it’s too expensive, and people are really not that healthy,” said Dr. Mary P. Guerrera, a family practice physician at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford who also directs the integrative medicine program in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.

Given the popularity of alternative treatments, “It’s important for future physicians and health professionals to learn about [them],” she said. Guerrera said she’s seen “a huge bump” in the number of fourth-year medical students taking the elective course she teaches, “Integrative/Complementary and Alternative Medicine.”

Deborah Pacik, a second year UConn medical student and a longtime licensed acupuncturist, has treated cancer patients for pain, nausea and depression. “Patients have felt more energy, less nausea, more appetite, less dry mouth, and calmer and clearer with acupuncture,” she said. Deborah Pacik, a licensed acupuncturist, treats cancer patients. Credit Tony Bacewicz / C-HIT

But alternative medicine continues to have its critics. They can be found on such websites as Quackwatch.com and The Skeptic’s Dictionary. Dr. Steven Novella, a researcher and assistant professor of neurology at Yale School of Medicine, founded the take-no-prisoners website Science-Based Medicine, of which he is editor. On September 29, the site’s managing editor, Dr. David Gorski, a surgical oncologist, posted his latest attack on alternative medicine: “Quackademia Update: The Cleveland Clinic, George Washington University, and the continued infiltration of quackery into medical academia.”

Rigorous Investigations

A growing number of researchers are ignoring that skepticism by using scientific methods to measure and quantify the efficacy of unconventional treatments.

The NCCAM’s website is packed with warnings about not replacing traditional medical care with an alternative measure, and with understated dismissals of some claims from the marketplace. (On the acai berry, sold in fruit juice and as supplement: “There is no definitive evidence that acai has any special health benefits.”)

Chagpar, at Yale, summarized the attitude and motivation of many researchers: “There really needs to be further rigor to look at [complementary and alternative] therapies with the degree of scientific inquiry that we put routine drugs through.”

Hot peppers

In his 27 years as a surgeon and researcher at the Yale School of Medicine, Dr. John Geibel’s research has focused on the lower digestive system. But these days, he’s also excited about the anti-carcinogenic power of capsaicin on breast cancers. Capsaicin – capsicum is any plant from the nightshade family -- is the substance that gives hot peppers their heat, and, perhaps counter-intuitively, it has been identified as having some value as a pain reliever.

Geibel, vice chairman of the Department of Surgery at Yale, noted that genetic screening has been effective in determining whether some women will get breast cancer. “But even if you come in and perform the mastectomy, it’s difficult to impossible to remove every single [cancer] cell,” he said.

Earlier studies have shown capsaicin’s ability “to slow down or even stop the machinery of [cell] division,” he said, pointing to one in which capsaicin stopped the growth of prostate colonic tumors in a dish. What if, he posited, after a surgeon has removed a malignant tumor from a breast, the doctor can “coat the underlying tissue area with a capsaicin-based preparation to prevent any residual cells” from reproducing?

Geibel said he initially tested capsaicin on breast cancer cells in a culture to determine the dose and the best way to deliver it. “The next phase is to now take some tissue from an individual,” he said.

“It’s a relatively simple natural product,” he said. The goal of using products like capsaicin is “to have a destructive effect on the tumor, rather than a destructive effect on the individual.”

Energy Healing

With training in molecular and cellular biology, Dr. Gloria Gronowicz, a professor at the UConn Health Center, has long been looking into the effects of energy healing on tumor growth and metastasis, working most recently with a breast cancer model in mice. Energy healing on tumor growth is an area of study for Dr. Gloria Gronowicz.

Energy medicine, which includes Reiki, qigong and a practice named “Therapeutic Touch,” actually involves no direct touching of a patient or an object being studied. Rather, practitioners work with what they say is the energy emitted from their hands, which they call biofields.

A paper published in May by Gronowicz and others, in the Journal of Complementary and Alternative Medicine, said that Therapeutic Touch had prevented cancer cells in a breast cancer model from spreading, though it had not shrunk the size of the primary tumor.

“Let us use everything to help patients,” Gronowicz said of the growth in research into alternative treatments.

Black Cohosh

Hofstatter, the Yale researcher, first heard of black cohosh from the gynecologic oncologist who runs Yale’s Sexuality, Intimacy and Menopause Clinic. The oncologist asked if Hofstatter would approve of giving Remifemin – a pill form of black cohosh – to one of the young doctor’s patients.

“I was actually fearful of black cohosh to begin with,” Hofstatter said. “It basically is a plant-based estrogen, and so many times, breast cancers can be fed by estrogen.” But she found ofstattetwo 2007 clinical trials that showed black cohosh acting as a protective agent in breast cancer development.

The more she researched, “the more I realized, ‘Oh my gosh, I may have just struck a pot of gold!’ ” she said. “Not only does it not appear to significantly increase the risk of breast cancer, but actually there’s data to suggest it’s protective, both in breast cancer survivors and potentially preventive in women who’ve never had breast cancer.”

Her study, funded by Yale through the American Cancer Association, focuses on women diagnosed with DCIS, ductal carcinoma in situ -- a common, noninvasive cancer that can develop into an invasive disease.

The trial takes advantage of the time between a diagnosis of DCIS and the surgery, generally two to four weeks. Right after diagnosis, the patient will take Remifemin twice daily until her surgery. Hofstatter thenH will compare the pre-surgery DCIS cells and those in the tissue removed during surgery to see if the number of DCIS cells has dropped.

“What I liked about the study is that I felt the risk to the patient was minimal” -- because she was going to have surgery anyway – “and that it would provide good information regardless of what we showed.”

Hofstatter, who received her grant in 2011, is still recruiting subjects for the study, and hopes to have her roster filled by 2015.

And she is clear-eyed about her hopes for black cohosh. “I have no idea if it works,” she said.

“The reason we’re doing the trial is because I do not know if it helps. For all I know, it could be bad -- that’s the thing about research.”

Join C-HIT on Tuesday October 21, starting at 5:30 pm, at Gateway Community College in New Haven, for a community forum on the latest inroads and challenges in breast cancer detection, research and treatment, while showing your support for in-depth journalism. For information and to register click here.

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (c-hit.org).

Black Cohosh: An Herb for Hot Flashes?

Source:http://www.empowher.com/menopause/content/black-cohosh-herb-hot-flashes

By Diane Hoffmaster

For some women, menopause symptoms are mild and can be controlled with simple lifestyle changes. For others, menopause symptoms make it difficult just to survive the day with their sanity intact. Hot flashes, moodiness, and irregular periods may be so bad you need more than a fan and a 30-minute workout session to relieve stress. When menopause symptoms get to be too much to handle, many women start looking for alternative remedies to help bring them relief. One option that has been studied for its possible menopause symptom relief characteristics is black cohosh.

Black cohosh is an herb whose roots have been used for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years. According to Drugs.com, it grows from Ontario, Canada south to Tennessee and west to Missouri at forest edges. Over the years, it has been used to treat joint pain, influenza, smallpox, rheumatism, headache, cough, and some nervous system disorders. Recently, it seems to be gaining popularity as a method to treat menopause symptoms.

The parts of the black cohosh plant that are used medicinally are the fresh or dried roots and rhizomes (underground stems). They can be found in health food stores, some drugstores, and online. There are many forms to choose from, including teas, capsules, tablets or liquid extract forms. How black cohosh works in relieving menopause symptoms is not yet known. There is a possibility that black cohosh exhibits some estrogen-like activity, but the evidence is contradictory.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has funded and analyzed numerous studies regarding the effectiveness of black cohosh as a remedy for menopause symptoms. Some study results indicate black cohosh may help relieve menopausal symptoms, but other study results do not. Studies of black cohosh have yielded conflicting data, mainly because of the short time frame studied and differences in the quantity of black cohosh taken by study participants.

While studies on black cohosh show conflicting results, many women are taking this herb as a possible solution for their menopause symptoms. If you choose to try this for yourself, what is the appropriate dose? According to WebMD, the dose of black cohosh used in studies for menopausal symptoms has been 20-40 milligram tablets of a standardized extract taken twice a day. More than 900 milligrams a day of black cohosh is considered an overdose. Directions for other forms of black cohosh will vary. Six months is the maximum amount of time anyone should take black cohosh according to some experts.

Black cohosh is not without side effects. Some people may experience headaches and upset stomach after taking this herb. People with aspirin allergies or liver problems or who are pregnant or nursing should not take this supplement. If you are taking prescription medications, talk to your doctor before starting black cohosh.

Black cohosh may provide relief of common menopause symptoms for some women. While studies on this alternative therapy are inconclusive, if you are suffering from menopause symptoms and need relief, black cohosh may be a possible solution.