Complementary Therapies
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) offers women another option to consider for use in menopause.
- CAM is a diverse group of medical and health care systems, practices and products not part of conventional medicine.
- Examples of CAM include acupuncture, chiropractic, massage, herbal medicine, dietary supplements, aromatherapy, yoga, reiki, therapeutic touch, mindfulness based stress reduction, biofeedback, hypnotherapy, guided imagery, visualization and homeopathy.
- The most common symptoms in the menopause transition are hot flashes and sleep difficulty. Mild symptoms may be helped by some complementary therapies.
- It is important to let your healthcare practitioner know about any CAM therapies you use or are considering using as not all have evidence of safety and effectiveness.
- Many CAM modalities are not covered by insurance and therefore have an out of pocket expense.
- Visit the website from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine for more information.
