With studies like the one mentioned above, the disadvantage on whether the herbs work or not, from my (a Chinese herbalist’s) point of view, is that they are studying black cohosh and other herbs on anyone and everyone in the study! Every woman may present with similar symptoms, but each woman’s root energetic disharmonies are unique, and must be addressed as such. So giving the same herb(s) to all women doesn’t work! They must be combined with other herbs in an appropriate formula for each individual. So for anyone who’s tried an herb touted to work wonders for menopausal symptoms, and it didn’t work, it may not have been the right herb or combination of herbs for your unique presentation!

Lastly, most women also don’t realize that getting acupuncture and/or Chinese herbal medicine before approaching menopause helps to prevent menopausal symptoms.

Thanks for the article on HRT – it seems like this can be difficult decision for many women, and the more information out there, the more educated a decision is.