Ginseng: Alternative Treatment for Menopausal Symptoms :: Medicine Medical Drugs Essays

ginseng utility(a) Treatment for Menopausal SymptomsBy the time women reach their late forties or early fifties, their ovaries begin producing less and less of the reproductive hormones estrogen and progesterone, resulting in the awkward symptoms commonly known as menopause. During menopause, a cleaning lady will usually experience many symptoms which will greatly impede with her quality of life - hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, mood swings, drop of concentration or irritability, and interrupted sleep. Once her menstrual cycle has entirely ended, other(a) bodily changes occur, such as thinning of the bones, often resulting in osteoporosis, and less pliant blood vessels, placing her at risk of heart disease. more women turn to estrogen replacement therapy as a means of purpose relief from the burden of menopausal symptoms because of its high efficacy and other beneficial properties. Estrogen replacement has been shown to signifi supporttly reduce the frequency of hot flashes, and patients receiving this word reported improved sleep quality and sense of well being. It has besides been found to decrease sleep latency and append REM sleep, thereby reducing insomnia and subsequent fatigue (Ginsburg, 1994). Although estrogen replacement has produced drastic usefulness in womens menopausal hindrances, some women are ineligible or uncomfortable with the idea of taking hormones and opt for a natural solution - ginseng. Ginseng - the Natural AlternativeGinseng, the root of the Araliaceous plant, has been use for several thousand eld in the Orient as a tonic and restorative. Pharmacological investigations by Western pharmaceutical firms, encouraged by the growing interest in herbal remedies in the West, show that ginseng acts as an adaptogen, meaning it can bring abnormal physiology into balance by helping the body increase resistance against noxious or stressful physical, chemical, or biological influences (Chong & Oberholzer, 1988). Ginsengs potentiality capacity to increase nonspecific resistance to various stressors is the reason it has been used as an alternative treatment for menopausal symptoms. It is important to remember that the set up of ginseng will vary different individuals depending on diet, lifestyle, exercise and other drugs. In other words, an individuals health and hormonal regulation will essentially determine the effects of ginseng (Bahrke & Morgan, 1994). It is possible for some individuals to respond to ginseng, magical spell others will show no response at all. Ginseng and voluptuous FlashesHot flashes are experienced by 60 - 85% of menopausal women and they may occur infrequently, or as frequently as 20 times a day (Ginsburg 1994).