MANCHESTER, England, April 27 (UPI) -- British researchers are testing an herb, a member of the mint family, to help stop hot flashes experienced by breast-cancer patients on hormone treatment.
Alex Molassiotis of the University of Manchester School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work says the herb is thought to stop the hot flashes and night sweats that can be so bad that some women have to change their clothes three or four times a night.
Molassiotis said he cannot name the herb because his study is a double-blind trial, so neither the patient nor the doctor is allowed to know whether they are in the group taking the herb or a placebo.
The women with some types of breast cancer take hormone treatment to lower estrogen and progesterone levels because they can affect the growth of some breast-cancer cells. However, this can lead to early or revisiting menopause with symptoms such as anxiety, dry skin, bone thinning and hot flashes.
Hormone-replacement therapy is too risky for these women with breast cancer because it would increase the hormone levels again -- so instead they are advised to cut out tea, coffee and nicotine and try alternative remedies or a certain type of anti-depressant, according to Molassiotis.
