Help for Hot Flashes
Posted 2/28/2012
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As we all know, breast cancer treatment (both chemotherapy and hormonal therapies) can bring on menopause. Some older women who have already been through this phase get the opportunity to relive the hot flashes and other symptoms of this period. I have written many times about various things that may help, but the bottom line continues to be that no one treatment will help all women forever. If you are struggling with hot flashes, you likely will need to try a range of treatments. The guru is Charles Loprinzi, MD at the Mayo Clinic. If you Goggle him, you will find a number of articles and studies that will be helpful.
Today, however, I am sharing a new idea that I have just heard. This is a report from BreastCancer.org about a study published in Lancet. The finding is that cognitive behavioral therapy may help. Yes, it is a small study, and yes, this won't turn out to the magic bullet, but CBT can be useful for a number of things, and wouldn't it be great if this were another. Here is the beginning and then a link:
Therapy Eases Hot Flashes After Breast Cancer
Crystal Phend
A small study has found that a type of counseling called cognitive behavioral therapy can help ease hot flashes that often come during and after breast cancer treatment. The results were published in the Feb. 15, 2012 online issue of The Lancet Oncology.
Breast cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, hormonal therapy, ovarian shutdown with medicine, and surgically removing the ovaries all can cause hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms that can be just bothersome or quite severe. Doctors call side effects such as hot flashes and night sweats vasomotor symptoms.
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