Alternatives To Hormone Replaceme t Therapy (NAPSA)—Hormone replace- ment therapy (HRT) or no hormone replacement therapy? That is the dilemmafacing many womenafter recent studies raised questions aboutthe beneficial effects of the therapy. Fortunately, alternatives exist to help womencope with not only the bothersomeside effects of menopause, but also moreserious women’s health issues. “Hormone replacement therapy certainly addresses the typical symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness anddifficulty sleeping,” said Rite Aid Pharmacist Sarah Matunis, R.Ph. “The thought over the years, however, was that HRTalso helped prevent other conditions, especially cardiovasculardisease, osteoporosis and cancer. The new studies are questioning this and making women and their doctors reevaluate whether the benefits of HRToutweigh the potential risks.” For women using HRT to address only menopausal symptoms, the treatment—at least over the short-term—maydo just that. Women using the therapy as a preventive measure, however, may want to consider the many alternatives available to them. Both groups should seek the advice of their doctors before making any changes to their current treatment plan. Evaluating the Alternatives Women using HRT to prevent heart disease have drug and lifestyle options available should they choose to discontinue the therapy. Lipid-lowering drugs, daily aspirin therapy and ACE inhibitors for lowering blood pressure are good alternatives for a woman to discuss with her doctor. Lifestyle choices that also can contribute to heart health include eating a good diet, increasing physical activity and maintaining a healthy weight. In addition, a woman should stop smoking, control her blood pressure and cholesterol levels and,if applicable, control her diabetes. There are numerous prescription drugs available today for the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis. Raloxifene (brand name Evista), alendronate (FOSAMAX), risedronate (ACTONEL) and calcitonin (Miacalcin and Calcimar) will prevent bone loss and strengthen the bones. A woman also can help avoid brittle bones by ingesting 1,200 milligrams of elemental calcium and 400 to 800 IUs of Vitamin D each day through diet or supplements. Vitamin D helps the body to absorb calcium. Foods high in calcium are dairy products and dark green leafy vegetables, while Vitamin D can be found in milk and other dairy products. In addition, most women may be surprised to learn that weight-bearing exercises, such as walking, can stimulate and strengthen bones. “For women who need to simply alleviate the symptoms of menopause, the good newsis that there are alternatives to prescription estrogen,” said Matunis. “Soy maycontrol hot flashes becauseit acts like estrogen. The verdict is still out, however, on soy’s effec- tiveness for vaginal dryness and other symptoms.” Matunis adds that black cohosh, an herb, is also in the spotlight as an option to treat menopausal symptomslike hot flashes. The recommended doseis 20 to 80 milligrams twice daily. “A lot of women, when theyfirst saw the news about the HRT studies, immediately said ‘I’m done with HRT,” said Matunis. “That may or may not be necessary, depending upon why a womanis on HRT.”If the decision is to stop, in most cases there are alternative treatments available that a woman should consider with input from her doctor. According to Matunis, Rite Aid pharmacists are also trained to help educate women on alternatives and help them to consider these choices. For more information or to find a nearby Rite Aid pharmacist, go to www.riteaid.com.
