title: Complementary and alternative therapies for treatment of insomnia in women in postmenopause.
abstract: Menopause is an important episode in the life of women and, for the great majority of women, occurs in their fifties. The climacteric period, which is often associated with insomnia, represents one of the most important changes in the female reproductive cycle because it marks the end of reproductive capacity. Hormonal therapy has been considered the most useful and standardized method for treating menopause and climacteric-associated symptoms despite its side-effects. The present study is a review of the scientific literature about the efficacy, toxicity and safety of complementary and alternative therapies used as alternatives to hormone therapy to treat insomnia in menopausal women. Mind-body therapies and the use of isoflavonoids have exhibited promise as interventions for treating insomnia in the climacteric at our Walk-In Clinic of Sleep Disturbance at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo. This review will describe the use of complementary and alternative therapies and their effectiveness in treating insomnia in this period of a woman's life.
authors.affiliation: * Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo , São Paulo.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hachul
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Monson
authors.forename: E H
authors.initials: EH
authors.lastname: Kozasa
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Afonso
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Llanas
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tufik
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D015914:Estrogen Replacement Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D005260:Female; D005419:Flavonoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D019122:Meditation; D008875:Middle Aged; D026441:Mind-Body Therapies; D017698:Postmenopause; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D005419:Flavonoids
keywords: ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE; CLIMACTERIC; COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE; INSOMNIA; MENOPAUSE; SLEEP