Dr. Tori Hudson, N.D.

Data from the Women’s Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) was used to examine the effect of soy intake on breast cancer prognosis in 3,088 breast cancer survivors. These women were early stage breast cancer patients who were followed for an average of 7.3 years. Soy isoflavone intakes were measured after the diagnosis with a food [...]

A recent study was published in the journal, Menopause, on the impact of valerian for sleep quality in postmenopausal women who were experiencing insomnia. The postmenopausal women studied were generally healthy women aged 50 to 60 years who were menopausal for at least 1 year, were not using hormone therapy and were experiencing insomnia as [...]

Maca is a traditional plant common to the Andes Mountains and has been used for centuries to enhance fertility, improve sexual function, improve energy and more. Maca (aka Lepidium Peruvianum and Lepidium meyenii) belongs to the mustard family and is considered an adaptogen—helping us to adapt to a variety of stressors. A systematic review was [...]

St. John’s wort products and extracts have been used for a wide range of medical conditions, the most common being depressive disorders. The most robust research is in the area of mild to moderate depression, with some additional research in anxiety, severe depression, seasonal affective disorder, premenstrual syndrome, and perimenopause/menopause. St. John’s wort is the [...]

A prospective observational study was carried out in 50 breast cancer patients on tamoxifen, an anti-estrogen therapy that can also induce or worsen menopausal symptoms. All 50 women were post surgery, 87% of them were post radiation treatment and approximately half of them had received chemotherapy as well. Each patient was treated with an isopropanolic [...]

A new publication from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) focused on the effects of estrogen and progestin (conjugated equine estrogens 0.625 mg/day and 2.5mg/day medroxyprogesterone acetate = Prempro) on breast cancer incidence mortality after an average follow-up of 11 years, through August 2009. The new information from this now 11 year body of information translates [...]

A recent randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over pilot study was done to examine the efficacy of a hops extract for relief of menopausal symptoms. 36 menopausal women were randomized to take either a placebo or the hops extract for a period of eight weeks and then they were switched to the opposite group for another 8 [...]

Several studies of St. John’s wort alone and St. John’s wort with black cohosh have been able to demonstrate that these products are good options for perimenopausal and menopausal women with hot flashes, mood issues, sleep problems and quality of life. In the newest of the St. John’s wort studies in perimenopausal/menopausal women, a total [...]

A proprietary product called Nutrafem is a combination of botanical extracts derived from Vigna radiate (mung beans) and Eucommia ulmoides bark. This phase II, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical study was conducted in 159 postmenopausal women who had at least 21 hot flashes per week. 131 women completed the study. One group received the product [...]

A meta-analysis of five case-control and two cohort studies examined the effects of soy intake on endometrial and ovarian cancer. 169,051 women and, 3516 with endometrial or ovarian cancer in the U.S., China, Italy and Japan with an average age of 54 were evaluated for their soy intake based on soy containing foods or soy [...]