From what some of you are saying or implying it looks like you want a banner over the entrance to this board along the lines of:
“ALL YE WHO ENTER HERE – THOU MAYEST ONLY DO SO IF THOU ART BELIEVERSâ€
This site was founded and is managed by a leading gynaecologist Dr Currie, who is chair of the British Menopause Society and therefore everything written on it is evidence based and underpinned by science – even (most of) the Alternatives Section. The forum forms a part of this site and as I've said before - of course science & medicine provides the foundation - GPs refer women to this site and the forum.
Also what does anyone mean by alternatives to HRT? As has been discussed many times and is evident from the information on this main site, alternatives to HRT include prescribable medication such as SSRI's, Clonidine etc, herbal remedies eg Black Cohosh, relaxation therapies such as massage, lifestyle and diet including vitamin and other supplements (although these aren't really alternatives as we should all be attending to this – so more general health), behavioural techniques such as CBT, and physical aids such as wool duvets and fans.
This section was never intended as an exclusive club for those who don't want to use HRT to post without input from anyone else but it is sad that even after the section has started you continue to bring out the same arguments - effectively trying to prevent certain comments from being made.
It is for anyone and everyone who has something relevant to say on any aspects of the subjects above, which includes scientific evidence as well as personal experiences. Whoever said it wasn't?
As I've said before, in this context personal experiences are of course interesting – we all bring some of these to the forum - but no amount of personal experience can tell you if something is going to work for you – which is where medical/scientific evidence from trials come in. You can't ban comments about this - that's absurd! I'm sure there are other forums out there where science goes out of the window ( are there?) but not on this site!!! Of course I'm talking about commercially available medical type treatments for menopause and its symptoms not things like fans or wool duvets which are of course very helpful ideas - and don't need scientific evidence!
So if you say we are talking about migraine treatments for example – women will post about their experiences of different products and ask what worked and what didn't – but from the starting point that trials have independently shown that they have statistically been proven to work. Because they won't work 100% for all individuals – this is where personal experiences come in and especially in relation to side effects etc. This can be very reassuring. The same with different HRT types.
However if we are talking about say an alternative - herbal treatment where there is no or insufficient independent evidence of its efficacy - then it might work and it might not – but here the personal experiences are just that and don't constitute evidence eg 10 people on here say the magnet worked so it must do – great I'll go and buy one. That is why we have science/evidence based medicine otherwise it would be a free for all. If someone posts - have you tried this or does it work, then it is perfectly reasonable for someone else to post information about trials. Anyone who provides such information (in addition to those providing personal experience positive and negative) is not giving an opinion – it is evidence – or pointing to lack of it
It is insulting to the majority of posters to suggest that everything anyone posts in this section which is contrary to whatever remedy or item being suggested, is preachy or pushy is saying that everyone should use HRT. I don't think I've read anyone saying that anywhere.
And I agree with Taz and others – it really does sound like an us and them – the board is here so the arguments should stop!
No-one is chastising anyone about beliefs, but belief has no place in science – the two are mutually exclusive. Belief may lead to the placebo effect (but not always) – which as agreed is powerful and fine (to a point where there can be no serious adverse health consequences), but it has nothing to do with evidence and never will.
If you read the posts by those of us who may disagree with some of the alternative remedies - this is either personal opinion or evidence based but as far as I recall comments are always respectful and kind, or straight matter of fact - as Ju Ju entreats us to be. I don't see why this argument has to continue, and go over the same ground again and again, except to try to intimidate some of us into not posting on here
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Hurdity x