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Q. I read about Pycnogenol for hot flashes and tried it. It worked within only a few days! The main side effect was constipation.
I was quite pleased until I asked my GYN about it. I told her I thought the Pycnogenol was working well. She wasn't happy and did an Internet search on the compound. To her it looked like a pretty powerful drug with no testing. She suggested I stop taking it and use medicine that has been tested.
A. We are fascinated by your gynecologist's reaction. Pycnogenol is an extract of the bark of the French maritime pine. It is rich in antioxidant plant compounds called procyanidins, and it has been studied for a wide range of problems, from osteoarthritis of the knee and type 2 diabetes to attention deficit disorder and hot flashes.
We found 195 scientific articles on studies in humans, animals or cell cultures. She is right that there is not much research on its use for menopause. We found only one double-blind, placebo-controlled study (Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica, Aug. 2007). Another study found that Pycnogenol has no estrogenic activity (Journal of Reproductive Medicine, Aug. 2007).
We are sending you our Guide to Menopause with a discussion of Pycnogenol and other approaches to relieving hot flashes. Compared to prescription drugs like Prempro, Effexor or Pristiq, Pycnogenol appears to have few side effects.
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One of the reasons I delight in this space is the deliciously understated way in which you question foolish talk. It is the verbal equivalent to an imperceptibly lifted eyebrow. Brava!
OMG!! I cannot believe that GYN could have possibly made those comments. What a great (and scary) example of the fact that many, many MD's are still woefully ignorant about nutrition and supplements, i.e., proactive healthcare. Pycnogenol is a wonderful supplement, a great antioxidant, no side effects, nothing but good. I've taken it for many years.
I tried Pycnogenol about a year ago. I took it for 1 1/2 months but unfortunately it didn't help. I continue to have hot flashes about every two hours all around the clock. I've read that all supplements are not necessarily alike and sometimes one brand will work versus another. I did a web search to find it.
I have been taking Pine Bark Extract/Pycnogenol for several months for hot flashes as a result of premature menopause from treatment for hormone-receptor positive breast cancer. I'm currently getting monthly injections to keep my ovaries shut down (along with another med to rid my body of most of the rest of the estrogen), but the hot flashes have been severe. Pine Bark Extract/Pycnogenol helped. It took the edge off and my oncologist was okay with it. However, my estradiol levels are going up (from practically nothing after the first few months of ovarian suppression) and that is worrisome, so my Oncologist told me to stop taking the extract.
Since it helps (at least in some) with hot flashes, that suggests that it might exerted a hormonal influence. The one study suggesting that pycnogenol "has no estrogenic activity" was not specifically looking at/testing for that and was also very small. I wish I could feel more confident that it wasn't going to spur my cancer, because it really helped with my hot flashes, it seems to offer other benefits as well and, in general, it seems to be a very safe herb.
I feel very conflicted.
My mother has been Pycnogenol for 2 years now after reading about its effects on people who suffer from hot flushes and at first she was worried about giving it a try but after reading a few reviews she thought she would try it for a month to see how it goes. Well she is still taking it to this day and it helps her so much. Of course there are these worries about safety but my mother has noticed a big difference in her health so she will continue to use it.
It is well known - and documented - that an alarming number of doctors take kickbacks from pharmaceutical manufacturers. Those doctors are not going to promote natural remedies, because they would lose a great deal of money. Moreover, the majority of "studies" that contradict established facts about natural/herbal/plant-based treatments are funded by pharmaceutical companies. Independent studies, for example, have established the efficacy of St. Johns Wort for depression, and also documented the actual, existing, potential side effects, just as we do for pharmaceuticals.
You may wish to look up the debate that took place within the American Medical Association a couple of years ago, when the AMA tried to eliminate some of the more blatant instances of conflict of interest. The AMA attempted to prohibit doctors from receiving continuing education credit by attending courses/seminars on - for example - depression, if the course or seminar was 1) underwritten by a for-profit corporation involved in any way in the manufacture of a particular drug for treatment of depression, or 2) if any for-profit corporation meeting those same criteria paid the doctor's transportation, tuition, or any other expenses.
I will make a note to add a some links and the actual wording in the next few days, but that is the gist. The majority of members of the AMA refused to accept the change in membership requirements, and voted against any controls on accepting money or perks from pharmaceutical companies.
Considering all that, you might want to ask your doctor what samples she has on hand that she would recommend to you...and also if she receives any compensation from the manufacturers for recommending and/or handing out those samples. You do not need to be accusatory - it is, unfortunately, not illegal for her to do so. But it is a fair question, and if she refuses to answer, or becomes defensive...well, you might want to consider finding another doctor, ASAP.
All best,
cordwainer
Pycnogenol is still under study and still needs plenty of research on its different side effects to the body. Although there is no harm in trying it for quite some time. If you don't think that it isn't doing your body any good then stop using and try another one which you think is more helpful. For those who sees good effects in it then share it to others. Each individual has unique body components in which Pycnogenol may or may not fit in. Therefore it is better to actually try it to several different people and see its results.