Black Cohosh for Breast Cancer Survivors

Breast cancer treatment is hard on your hormones! 80% of breast cancers are hormone driven, meaning either estrogen or progesterone or both will make the tumor grow. For this reason, most women with breast cancer will receive medication specifically designed to decrease estrogen in your body. But even with hormone-negative breast cancers, treatment will still mess with your hormones. This can cause hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, insomnia, heart palpitations, weight gain and more. As I've discussed in previous articles, treatment hits your hormone system from a few different angles:

• If you were still having cycles and went through chemotherapy, this usually will put you abruptly into menopause

• If you are taking tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor, your estrogen levels will be lower, which will often give women menopausal symptoms

• Cancer treatment is stressful! On top of our already stressful lives, this extra strain can have a profound impact on our hormones, which amplifies the symptoms.

One of my favorite herbs for managing these symptoms in breast cancer survivors is black cohosh--watch my quick video to learn more!