Case Presentation

Mrs. Parker is a 52 year-old women with hot flashes. She comes into your office with concerns about feeling very uncomfortable due to menopausal symptoms. Before you are able to suggest anything, she continues to say that she is also very worried about using hormone replacement therapy at this time and would much rather use a more natural approach. Before long, you are getting the impression that Mrs. Parker would like to know what herbs or supplements you would recommend.

This case is designed as an introduction to have you become more familiar with HDS, the legal and historical background of them, and to develop skills that will enable you to systematically learn and ultimately recommend herbs and dietary supplements for your patients. Before we continue further, please review Mrs. Parker’s information below.

Patient concern and goal: Mrs. Parker is a Caucasian female who gets her medical care at the Lowell Community Health Center. She has generally been in good health, but is having increasing problems with stress as she has recently lost her job. She wants to feel better and to reduce the frequency of hot flashes, but would like to avoid hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as her mother died early in life of breast cancer. She is also concerned about osteoporosis; she is a smoker and has a family history of osteoporosis.

Please answer the following question in the space provided (approximately 5 mins).