A study on the management of menopausal syndrome by registered homeopathic practitioners in Ethekwini municipality

Abstract

INTRODUCTION Menopause is the permanent cessation of the menstrual cycle due to loss of ovarian follicular activity. Changes occur gradually over the years during a transitory phase known as the perimenopause or the climacteric phase which may take place around about the age of 45 to 55 years. This phase is associated with the reduction of oestrogen levels, which then gives rise to menopausal symptoms including hot flushes, moodiness, sleep disturbance and sweating, weight gain, fatigue and low libido. The most commonly used type of treatment is hormone replacement therapy (HRT). HRT has been shown to alleviate menopausal symptoms for many, although with adverse effects and health risks. The severity of symptoms diminishes the quality of life but the risks and side effects of HRT are such that many women look for alternative and gentler medical help. AIM The aim of the study was to explore and describe regimens utilised by registered homoeopathic practitioners in eThekwini in the management of menopausal syndrome. The study was guided by the following grand tour question: How would you describe your approach to patients presenting with menopausal syndrome? METHODOLOGY A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual study design was utilised. Qualitative research is employed in the healthcare field to investigate how people think of their experiences and knowledge and to further explore their perspectives on the care and treatment they offer for managing menopausal symptoms within the healthcare system (Holloway and Wheeler 2010). Twelve respondents were selected using snowball sampling. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were utilised as guidance to the selection process. Respondents were interviewed individually using an interview guide. Each of the interviews were audio recorded and transcribed prior to data analysis. Data was analysed using Tesch’s eight-step procedure and Creswell’s data analysis. RESULTS Results from this study indicate that even though the majority of respondents did not use homoeopathy alone as their first line approach, they were satisfied with the results obtained from their individualistic prescriptions for each of their individual patients. The thematic analysis further revealed that respondents were critical of other forms of medical approach to managing menopausal syndrome and were very enthusiastic and hopeful regarding homoeopathic treatment. CONCLUSION The principal themes arising from the data collected for this study strongly suggested that homoeopathic medicine as well as its practice to manage menopausal symptoms is widely accepted and is beneficial for patients as assessed by the participating homoeopaths. It appeared that participants had trust in their knowledge and skills and were enthusiastic and confident regarding their impact on their patient’s lives as homoeopaths. With regards to these findings, the researcher strongly recommends the need for the integration of homoeopathic practice and conventional medicine into the South African primary healthcare system. This is because the integration of homoeopathic medicine as a primary health care provider will help to offer an alternate and safe platform to ease the overwhelming load of health complaints on conventional medical practices.