On June 13, several students joined via Zoom to listen to two Naturopathic Medicine (ND) student interns present during one of this trimester’s weekly grand rounds.
Grand rounds are weekly presentations given by ninth and tenth trimester student interns. Each grand rounds presentation is meant to examine a clinical question through research by the student presenting.
“Grand rounds give students the opportunity to tie everything they’ve learned in the program and in clinic together in the form of a patient case presented through the lens of rigorous research. I always tell the interns that it’s one thing to learn how to treat patients from a theoretical standpoint, through what they’ve learned in class and in textbooks, but true learning comes from clinical experience,” Clinical Sciences and Clinical Practice Instructor Dr. Patricia Pearce said.
Faiyza Jeelani presented “Cramping Her Style: Treating Dysmenorrhea and Premenstrual Distress with Naturopathic Medicine” where she answered the clinical question: In women with primary dysmenorrhea, does the combination of ginger and chaste tree reduce menstrual pain and premenstrual symptoms more effectively than conventional therapy?
She explained that dysmenorrhea refers to painful menstruation and detailed the different types of dysmenorrhea and conventional treatment.
“These approaches can be effective but may not be suitable for everybody. When a patient prefers holistic treatment, they come to us,” Jeelani said. “With conventional treatment, there may be side effects that patients want to avoid. Some patients are seeking long-term treatment with a root- cause solution.”
She then presented a patient case summary on a 34-year-old woman with a complex case of dysmenorrhea. Jeelani’s treatment plan for this patient consisted of a diet, supplements, homeopathic therapy and botanical tincture using black cohosh, viburnum opulus, St. John’s wort, chaste tree and ginger. After three months of treatment, her patient’s symptom severity went down from an eight to a two out of 10.
“Given the significant improvement my patient experienced while taking the custom tincture and her subsequent worsening symptoms after discontinuing it, I wanted to explore whether these botanicals could be driving the therapeutic effect,” Jeelani said.
Her research showed that ginger is a safe and low-risk option for menstrual pain that is equally effective as conventional medicines, with the added benefit of fewer side effects. The chaste tree was shown to significantly improve PMS symptoms, as well as working more effectively than fluoxetine for mood-related symptoms. This concluded that ginger and chaste tree work together to address hormonal imbalance and menstrual pain with additions of lifestyle changes and anti-inflammatory supplements.
Edelyn Quanon presented “Perimenopausal Symptom Management: A Naturopathic Approach,” exploring the clinical question: Is naturopathic medicine effective for managing perimenopausal symptoms?
Quanon began by describing perimenopause as the transitional phase before menopause, then went on to outline the symptoms, conventional medical treatments and the naturopathic medical approach which consists of diet and lifestyle changes, botanical tinctures and supplements, and physical medicine, such as hydrotherapy.
“As naturopathic physicians, our aim is to restore homeostasis with minimal side effects tailored to the patient’s needs,” Quanon said.
The first patient Quanon worked with was a 46-year-old woman with perimenopausal symptoms. Her treatment plan focused on supporting the patient’s hot flashes and nocturnal leg cramps.
This treatment plan included avoiding hot flash triggers like caffeine, alcohol or spicy foods, increasing hydration and incorporating phytoestrogen-rich foods, along with constitutional hydrotherapy and peat bath once a week. The treatment also included a botanical tincture that was made up of milk thistle, chaste tree, wild yam, common motherwort and black cohosh.
In Quanon’s research, she found that the botanicals she used in her patient’s tincture can decrease the frequency and severity of hot flashes and is commonly used as an herbal medicine for women with menopause symptoms. Within a month, her patient followed up with significant symptom improvement.
“Our treatment was safe and well tolerated. The patient was compliant with the prescribed treatment, which made a big difference in the process. Overall, the treatment aligned with clinical evidence, concluding that naturopathic care provides a viable, evidence-supported approach for managing perimenopause,” Quanon said.
Grand rounds take place every Friday at 12 CST via Zoom. Everyone is welcome to join.
