ABSTRACT
Complementary and integrative medicine (CIM) use has been identified as prevalent among women for the management of menopausal symptoms, generating great interest and concern among conventional medical practitioners and health policy-makers. Menopause is a specific aging process of every woman referring to the permanent cessation of menstruation due to a natural decline of ovarian hormone secretion, and usually begins between the ages of 40 and 58 years with ethnic and regional variations. Women may experience menopausal symptoms including but not limited to vasomotor symptoms (hot flushes and night sweats), mood changes (anxiety, depression, etc,) sleep problems, joint and muscle complaints, urinary disorders, and vaginal dryness. In terms of the communication between health care practitioners and menopausal women, although practitioners are one type of information source of women's CIM use, the majority of menopausal women remain underwhelmed regarding their knowledge of CIM.
