Hot flashes, a common symptom of menopause, has various treatment alternatives ranging from hormone replacement therapy to herbal supplements. Now acupuncture can be added to that list according to a study from the Stanford University School of Medicine.
The study was small, with only 29 women participating. Each woman was randomized to 7 weeks of acupuncture or a sham treatment, with women not knowing which treatment they recieved.
The results, published in Fertility and Sterility, found that women who suffer from hot flashes respond favorably to acupuncture. The women who recieved true acupuncture reported fewer and less severe hot flashes than the women who had the sham treatment.
Hot flashes are a climacteric result of fluctuating hormone levels. Conventional treatment has always used estrogen and progesterone to treat this condition, but recent studies linking hormone replacement therapy to increased risk for stroke, heart attack, and certain cancers has prompted women to look for alternatives.
Acupuncture has been used for centuries by the Chinese and is believed to stimulate the innate energy fields that run through meridians in the body. Modern scientists believe that acupuncture works via stimulation of hormones and neurotransmitters in the body.
Women in the study who recieved the true acupuncture also reported improved sleep compared to those getting sham acupuncture. Insomnia and hot flashes often go hand in hand, as they can happen frequently at night.
Posted by Dr. Christina Gutierrez on October 10, 2006 01:02 PM
