Researchers in Brazil have shown acupuncture to be helpful for hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms. A total of 81 women were enrolled into a randomised, single-blind, controlled crossover trial. Group 1 received 12 months of true acupuncture treatment followed by 6 months of sham acupuncture. Group 2 received 6 months of sham acupuncture followed by 12 months of true acupuncture treatment.
After 6 months, women in Group 1 exhibited significantly lower hot flush and menopause symptom intensity scores compared to Group 2. At the 12 month point, scores were similar in both groups. After 18 months, scores for women in Group 2 were lower than those for women in Group 1.
(Acupuncture-ameliorated Menopausal Symptoms: Single-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Randomised Trial. Climacteric Journal May 2010. Epub ahead of print.)
A systematic review of twenty-seven randomised controlled trials, examining data from nearly 3000 women, has shown that, compared with drug treatment or herbal medicine, acupuncture was associated with a significant reduction in period pain.
(British Journal of Gynaecology Feb 2010, Epub ahead of print.)
American researchers have found that acupuncture is just as effective as drug treatment in preventing hot flushes in breast cancer patients receiving long-term oestrogen-antagonist therapy. Moreover, they also found that acupuncture improved both their sex drive and overall sense of well-being.
Fifty patients were randomly assigned to receive twelve weeks of either acupuncture or standard drug treatment (in this case, venlafaxine). Both groups were found to exhibit significant decreases in hot flushes and depressive symptoms, together with improvements in mental health and quality of life. At follow-up two weeks after treatment had ended, the venlafaxine group were experiencing significant increases in hot flushes, whereas those in the acupuncture group remained low. Further, the drug treatment group reported 18 incidences of adverse effects (nausea, dry mouth, dizziness, anxiety), compared with the acupuncture group which reported none. Acupuncture had the additional benefit of increasing sex drive in some women, and most reported improvements in their energy, clarity of thought and general well-being.
(Acupuncture versus Venlafaxine for the Management of Vasomotor Symptoms in Patients with Hormone-Receptor Positive Breast Cancer: A Randomised Controlled Trial. Journal of Clinical Oncology Feb 2010.)
A multicentre randomised controlled study has concluded that acupuncture in addition to standard care, is associated with significant improvements in menopausal hot flushes and other menopause-related symptoms.
A total of 175 women were randomised to receive either twelve acupuncture treatments over four weeks in addition to usual care, or to usual care alone. In the acupuncture group, the average reduction in the 24 hour hot flush score was 17, compared to only 7 in the control group. The acupuncture group also showed significant improvements in other areas such as psychological and urogenital, compared to the control group.
(Effects of Acupuncture on Hot Flashes in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women – A Multicentre Randomised Clinical Trial. Menopause Nov 2009. Epub ahead of print.)
Norwegian researchers have concluded that acupuncture can help reduce the frequency and severity of menopausal hot flushes. In a multicentre, randomised, controlled trial involving 267 women, the effects of acupuncture plus self-care, were compared with the effects of self-care alone.
In the acupuncture group, hot flush frequency decreased by 5.8 flushes per 24 hours, compared to 3.7 per 24 hours in the control group. Similarly, the acupuncture group experienced a decrease in hot flush intensity of 3.2 units, compared to 1.8 units in the control group.
Women in the acupuncture group also reported significant improvements in other quality of life indices such as sleep. (The Effects of Acupuncture on Hot Flushes among Menopausal Women (Acuflash) Study, A Randomised Controlled Trial. Menopause 2009 May-June.)
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