Acupuncture for hot flushes is as effective as hormone replacement therapy (HRT), according to Italian researchers. A total of 75 postmenopausal women with hot flushes were randomised to receive a three month course of either HRT, weekly acupuncture, or phytoestrogens. Scores of overall menopausal symptoms declined significantly in all three groups. Acupuncture and HRT were more effective than phytoestrogens for hot flushes specifically. At follow-up three months after the treatments had ended, symptom reduction remained greater in the acupuncture group compared with the HRT group.
(Acupuncture or phy(F)itoestrogens vs. (E)strogen plus progestin on menopausal symptoms. A randomized study. Gynecological Endocrinology. 29 May 2019.)
Author: Robin Costello
I offer traditional Chinese acupuncture in Exeter, from a tranquil clinic a mile from the city centre, and next to the University of Exeter. I graduated originally from the London School of Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine’s 3 year full time Acupuncture Diploma (DipAc) course. I am on the practitioners register of the British Acupuncture Council (MBAcC), a regulatory and professional body with an entry standard of a full three year undergraduate degree level training.
I have worked in a hospital in south west China, deepening my knowledge and using acupuncture and Chinese massage (tuina) as the treatment of choice in its country of origin. I have taught Chinese medicine in colleges, the NHS and at university level. I also practise Qi Gong, and Chinese dietary therapy, that is the medicinal use of ordinary foods, chosen to help achieve particular therapeutic effects in different individuals.
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