Norwegian researchers studying acupuncture for menopausal hot flushes, have concluded it can help reduce their frequency and severity. 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. The acupuncture group were given ten treatments.
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, May-June 2009.)
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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