Acupuncture Reduces Severity and Frequency of Hot Flashes

Acupuncture can ease symptoms of hot flashes and reduce their severity and frequency, a new study states.

"Acupuncture" refers to an entire family of treatments that involve stimulating specific points in the body via various techniques. The kind of acupuncture studied in various studies is based on insertion of needles into the body. Acupuncture has been practised in China and other Asian countries for thousands of years. Related studies have shown that acupuncture eases severity of hot flashes in breast cancer patients. Also, the technique is effective in reducing osteoarthritis knee pain.

Acupuncture is quite popular in the U.S. According to the 2007 National Health Interview Survey, about 3.1 million U.S. adults and 150,000 children had used the technique at least one time in the previous year.

For the present study, researchers looked at data from 104 earlier research papers on the subject. Out of the 104 studies, only 12 studies with 869 participants met the criteria for the current research. The studies included women aged between 40-60 years. Type of treatments for hot flashes included traditional Chinese medicine acupuncture (TCMA), acupressure, electro-acupuncture, laser acupuncture and ear acupuncture, according to a news release.

The studies reported that acupuncture reduced severity and frequency of hot flashes. There were inconsistent reports on acupuncture affecting sleep problems, mood disturbances and sexual problems.

The study doesn't explain why acupuncture helps with hot flashes. One theory is that acupuncture reduces the concentration of β-endorphin in the hypothalamus, which leads to a drop in estrogen concentration. Lower levels of estrogen trigger release of CGRP, which affects thermoregulation.

Researchers also found that even sham acupuncture had the same effect as genuine therapy.

The study results are important because as many as fifty percent of the women undergoing menopause seen alternative therapies to ease hot flashes.

"More than anything, this review indicates that there is still much to be learned relative to the causes and treatments of menopausal hot flashes," said Margery Gass, MD, executive director of North American Menopause Society. "The review suggests that acupuncture may be an effective alternative for reducing hot flashes, especially for those women seeking non- pharmacologic therapies."

The study is published in the journal Menopause.