Acupuncture shows promise for hot flashes

Mon Sep 25, 2006 4:49 PM BST
By Amy Norton

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Acupuncture may offer women an alternative for easing hot flashes during menopause, preliminary research suggests.

In a study of 29 women with frequent, daily hot flashes, researchers found that those who received acupuncture began to have fewer and less severe symptoms during the night.

As nighttime hot flashes improved, so did the quality of the women’s sleep, the researchers report in the journal Fertility & Sterility.

Hot flashes are a common part of menopause, and women who get them often have difficulty getting a good night’s sleep. Hormone replacement therapy is effective at quelling hot flashes, but given the risks of the therapy — including increased risks of heart disease and breast cancer — many women are interested in alternative treatments.

The new findings offer preliminary evidence that acupuncture works, but it’s too early to recommend the procedure for hot flashes, senior study author Dr. Rachel Manber told Reuters Health.
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Jeanie Marie Kraft, L.Ac. MyAcuDoc.com