Acupuncture not for Hot Flashes, back where we started
Posted on Apr 30, 2009 under Hot Flashes | No CommentAcupuncture Not a Quick Fix for Hot Flashes
Ivanhoe Newswire If you’re looking for alternative treatments to get rid of hot flashes, acupuncture may not be the answer.
A new study from South Korea and the United Kingdom finds the ancient therapy is probably not effective at treating hot flashes during menopause.
Researchers reviewed six studies that looked at the use of acupuncture for relieving hot flashes during menopause. All the research tested the effects of real acupuncture against the effect of sham acupuncture. Only one of these studies showed a positive effect of the treatment on the frequency and severity of hot flashes.
Researchers caution the quality of even good studies is not always great. Because of this, they say the use of acupuncture cannot be completely ruled out. However, based on their review, they conclude acupuncture does not seem to be effective in treating menopausal hot flashes.
Lead researcher, Dr. Myeong Soo Lee, South Korea, was quoted as saying, “Although the availability of good Randomized Controlled Trials (RCT) is too small to draw any firm conclusion, in general the evidence from sham-controlled RCTs for the effects of acupuncture for treating menopausal hot flush is not convincing. We would always recommend that women wanting relief from menopausal symptoms consult their clinician before undertaking any course of treatment.”
SOURCE: Climacteric, 2009;12:1625-25
Damn I thought that was too good to be true.