Acupuncture To Treat Hot Flushes

Exciting new research has just emerged from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania suggesting that acupuncture is better than medication for hot flushes post breast cancer.

Whilst hot flushes are typically associated with the menopause, patients are often left with low levels of oestrogen after treatment. These low levels often leave the patient with insomnia. Surviving breast cancer means the conventional treatment Hormone Replacement Therapy is out of bounds. Typically patients are instead prescribed gabapentin, a very potent medication typically used for pain relief and epilepsy.

Details Of The Study On Acupuncture For Hot Flushes

A sample of 120 women who had undergone treatment for breast cancer were assigned to treatment of either Gabapentin, acupuncture, sham acupuncture or placebo. Acupuncture was carried out twice weekly for two weeks then weekly for the remaining 6 weeks of the trial period. Excitingly acupuncture lowered the severity and frequency of hot flushes – more than gabapentin, with the added bonus of a reduction in side effects compared to the drug.

I have treated a number of menopausal patients successfully for hot flushes and insomnia. Its great to see medical research now backing up my own experiences.