Women suffering from hot flushes may benefit from traditional Chinese acupuncture, medical researchers reported today.
The treatment helps to relieve the hot flushes and the mood swings that go with the menopause, according to research involving some 53 women.
Researchers said it did not relieve physical symptoms – nor did it make any difference to hormone levels.
Some 27 of the women underwent acupuncture for ten weeks. They were treated twice a week and needles were left in position for 20 minutes at a time.
The other 26 women were given fake acupuncture.
The findings are reported in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine.
Researcher Dr Didern Sunay, of the Ankara Research and Training Hospital, Ankara, Turkey, says the production of pain-killing endorphins by the body might have helped to stabilise the temperature of the female patients.
Dr Sunay writes: "Traditional Chinese acupuncture could be an alternative for those women unable or unwilling to use hormone replacement therapy to ease troublesome menopausal symptoms."
Acupuncture in Medicine March 8 2011 29:27-31
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