Acupuncture Effectively Treats Hot Flashes

Patients frequently come to my clinic for help when they have trouble sleeping, reduced sex drive, heart arrhythmia, and/or general anxiety. For the men, the issue is usually stress-related. For the women, though, it may actually be menopause related.

Acupuncture is as effective as drug therapy and has the added benefit of potentially increasing a woman's sex drive and improving her sense of well-being according to a 2009 Henry Ford Hospital study published in the Journal of Oncology.

The study was a randomly controlled trial and the results show acupuncture has a longer-lasting effect on the reduction of hot flashes and night sweats for women receiving hormone therapy for breast cancer treatment when compared to drug therapy. Women also report that acupuncture improves their energy and clarity of thought.[1]

"Acupuncture offers patients a safe, effective and durable treatment option for hot flashes, something that affects the majority of breast cancer survivors. Compared to drug therapy, acupuncture actually has benefits, as opposed to more side effects."

Lead Author Eleanor Walker, M.D.,
Division Director, Breast Services
Radiation Oncology, Henry Ford Hospital

Another study at The National Research Center in Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Norway compared the effectiveness of individualized acupuncture plus self-care versus self-care alone on hot flashes and health-related quality of life in postmenopausal women. There were statistically significant (P <0.001) improvements in vasomotor (hot flashes), sleep, and somatic symptoms in the acupuncture group.

“Acupuncture plus self-care can contribute to a clinically relevant reduction in hot flashes and increased health-related quality of life in postmenopausal women.”[2]

Though menopausal signs and symptoms are disturbing, they are self-limiting and not life-threatening. Such signs and symptoms may be prominent for a few years, but they will gradually lessen in severity and eventually disappear.
Fatigue during menopause, for example, is related to Spleen Qi Deficiency. “Shi Quan Da Bu Wan” is a traditional formula that has been used for hundreds of years to nourish the Spleen and its meridian. Hot flashes and night sweats are associated with Kidney Deficiency and are treated with the formula “Mai Wei Di Huang Wan” which is related to the Kidney Yin Tonic. Chinese herbal formulas can also treat other menopause-related discomforts such as headache, insomnia, depression, vaginal dryness, lowered libido and Osteoporosis.

Menopause Conditions and Treatments[3]
Diagnosis	Clinical Manifestation	Herbal Rx
Kidney Yin Deficiency	Delayed menstruation (scanty in amount or ceased completely); hair loss; scanty vaginal discharge; dryness of vagina; dizziness; tinnitus; hot flashes; night sweats; five heart irritable heat (heat and irritable sensation in the chest, palms and soles); hot flashes; insomnia; increased dreams; itchy skin or formication (tactile hallucination with feeling of insects crawling on skin); soreness and weakness of lower back and knees	Anemarrhena phellodendron & rehmannia formula (zhi bai di huang wan) and artemisia & turtle shell decoction (qing hao bie jia tang)
Liver Qi Stagnation	Irritability; nervousness; hypochondriac distention; constipation; palpitations; insomnia; emotional instability; generalized weakness.	Bupleurum & dragonbone combination (chai hu jia long mu tang) and bupleurum & peony formula (jia wei ziao yao san)
Blood Deficiency	Dizziness; hot flushes; sweating; insomnia; dryness of skin; sallow complexion; emotional instability; myalgia.	Tang kuei four combination (si wu tang) and ginseng & longan combination (gui pi tang)
Uprising Deficiency Heat	Hot flushes; bone-steaming sensation; irritability; dizziness; nervousness; emaciation.	Artemisia & turtle shell decoction (qing hao bie jia tang)
Kidney Yang Deficiency	Heavy menstrual bleeding; metrorrhagia or complete ceasing of menstruation; soreness and weakness of the lower back and knees; edema of the face and limbs; cold limbs; cold appearance; loose stools; polyuria; urinary incontinence.	Eucommia & rehmannia formula (you gui wan) and ginseng & ginger combination (li zhong tang)
Kidney Essence (Jing) Deficiency	Weakness and soreness of the lower back and legs; inability to stand for a prolonged period of time; decreased bone mass density (Osteoporosis).	Testudinis & cervi formula (gui lu er xian jiao)

For women experiencing the distress of hot flashes, night sweats, headaches and insomnia, acupuncture and Chinese herbal formulas can provide a safe and effective way to achieve a trouble-free menopause. There are several herbal formulas which are widely used for relieving menopausal symptoms, and which are extremely effective.
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Wednesday, March 17, 2010