ACUPUNCTURE AND MENOPAUSAL HOT FLUSHES

Acupuncture and menopausal hot flushes is an area of interest to many clinicians. A US trial has found that acupuncture treatment can reduce the hot flushes associated with menopause. The frequency of hot flushes after six months was reduced by 37% in a group of patients having acupuncture (up to a maximum of twenty treatment sessions) as opposed to 6% in a waiting list control group.

Avis et al. 2016. Trajectories of response to acupuncture for menopausal vasomotor symptoms: the Acupuncture in Menopause (AIM) study. Menopause; 24(2):000-000

Acupuncture is mentioned in NICE’s 2015 guidelines on menopause with a recommendation that information be provided on “non-hormonal and non-pharmaceutical treatments (for example CBT, hypnosis, acupuncture, and relaxation techniques) for the relief of menopausal symptoms”.