Effects of acupuncture on hot flashes in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women-a multicenter randomized clinical trial

Kim, Kun Hyung; Kang, Kyung‐Won; Kim, Dong Il; Kim, Hyung Jun; Yoon, Hyun‐Min; J, Lee; Jeong, Jae Cheol; Lee, Myeong Soo; Jung, Hee Jung; Choi, Sun-Mi

doi:10.1097/gme.0b013e3181bfac3b

Cited by 84 publications

(54 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…The full texts of the remaining 114 articles were assessed, of which 17 were included. These were eight SRs [10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] and nine RCTs [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] (Fig. 1).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Efficacy and Safety of Needle Acupuncture for Treating Gynecologic and Obstetric Disorders: An Overview

Selva

Zapata

Solà

et al. 2013

Medical Acupuncture

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Background: Acupuncture is being used increasingly to treat gynecologic and obstetric disorders. Objective: The aim of this review was to determine the efficacy and safety of acupuncture for treating pelvic and low-back pain during pregnancy, pain during labor, primary dysmenorrhea, and menopausal symptoms. Design: This is an overview of systematic reviews (SRs) and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Search strategy: A literature search was conducted, in July 2010, in MEDLINE,Ò the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CENTRAL, the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, and Tripdatabase. Selection criteria: Published SRs and RCTs found during the literature search were included as well as RCTs that were published after completion of the literature search. Analysis: Data from SRs and RCTs that provided quantitative information were pooled. Results: Eight SRs and nine RCTs were included. One SR and 4 RCTs showed that acupuncture reduced pelvic and low-back pain, compared to physiotherapy or usual prenatal care. Results were contradictory when interventions were compared with sham acupuncture. With respect to reduction of pain during labor, two SRs showed no differences between acupuncture and sham acupuncture. None of the three SRs included on primary dysmenorrhea produced conclusive results. Two SRs of studies on menopausal symptoms showed no differences between acupuncture and sham acupuncture. A meta-analysis of three additional RCTs identified a favorable effect of acupuncture for reducing frequency and intensity of hot flashes. Adverse effects were mild and infrequent. Conclusions: Evidence for the efficacy of needle acupuncture for treating the disorders evaluated remains inconclusive. The intervention showed promising results for reducing pelvic and back pain during pregnancy and climacteric vasomotor symptoms, although well-designed studies are needed to make the results more precise and reliable.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…17 In addition, five more RCTs [22][23][24][25][26][27] were included; these were published after the literature search for these SRs. The outcomes measured in most studies were vasomotor symptoms.…”

Section: Climacteric Symptomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Efficacy and Safety of Needle Acupuncture for Treating Gynecologic and Obstetric Disorders: An Overview

Selva

Zapata

Solà

et al. 2013

Medical Acupuncture

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“…The calcitonin gene-related protein (CGRP) is a vasodilator and may mediate these vasomotor symptoms. 17 Based on this hypothesis, previous studies measured the urinary excretion of CGRP after acupuncture, showing a signifi cant decrease of urine CGRP in one study 36 but not in two other studies. 16 37 The true mechanisms of the effect of acupuncture for hot fl ushes needs to be elucidated by further research.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Overall effectiveness of acupuncture compared to usual care was addressed in another study which showed benefi cial effects of acupuncture for 2-month study periods. 17 The limitations of this study include the relatively short period of observation (less than 6 months) and baseline imbalances of patient characteristics and MRS scores, although we employed an analysis of covariance method to adjust observed baseline imbalances of MRS scores, which was not planned in protocol. Standardised acupuncture points and restricted consultation/interaction between the practitioner and participants might diminish the external validity of the results in this study.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acupuncture for Hot Flushes in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women: A Randomised, Sham-Controlled Trial

et al. 2011

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Objectives To determine the effect of acupuncture in treating hot fl ushes in perimenopausal or postmenopausal women. Methods The study was a randomised single-blind sham-controlled clinical trial. Perimenopausal or postmenopausal women with moderate or severe hot fl ushes were randomised to receive real or sham acupuncture. Both groups underwent a 4-week run-in period before the treatment. The real acupuncture group received 11 acupuncture treatments for 7 weeks, and the control group underwent sham acupuncture on non-acupuncture points during the same period. Both groups were followed for 8 weeks after the end of treatment period. Changes from baseline in the hot fl ush scores at week 7, measured by multiplying the hot fl ush frequency and severity, were the primary outcome. Hot fl ush frequency, severity and menopause-related symptoms measured with the Menopause Rating Scale Questionnaire were regarded as secondary outcomes. Results 54 participants were randomised into the real acupuncture group (n=27) and the sham acupuncture group (n=27). The mean change in hot fl ush scores was −6.4±5.2 in the real acupuncture group and −5.6±9.2 in the sham group at week 7 from values at the start of the acupuncture treatment (10.0±8.1 vs 11.7±12.6), respectively (p=0.0810). No serious adverse events were observed during the whole study period. Conclusions Compared to sham acupuncture, acupuncture failed to show signifi cantly different effects on the hot fl ush scores but showed partial benefi ts on the hot fl ush severity. Further consideration is needed to develop appropriate strategies for distinguishing non-specifi c effects from observed overall effectiveness of acupuncture for hot fl ushes. Whether acupuncture has pointspecifi c effects for hot fl ushes should be also considered in designing future researches.

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“…6 In multiple studies, acupuncture has reduced vasomotor symptoms, irrespective of needle placement, depth or type of stimulation. [7][8][9][10][11][12][13] This non-specifi city of the acupuncture intervention has led critics to state that acupuncture effectiveness does not have a specifi c physiological basis beyond that of a placebo, expectation or non-specifi c response. 14 15 This argument needs to be taken seriously, as the placebo effect is varied and potent, 16 and could conceivably be the mechanism by which acupuncture ameliorates menopausal symptoms.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Improvement of Menopausal Symptoms with Acupuncture Not Reflected in Changes to Heart Rate Variability

Wright

Aickin

2011

Acupunct Med

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Hypothesis Studies indicate that menopausal symptoms are relieved by acupuncture. Additional studies have suggested that acupuncture may affect heart rate variability (HRV). This paper reports a pilot study that investigated whether menopausal symptoms responded to acupuncture, and if changes in the spectral analysis of HRV, either suppression of low frequency or augmentation of high frequency bands, corresponded with symptom report. Methods/interventions 12 healthy menopausal subjects were enrolled in this feasibility study. At baseline, subjects were experiencing moderately distressing menopausal symptoms, scoring at least 22 of a possible 44 points on the Menopausal Rating Scale. 10 traditional Chinese medicinebased, protocol acupuncture treatments were administered over a 4 week period, three times a week for 2 weeks, followed by twice a week for 2 weeks. Outcome measures Menopausal Rating Scale questionnaire, 11 menopausal symptoms were evaluated on a zero to four severity scale via self-administered daily checklist for 4 weeks. Dynamic measures of HRV (autoregressive model) were captured before, during and after acupuncture at each session. Spectral analysis of the heart rate was used to compute power in the low frequency and high frequency bands, and their ratio. Results All subjects complied fully with the protocol without any reported adverse events. While all 11 symptoms showed signifi cant improvement, and one HRV measure changed, on average over the study period, there was essentially no support for a relationship between HRV, menopausal symptom report and acupuncture intervention.

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Effects of acupuncture on hot flashes in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women-a multicenter randomized clinical trial

Abstract: Our results suggest that acupuncture in addition to usual care is associated with marked clinical improvement in hot flashes and menopause-related symptoms in perimenopausal or postmenopausal women.

Cited by 84 publications

References 57 publications

Efficacy and Safety of Needle Acupuncture for Treating Gynecologic and Obstetric Disorders: An Overview

Efficacy and Safety of Needle Acupuncture for Treating Gynecologic and Obstetric Disorders: An Overview

Acupuncture for Hot Flushes in Perimenopausal and Postmenopausal Women: A Randomised, Sham-Controlled Trial

Improvement of Menopausal Symptoms with Acupuncture Not Reflected in Changes to Heart Rate Variability

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