The Acupuncture on Hot Flushes Among Menopausal Women (ACUFLASH) study, a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

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

Chinese medicine treatment for menopausal symptoms in the UK health service: Is a clinical trial warranted?

“…Chinese medicine is increasingly popular in the West and thought to offer a personalised alternative to HRT. There is some high quality evidence to support this popularity [6] but the overall picture for both acupuncture and Chinese herbal medicine is variable and problematic [7]. Besides issues relating to the quality of research design, we contend that in most of the studies carried out to date the interventions lack validity, as their therapeutic processes are not rooted in an appropriate theoretical framework [8] [9].…”

“They're Made in Factories and Not by Witches on the Allotment”: A Qualitative Study of Midlife Women in the United Kingdom, Exploring Their Approaches to Complementary and Alternative Medicines

“…As research of CAMs at menopause mainly focuses on herbal remedies such as black cohosh and evening primrose, the use of physical contact CAMS in this context has not been widely researched; however, some authors have reported positive effects of acupuncture for the treatment of hot flushes (Borud, et al, 2009;Walker, de Valois, Davies, Young, & Maher, 2007). The majority of women in our study used physical contact CAMs for back or neck pain, or to achieve more general wellbeing.…”

The Acupuncture Treatment for Postmenopausal Hot Flushes (Acuflash) Study: Traditional Chinese Medicine Diagnoses and Acupuncture Points Used, and Their Relation to the Treatment Response

“…12 They were randomised to self-care plus acupuncture (n = 134) or self-care only (n = 133). Altogether 19 women (7%) dropped out: 16 in the control group and three in the acupuncture group.…”

“…The acupuncture group experienced statistically and clinically significant improvements in the vasomotor (p,0.001), sleep (p = 0.002) and somatic symptoms (p = 0.011) dimensions of the WHQ, compared with the control group. 12 Previous research has suggested that, among patients with recurrent cystitis, those with TCM diagnosis of Kidney fare better than patients with other diagnoses. 13 The objective of this paper is to report on the TCM syndrome diagnoses and the acupuncture points used in the Acuflash study.…”