Dec 09
Traditional Chinese herbs can help with menopausal hot flashes which can be particularly discomfortable.
A mix of certain traditional Chinese herbs thought to have weak estrogen-like activity might help ease menopausal hot flashes, a small clinical trial suggests.
But the herbal mix, dubbed Jiawei Qing’e Fang, is not widely available. And while the new study suggested some benefits, it had enough limitations that the true effects of the herbs are still unclear, according to an expert not involved in the work.
For the study, reported in the journal Menopause, researchers in China randomly assigned 72 women to either take Jiawei Qing’e Fang everyday for eight weeks, or use a placebo mix of starches that were made to look, taste and smell like the herbs.
Tagged with: Hot Flashes
Sep 07
In a study published recently, acupuncture has proven to be effective in reducing hot flashes in menopausal women.
A multicentre, pragmatic, randomized controlled Acuflash study was conducted in Norway during 2006-07. The study aimed at evaluating the efficacy of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) on postmenopausal symptoms. The participants were given a questionnaire comprising of questions regarding depressed mood, somatic symptoms, anxiety/fears, vasomotor symptoms, sleep problems, sexual behavior, menstrual symptoms, memory/concentration, and attractiveness.
The objective of the study was to compare the efficacy of acupuncture along with self-care against self-care alone in treating hot flushes and postmenopausal symptoms.
Tagged with: Hot Flashes • Menopausal
Jun 09
Acupuncture has been found to ease hot flashes in cancer treatment
Acupuncture might help reduce the hot flashes that frequently affect prostate cancer patients while they’re on hormone therapy.
Acupuncture, a popular form of alternative medicine, involves inserting ultra-thin needles into the skin.
Hormone therapy designed to reduce levels of testosterone in the body is one of the standard treatments for prostate cancer. However, about half of patients who undergo hormone therapy suffer from hot flashes similar to those that women experience during menopause. It is a nuisance as 60 percent of men on hormonal treatment get hot flashes. Usually it’s mild and self-limiting and improves with time. But there are some men who suffer.
Tagged with: cancer • Hot Flashes
May 14
Acupuncture can help relieve hot flashes from prostate cancer treatment, which will benefit a lot of people.
Acupuncture provides long-lasting relief to hot flashes, heart palpitations and anxiety due to side effects of the hormone given to counteract testosterone, the hormone that induces prostate cancer, according to a study published in the April issue of the International Journal of Radiation Oncology Biology Physics, an official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).
The main treatments for men with metastatic prostate cancer are either surgery or hormone therapy to significantly reduce the level of testosterone in the body. Eliminating testosterone has been proven to keep the cancer in check by starving the cancer of hormones it needs to grow and spread. However, about half of the time, this therapy also causes very uncomfortable hot flashes similar to those women experience during menopause. The main way to combat hot flashes is to take antidepressants, but these drugs can cause side effects of their own, including nausea, dry mouth, sleeplessness, altered appetite and sexual changes.
Tagged with: Hot Flashes • Prostate cancer
Mar 11
Acupuncture can help you lessen the severity of hot flashes
The study, conducted by the Ankara Training and Research Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, concluded that acupuncture, which treats patients by inserting and manipulating needles in the body, curbs the severity of hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms, largely related to mood.
The authors based their findings on the experience of 53 postmenopausal women. The participants measured their symptoms using a 5-point scale before and after treatment.
Tagged with: Hot Flashes
Oct 14
A recent study has found that acupuncture offers patients a safe, effective and durable treatment option for hot flashes, something that affects the majority of breast cancer survivors
Not only is acupuncture as effective as drug therapy at reducing hot flashes in breast cancer patients, it has the added benefit of potentially increasing a woman’s sex drive and improving her sense of well-being, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.
Study results show that acupuncture, when compared to drug therapy, has a longer-lasting effect on the reduction of hot flashes and night sweats for women receiving hormone therapy for breast cancer treatment. Women also report that acupuncture improves their energy and clarity of thought.
Tagged with: Hot Flashes
