I have treated many women suffering from hot flashes, and in most cases acupuncture helped them very well, and in a natural way, by restoring balance in the body. It reduced the severity of the heat sensation, and often they felt themselves “cooling down,” sometimes even during the treatment itself. The treatments were also profoundly relaxing for most of them, as many of the points used have a deeply calming effect on the nervous system.
Two causes of hot flashes
The women I treated had hot flashes for one of two reasons. The most common cause, of course, was menopause. The second was chemotherapy, which in some cases seemed to push the younger ones into premature menopause.
The sensation of “cooling down” during treatment was fairly commonly reported, but even when it was not an immediate subjective response to treatment, I was pleased to notice that the hot flashes were usually reduced. I have had several female patients who never felt overheated during the day, at the time when my clinic was open, and only experienced the hot flashes at night, and they reported a reduction in these. Generally, this improvement occurred gradually over the course of several treatments, and once it was achieved, we could discontinue therapy for a while, often for a few months. If the symptoms returned again, then a few more treatments would usually bring relief for a few more months.
A scientific study
A study of acupuncture’s effects on reducing hot flashes with menopausal women was conducted in Ankara, Turkey. 53 women received 10 sessions each of acupuncture. Half of them received “sham” acupuncture where a blunted needle was used that did not penetrate the skin. The women who received real acupuncture reported significantly fewer hot flashes compared to the sham acupuncture group. Other symptoms such as mood swings and depression also improved.
I would like to share with you some testimonials kindly written by a few of my patients who experienced relief from their hot flashes.