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A randomized, controlled pilot study of acupuncture treatment for menopausal hot flashes.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Avis, NE; Legault, C; Coeytaux, RR; Pian-Smith, M; Shifren, JL; Chen, W; Valaskatgis, P
Published in: Menopause
2008

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the feasibility of conducting a randomized trial of the effect of acupuncture in decreasing hot flashes in peri- and postmenopausal women. DESIGN: Fifty-six women ages 44 to 55 with no menses in the past 3 months and at least four hot flashes per day were recruited from two clinical centers and randomized to one of three treatment groups: usual care (n = 19), sham acupuncture (n = 18), or Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture (n = 19). Acupuncture treatments were scheduled twice weekly for 8 consecutive weeks. The sham acupuncture group received shallow needling in nontherapeutic sites. The Traditional Chinese Medicine acupuncture group received one of four treatments based on a Traditional Chinese Medicine diagnosis. Usual care participants were instructed to not initiate any new treatments for hot flashes during the study. Daily diaries were used to track frequency and severity of hot flashes. The mean daily index score was based on the number of mild, moderate, and severe hot flashes. Follow-up analyses were adjusted for baseline values, clinical center, age, and body mass index. RESULTS: There was a significant decrease in mean frequency of hot flashes between weeks 1 and 8 across all groups (P = 0.01), although the differences between the three study groups were not significant. However, the two acupuncture groups showed a significantly greater decrease than the usual care group (P < 0.05), but did not differ from each other. Results followed a similar pattern for the hot flash index score. There were no significant effects for changes in hot flash interference, sleep, mood, health-related quality of life, or psychological well-being. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest either that there is a strong placebo effect or that both traditional and sham acupuncture significantly reduce hot flash frequency.

Duke Scholars

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Published In

Menopause

DOI

EISSN

1530-0374

Publication Date

2008

Volume

15

Issue

6

Start / End Page

1070 / 1078

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Quality of Life
  • Placebo Effect
  • Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine
  • Middle Aged
  • Menopause
  • Humans
  • Hot Flashes
  • Female
  • Adult
  • Acupuncture Therapy
 

Citation

APA
Chicago
ICMJE
MLA
NLM
Avis, N. E., Legault, C., Coeytaux, R. R., Pian-Smith, M., Shifren, J. L., Chen, W., & Valaskatgis, P. (2008). A randomized, controlled pilot study of acupuncture treatment for menopausal hot flashes. Menopause, 15(6), 1070–1078. https://doi.org/10.1097/gme.0b013e31816d5b03
Avis, Nancy E., Claudine Legault, Remy R. Coeytaux, May Pian-Smith, Jan L. Shifren, Wunian Chen, and Peter Valaskatgis. “A randomized, controlled pilot study of acupuncture treatment for menopausal hot flashes.Menopause 15, no. 6 (2008): 1070–78. https://doi.org/10.1097/gme.0b013e31816d5b03.
Avis NE, Legault C, Coeytaux RR, Pian-Smith M, Shifren JL, Chen W, et al. A randomized, controlled pilot study of acupuncture treatment for menopausal hot flashes. Menopause. 2008;15(6):1070–8.
Avis, Nancy E., et al. “A randomized, controlled pilot study of acupuncture treatment for menopausal hot flashes.Menopause, vol. 15, no. 6, 2008, pp. 1070–78. Pubmed, doi:10.1097/gme.0b013e31816d5b03.
Avis NE, Legault C, Coeytaux RR, Pian-Smith M, Shifren JL, Chen W, Valaskatgis P. A randomized, controlled pilot study of acupuncture treatment for menopausal hot flashes. Menopause. 2008;15(6):1070–1078.

Published In

Menopause

DOI

EISSN

1530-0374

Publication Date

2008

Volume

15

Issue

6

Start / End Page

1070 / 1078

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Quality of Life
  • Placebo Effect
  • Obstetrics & Reproductive Medicine
  • Middle Aged
  • Menopause
  • Humans
  • Hot Flashes
  • Female
  • Adult
  • Acupuncture Therapy