Acupuncture against climacteric disorders? Lower number of symptoms after menopause
by Wyon Y; Lindgren R; Hammar M; Lundeberg T.
Lakartidningen, 1994 Jun 8, 91(23):2318-22. Language: Swedish. (uI: 94335364)
Pub type: Clinical Trial; Journal Article; Randomized Controlled Trial.

Abstract: Vasomotor symptoms are very common among perimenopausal women, but also among orchidectomized men. The cause of the symptoms is not the low steroid concentrations per se, but probably changes in central neuropeptide activity.

Twenty-four healthy women with natural menopause, suffering from hot flushes, were included in the study and radomly assigned to either of two groups, one group received treatment with electrostimulated acupuncture (EA), the other with superficial needle position (SNP) acupuncture. Treatment was given for a total of eight weeks, twice a week during the first two weeks, and then once a week for the remaining six weeks.

As recorded in logbooks kept by the participants, the frequency of flashes decreased significantly by more than 50 per cent in both groups, and remained decreased in the EA group, whereas in the SNP group it increased slightly again over the three months after treatment. Values for the Kupperman Index decreased in both groups during treatment, changes ctill evident at three-month follow-up, whereas the self-rated general climacteric symptoms (vAS) decreased significantly in te EA group oly. The PGWB (Psychological General Well-Being) index did not change significantly in either group during treatment.