Acupuncture Vs. Drugs For Hot Flashes
By Kirsten Whittaker
Hot flashes are a miserable trial of menopause; not to mention
an added burden to an estimated 65% of women being treated for
breast cancer. No matter what brings them on, any woman who has
ever had one feels the flushing, burning heat as never before.
Recent research by a team at Henry Ford Hospital looked at the
effectiveness of antidepressant Effexor (a common treatment
option for breast cancer patients) and a staple of traditional
Chinese medicine, acupuncture for handling these terribly
uncomfortable and disruptive symptoms.
While hormone replacement therapy is typically recommended for
menopausal women to help them beat the heat, these drugs aren’t
an option for breast cancer patients. For these women, Effexor
has been shown effective, as have Prosac and Paxil. Still, there
are many who refuse these therapies; either due to concern over
side effects or a desire to limit the number of drugs they are
putting into their bodies.
Researchers, led by radiation oncologist Dr. Eleanor Walker of
Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit worked with acupuncturist Beth
Kohn to complete the study. Participants were randomly assigned
to receive acupuncture treatments or take the Effexor for the
duration of the 12 week study. The results were presented at an
American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology meeting
held last week in Boston.
While both methods proved effective in reducing the number of
hot flashes in the subjects, those who received acupuncture
during the study noted other benefits as well. Without side
effects, the treatment brought subjects increased energy, a
better sense of well-being and more sexual desire.
Those who took Effexor during the study did find relief for
their hot flashes with the drug. This group however, also
reported side effects like nausea, headache, dizziness,
increased blood pressure, fatigue, anxiety and difficulty
sleeping. It’s just these types of side effects that keep many
breast cancer patients from using the antidepressant medication
to manage their hot flashes.
Beyond a lack of side effects, acupuncture provided the female
subjects a most lasting relief from their hot flashes.
“It was a more durable effect,” says Walker of findings that
support a more lasting effect of the natural, side effect free
acupuncture. The traditional Chinese medicine approach brought
relief for 15 weeks after treatments were stopped; Effexor
brought 2 weeks of relief once the drug had been discontinued.
As parts of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture has been
practiced for thousands of years. In fact, references to
acupuncture appear in the oldest medical textbook in the world.
The techniques of Chinese medicine were virtually unknown to the
West until the 17th century when Jesuit missionaries sent to
convert the Chinese to Christianity came home to with stories of
treatment and recovery.
If you do decide to give acupuncture a try, discuss your plans
with your doctor or health care team first. You might be
surprised to find they support your efforts to find relief from
your hot flashes — especially if other treatments haven’t worked
(or worked well enough) for you. To find an acupuncturist in
your area, you can use the resources of the American Academy of
Medical Acupuncture or the American Association of Acupuncture &
Oriental Medicine.
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