Acupuncture For Hot Flushes: Does it Work?

Any of this sound familiar?

• a vague sense of anxiety or butterflies….
• a sudden feeling of heat rising up, another hot flush….
• a burning sensation in the skin of the face/back/chest….
• a break out of sweat particularly at night…
• drenched nightclothes and bedsheets!!

Hot flushes are a common symptom of the menopause experienced by 75% of menopausal women and can be described as a sudden feeling of heat in the body. This feeling of heat can be accompanied by excessive daytime sweating and/or night-sweats.

The discomfort of a hot flush is quite unique – it is not the same as just being a bit too warm! So, is acupuncture for hot flushes a good fix? Read on.

What Causes Menopausal Hot Flushes?

The root cause is not completely clear. During the menopause, oestrogen levels fall and it is thought that this causes a glitch in the way the hypothalamus senses body temperature.

The hypothalamus is the part of the brain that senses and controls body temperature and it is as if the thermostat has been set too low: your brain thinks you are too hot, although the mechanism is not fully understood.

There are likely to be several factors contributing to hot flushes – other hormone levels change during the menopause, environmental factors can have an effect, lifestyle and dietary factors can play a role.

Just changing location from a cool to a warmer room can bring on a hot flush; spicy foods, caffeine, stress are all thought to contribute to varying degrees.

Flush or Flash?

The term “hot flush” is used more often in the UK whereas “hot flash” is mostly used in the US. They are the same thing – the most common (although by no means only) symptom experienced by women during the menopause.

What Other Symptoms May Occur During the Menopause?

The list of symptoms associated with the menopause is long…… but fortunately no-one is likely to experience all of them. The chart topping symptoms are probably:

• Hot flushes
• Sleep disturbance
• Overwhelm or irritability
• Brain fog
• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Decreased libido
• Vaginal dryness
• Weight gain
• Bladder problems

Does Acupuncture for Menopausal Hot Flushes Work?

In my experience acupuncture for hot flushes definitely does work but don’t take my word for it; there is plenty of research to back this up.

A Danish study (Feb 2019) published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) and found that after five weeks of acupuncture, women with menopausal hot flushes experienced reduced hot flushes, night sweats, sleep disturbances and emotional problems.