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eCAM Advance Access published online on February 2, 2009
eCAM, doi:10.1093/ecam/nep001
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© 2009 The Author(s).
This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/uk/) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Acupuncture and Auricular Acupressure in Relieving Menopausal Hot Flashes of Bilaterally Ovariectomized Chinese Women: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Jue Zhou1,*, Fan Qu2,*, Xisheng Sang3, Xiaotong Wang4 and Rui Nan5

1Sino-Britain Joint Laboratory, College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, 2Women's Hospital, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310006, 3Heilongjiang University of Chinese Medicine, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150040, 4The First Affiliated Hospital, Liaoning University of Chinese Medicine, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110032, P. R. China and 5Colorado School of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1441, York Street, Denver, CO 80206, USA

The objective of this study is to explore the effects of acupuncture and auricular acupressure in relieving menopausal hot flashes of bilaterally ovariectomized Chinese women. Between May 2006 and March 2008, 46 bilaterally ovariectomized Chinese women were randomized into an acupuncture and auricular acupressure group (n = 21) and a hormone replacement therapy (HRT) group (Tibolone, n = 25). Each patient was given a standard daily log and was required to record the frequency and severity of hot flashes and side effects of the treatment felt daily, from 1 week before the treatment started to the fourth week after the treatment ended. The serum levels of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH), LH and E2 were detected before and after the treatment. After the treatment and the follow-up, both the severity and frequency of hot flashes in the two groups were relieved significantly when compared with pre-treatment (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in the severity of hot flashes between them after treatment (P > 0.05), while after the follow-up, the severity of hot flashes in the HRT group was alleviated more. After the treatment and the follow-up, the frequency of menopausal hot flashes in the HRT group was reduced more (P < 0.05). After treatment, the levels of FSH decreased significantly and the levels of E2 increased significantly in both groups (P < 0.05), and they changed more in the HRT group (P < 0.05). Acupuncture and auricular acupressure can be used as alternative treatments to relieve menopausal hot flashes for those bilaterally ovariectomized women who are unable or unwilling to receive HRT.

Keywords: acupuncture – auricular acupressure – hormone replacement therapy (HRT) – hot flashes – menopausal

For reprints and all correspondence: Fan Qu, No. 604 Room in B Building, School of Medicine, Zhejiang University, 388 Yuhang Tang Road, Hangzhou, Zhejiang 310058, P. R. China. Tel: +86-13429119143; E-mail: qufan43{at}yahoo.com.cn

*These authors contribute equally to this work

Received May 8, 2008; accepted January 12, 2009


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