Acupuncture is already known to serve as a treatment for several conditions, such as chronic pain, depression and sleep disorders.
But in addition, according to new research published in the BMJ Open , the technique of Chinese medicine can also serve to control some manifestations of menopause , for example, problems with sleep, hot flashes (hot flushes) and changes in mood.
Read more: What are the signs and symptoms of menopause? Learn how to recognize
The discovery may be good news for women aged 45 to 50 (the stage when menopausal symptoms usually occur).
This is because acupuncture can be an alternative for those who do not want or cannot do hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a form of treatment. HRT even raises questions about the potential risks to the patient – some studies have even linked the use of hormones to an increased risk of breast cancer .
Read more: Oral hormone replacement increases risk of thromboembolism
As a result, alternative methods such as acupuncture can now be considered by medicine, in order to offer more quality of life to women in this period.
What the researchers found
The Danish study brought together 70 menopausal women, and divided them between those who were going to have acupuncture sessions and those who were not.
One of the groups received the needles for five weeks, in sessions with an average time of 15 minutes. The technique was performed by family doctors (a specialty focused on primary care, but which requires an understanding of different areas of medicine), based on different therapy practices.
After the time of analysis, the researchers noted that the participants who did acupuncture had their symptoms reduced compared to the group who did not.
Among the symptoms that showed a sign of improvement, are: hot flushes, night and day sweat, problems with skin and hair, difficulty sleeping, in addition to emotional symptoms.
Finally, most women (about 80%) reported that they felt better with acupuncture treatment, which generally relieved menopausal symptoms.
The benefits that the Chinese technique can provide for people, in general, are related to the search for the maintenance of the health of the organism.
