Can Eastern Medicine Save Us From Hot Flashes?

It seems so, according to a study published Oct.3 and reported in the journal Fertility & Sterility. (Who names these journals?). In a study women had fewer and less severe symptoms during the night after receiving acupuncture.

In the CNN article, the explanation given for why acupuncture might work is that it can alter signals among nerve cells or can affect the release of various chemicals of the central nervous system. "There's also some evidence that acupuncture affects hormones related to both sleep and menopause. However, for now, the mechanism by which acupuncture might affect hot flashes is not completely understood,” said Dr. Rachel Manber, author of the study.

That's what I love about hearing Western medicine experts evaluate Eastern medicine. We don't understand how it works so we have to study it forever to see if we can use it. For how many thousands of years has acupuncture been used in the East? I'm guessing if it didn't work they would have stopped using it by now.

So I say don't wait until an American medical facility has given it the golden seal of approval. Try it and see if it works for you.

In case you are really worried, my holistic MD uses acupuncture all of the time for a variety of ailments and gets good results. (Now are you reassured?)