Extra Benefits of Acupuncture
Posted 1/2/2010
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As I have written in other blogs, some women use acupuncture to treat hot flashes, nausea, and other side effects of cancer treatments. Additionally, hot flashes sometimes help with an overall sense of well-being, so women sometimes choose to continue this therapy.
A study just published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, by Eleanor Walker, MD and her colleagues at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, directly compared the benefits of acupuncture vs drug therapy for hot flashes. Acupuncture was found to be more effective and had the unexpected benefit of increasing sex drive.
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Acupuncture Reduces Hot Flashes, Improves Sex Drive for Breast Cancer Patients
ScienceDaily (Dec. 29, 2009) — Not only is acupuncture as effective as drug therapy at reducing hot flashes in breast cancer patients, it has the added benefit of potentially increasing a woman's sex drive and improving her sense of well-being, according to a Henry Ford Hospital study.
Study results show that acupuncture, when compared to drug therapy, has a longer-lasting effect on the reduction of hot flashes and night sweats for women receiving hormone therapy for breast cancer treatment. Women also report that acupuncture improves their energy and clarity of thought.
The study, published online this week in the Journal of Oncology, is the first randomly controlled trial to compare acupuncture and drug therapy in this way.
"Acupuncture offers patients a safe, effective and durable treatment option for hot flashes, something that affects the majority of breast cancer survivors. Compared to drug therapy, acupuncture actually has benefits, as opposed to more side effects," says study lead author Eleanor Walker, M.D., division director of breast services in the Department of Radiation Oncology at Henry Ford Hospital.
sciencedaily.com
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