Acupuncture Eases Hot Flash Severity in Women with Breast Cancer

A new study has found acupuncture, both genuine and sham, to be helpful in easing hot flashes and other side effects of drugs in women who were on breast cancer treatment.

The study was conducted by researchers at University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center and the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. The team wanted to know whether or not acupuncture reduced the side effects linked with aromatase inhibitors (AI)- drugs used to treat breast cancer. These drugs block the synthesis of the hormone estrogen, causing moderate to severe hot flashes along with joint and muscle pain.

Acupuncture originated in China and other Asian countries over 2,000 years ago.  The most common type of acupuncture in the U.S involves insertion of thin needles through skin. About 3 million Americans visit acupuncture clinics per year, says National Institute of Health. A recent study had found that acupuncture isn't sham and that it reduces pain effectively and keeps away nausea in people who are receiving chemotherapy for cancer.

The present study suggests that even the sensation of pin pricks might be enough to generate 'feel-good' symptoms in the body.

47 postmenopausal women participated in the current research. They all had breast cancer and were using AI therapy for at least a month. Patients were randomly divided into groups; with one receiving real and the other getting sham acupuncture. The therapy lasted for eight weeks.

The research team also asked patients to fill in questionnaires to provide details about the severity of side effects along with depression levels.

Study results showed that both real and fake acupuncture were effective in reducing hot flash severity and even depression in patients. All the women in the study reported a better quality of life post the therapy.

"The current interventions for musculoskeletal side effects are limited to oral analgesics and exercise. But the efficacy of these approaches is limited, and long-term use of oral analgesics can be challenging. If patients are open to acupuncture, this is a reasonable alternative for them," Ting Bao, from the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center, according to a news release.

The study is published in the journal Cancer.