A 2017 hot flashes insomnia study concluded that acupuncture was more effective than gabapentin for reducing heat symptoms and improving sleep in breast cancer survivors. Three institutions (University of Pennsylvania, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Memorial University) teamed up to compare electroacupuncture to gabapentin for improving sleep and reducing hot flashes.
Investigators published the research in Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society, funded by a grant from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH). The study concluded that acupuncture outperformed gabapentin in both areas.
Additional Acupuncture Benefits
In addition to acupuncture outperforming gabapentin for reducing hot flashes and improving sleep, researchers also determined several additional benefits. Acupuncture reduced sleep disturbances, decreased daytime dysfunction, and improved sleep efficiency. The researchers concluded that acupuncture improved overall sleep quality based on the data.
In addition, investigators in the hot flashes insomnia study recognized that acupuncture avoided the adverse side effects common with medications like gabapentin (dizziness, fatigue, ataxia, dry mouth, constipation, headaches). They demonstrated that acupuncture produced superior positive patient outcomes without the undesirable adverse effects associated with medications.
Hot Flashes – a Growing Problem
There were nearly 6 million breast cancer survivors in the US in 2017. Unfortunately, breast cancer survivors have a higher rate of hot flashes and sleep disturbances than other women. This effect is due to the fallout from cancer treatments, including hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and surgery.
What Prompted This Hot Flashes Insomnia Study?
The researchers cited recent clinical trials demonstrating that acupuncture was “an effective treatment for hot flashes in breast cancer survivors with few if any, side effects.” These studies were high quality, being double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled investigations. In addition, they determined that acupuncture improved sleep quality and duration.
Hot Flashes Insomnia Study Details
The focus of this intervention was to determine the benefits of an established pharmaceutical intervention (gabapentin) versus electroacupuncture. The researchers evaluated electroacupuncture because prior investigations showed it boosted endorphin and neuropeptide levels. They selected gabapentin based on its successful track record in usual care.
Two experienced licensed acupuncturists performed acupuncture therapy. The first acupuncturist had eight years of clinical experience, and the second had twenty. The investigators chose licensed acupuncturists trained in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to get the most reliable evidence of acupuncture’s effectiveness.
Some studies use academics with little or no experience in acupuncture to treat the participants. Not surprisingly, their outcomes are predictably poor. This hot flashes insomnia study, by contrast, was an authentic and well-designed model without bias.
Hot Flashes Insomnia Study Treatment Protocol
Participants received acupuncture twice a week for the first two weeks. Next, practitioners administered weekly acupuncture sessions for an additional six weeks, totaling ten acupuncture treatments over eight weeks.
Practitioners selected acupoints based on each patient’s specific presentation, consistent with clinical TCM standards. They applied manual acupuncture techniques to obtain deqi (an achy sensation that indicates the activation of Qi) at the acupoints. In addition, they used electroacupuncture with a 2 Hz frequency setting, retaining needles for thirty minutes per session. Investigators administered 900mg of gabapentin daily to the patients receiving drug therapy.
Study Conclusions
The researchers concluded that “electroacupuncture produces comparable, if not better, improvements in sleep quality than gabapentin.” They further noted that electroacupuncture produced superior patient outcomes improving sleep quality.
They add, “women receiving electroacupuncture fell asleep faster and spent more time in bed sleeping as opposed to lying awake in bed trying to sleep. Our results suggest that electroacupuncture improved sleep in women with hot flashes and might be a viable treatment option in women who do not wish to take medication.”
How Acupuncture Works
The researchers cited evidence demonstrating that acupuncture affects “a number of neurotransmitters and hormonal factors associated with sleep, such as serotonin, melatonin, and gamma-aminobutyric acid.” They added that acupuncture potentially increased slow wave sleep time and repaired fragmented sleep architecture.
As a result, subjects perceived “a deeper and more restorative sleep.” Furthermore, the researchers cited prior investigations demonstrating acupuncture’s superiority to benzodiazepines. For example, acupuncture produced a 91% positive patient outcome rate, while benzodiazepines only had a 75% positive rate for treating insomnia. In addition, a prior investigation found acupuncture equally effective as zolpidem for improving sleep.
Hot Flashes and Insomnia
The researchers discovered a correlation between hot flashes and insomnia. Improvements in sleep quality produced reductions in hot flashes. Likewise, reductions in hot flashes improved sleep quality. The investigators postulated that successful interventions for treating hot flashes and insomnia would “positively impact other areas of functioning as well.”
Conclusions
The takeaway from this hot flashes insomnia study is that acupuncture effectively treats insomnia and hot flashes for breast cancer survivors. Also, acupuncture presents a treatment option without the adverse effects of conventional medications.
Next Steps
Try acupuncture if you struggle with hot flashes or insomnia, whether from cancer treatment or perimenopause. The treatment works great, no matter the trigger. That’s because acupuncture heals by restoring balance.
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Reference
Garland, Sheila N., Sharon X. Xie, Qing Li, Christina Seluzicki, Coby Basal, and Jun J. Mao. “Comparative effectiveness of electroacupuncture versus gabapentin for sleep disturbances in breast cancer survivors with hot flashes: a randomized trial.” Menopause 24, no. 5 (2017): 517-523.
Focus Keyphrase: hot flashes insomnia study
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What our Clients are Saying
Jade is the best!! I went from having 10-15 hot flashes a day…. Now I might get one every now and then. I’m so happy.
Turning to acupuncture was my last resort to battling insomnia. I had been prescribed two heavy sleep aids with no success. After the third appointment, I went from averaging less than 2.5 hours of sleep to over seven, without any sleep aids. I still go and pretty sure I wouldn’t be here today without success from Raleigh Acupuncture.
Raleigh Acupuncture was recommended by a friend after I mentioned my insomnia and dependency on a sleeping pill. My apprehension was short lived because of the results of my visits to Dr. Mark. With acupuncture treatments and Chinese herbs I was able to begin sleeping well and continue to do so. Dr. Mark is a good listener and encourages his patients in all health issues as well as the original purpose for treatment. Consequently, my knees are stronger and I’m walking better and with more confidence. I haven’t had the need for a cortisone shot in a year and a half. Occasionally, I would use a cane and it’s now somewhere gathering dust. Also, I had a persistent headache that my primary physician had no solution for, and after two acupuncture treatments it’s a thing of the past. Hot flashes were another issue that was treated successfully. I am so grateful to have found a knowledgeable and caring person to treat my ailments, many of which I thought would only grow worse as I aged. Generally, I feel healthier.
My husband used to be the furnace in bed every night and I was always freezing. When I turned 50 I became the furnace, and I was not happy about it! I was on my way to get hormone replacement when I got to reading about possible side effects. With that option gone, I turned to acupuncture. My niece had gone to Raleigh Acupuncture for migraines and raved about it, so I made an appointment. Holy smoke! This stuff really works!! It didn’t take but two visits before I started feeling cooler. By the time they got done with me I was back to my normal “always cold” self! Ladies, you owe it to yourselves to try this.
At 45 I started going through menopause. My periods became irregular for the first time in my life, with much more heavy bleeding and painful cramping. I started getting hot flashes and night sweats, was more irritable, and generally did not feel well. I read how acupuncture could treat menopausal syndrome (which I seemed to fit to the tee) and looked around for a practitioner. Raleigh Acupuncture seemed to have a lot of experience in this area so I gave them a try. They treated me for three months and dramatically reduced my symptoms. They used the acupuncture and chinese herbs. I am amazed at how good I feel, even better than before this trouble started in the first place. I never would have thought that acupuncture could make such positive changes in my health.
I went through menopause 10 years ago and was still having hot flashes and night sweats. I thought it would last the rest of my life. Then I tried acupuncture and within two months they were gone. Thank you Raleigh Acupuncture!
I would like to thank Raleigh Acupuncture for the wonderful and very helpful treatments. I had been seeing them for my insomnia, which was making excellent progress at the time and has since been cured. On a previous Monday I was involved in a minor traffic accident. Due to the stress of the accident on Tuesday I awoke in a severe flare-up of my fibromyalgia. The pain was so bad I took pain killers and stayed in bed for the day. The following day I had an appointment with Dr. Mark which I wanted to cancel. My husband suggested I keep the appointment and tell Dr. Mark about the pain. After our discussion, he modified the treatment he had planned for me and treated the pain. I came home, took another pain pill and went back to bed. The following morning I woke pain free and have been since, which is about 2 to 3 months. Thanks again Raleigh Acupuncture!
I became a patient of Raleigh Acupuncture in 2007. I did a lot of research prior to selecting them and I never regretted it. Over the years, I have been treated for various conditions – insomnia, an auto-immune disease, a herniated disk, etc. I have recommended Raleigh Acupuncture to various friends and family members.
I highly recommend the practitioners of Raleigh Acupuncture. I’ve seen them for several years and have always recommended them highly and without hesitation to many of my friends, all of whom have been equally thrilled with the care provided. They are genuinely interested in your health and general well-being, with a focus on getting you healed quickly and gently. My hot flashes are GONE! and the Chinese herbs for sleeplessness are awesome too!
I haven’t slept well for 20 years. That all changed when I was treated at Raleigh Acupuncture for my insomnia. They said it would take 12 treatments, so I took a leap of faith and tried it. I saw changes start to happen after just a few treatments. Over the course of three months I was able to sleep better and better. I weaned myself off of Ambien, and am now sleeping like a baby again. I never thought I’d see the day! It really worked. And guess what? I’ve got more energy now. Imagine that – a good night sleep gives you more energy! Rocket science! Thanks guys!
I’ve been going to Raleigh Acupuncture for 4+ years. I first went to them because I was having problems with my monthly period lasting two weeks or more, hot flashes that were extreme, and all over pain from fibromyalgia, which is a chronic pain condition. I was in a state of depression and despair, unable to work, or do things I love to do, like working in my yard. On a good day, I could perform simple household chores, perhaps a little yoga, and that was all. My first few visits brought relief from hot flashes, terrible neck pain, and wrap-around pain in my ribs that restricted my ability to breathe comfortably. I felt this was a miracle as I had suffered for many years, and had no idea it was so easily remedied. This miraculous ride continued as I took Chinese herbs for aiding my menopausal symptoms, sinus problems, anxiety, and general pain. As time went on I began to depend on Raleigh Acupuncture for psychological strengthening as well. Nowhere else have I found anyone that really listens to what I have to say without thinking I was crazy. Today, as I sit and reflect, I am about to graduate from an intense two year program for Landscape Architecture Technology. I took a huge leap when I signed up for full-time classes when I was 50 years old. I have enjoyed great success, making one B in 64 credit hours, the rest were A’s! In February of 2011, I was in a car accident where I was sandwiched between a van and a school bus. I was able to continue school and finish the semester, I believe because of my acupuncture treatments. I contribute most of my academic success, emotional well-being, and diminished pain to Raleigh Acupuncture.