New Study Finds Acupuncture May Curb Severity of Hot Flashes

March 7, 2011 — -- Many women are willing to try anything to get rid of the dreaded hot flashes and mood swings associated with menopause.

A new study out today offers an alternative to the herbal remedies and hormone replacement therapy so many turn to: traditional Chinese acupuncture.

Watch "World News with Diane Sawyer" for more on this story tonight on ABC.

The study, conducted by the Ankara Training and Research Hospital in Ankara, Turkey, concluded that acupuncture, which treats patients by inserting and manipulating needles in the body, curbs the severity of hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms, largely related to mood.

The authors based their findings on the experience of 53 postmenopausal women. The participants measured their symptoms using a 5-point scale before and after treatment.

Twenty-seven of the women received traditional Chinese acupuncture for 20 minutes, twice a week for 10 weeks. The rest thought they were given acupuncture treatment, but the needles didn't actually penetrate the skin.

The women who received real acupuncture showed significant drops in the severity of their hot flashes -- and that's not just true of women in this study.

Jacqui Danilow said she turned to acupuncture to ease her hot flashes that would come on with no warning.

"Suddenly, you are very warm and you think the thermostat has gone up inside your body and you never know why it happens or what causes it," she said.

Weekly acupuncture treatments "were like a miracle," Danilow said. She rated the severity of her hot flashes at a "10" before her treatment -- after four months, they were a "3."

Dr. Arya Nielsen from the Beth Israel Medical Center Department of Integrative Medicine said acupuncture, which she has been performing for 35 years, is effective for women who are having menopausal symptoms -- and can help provide relief.

"I think women experience fewer hot flashes and less intensity when they have hot flashes, so it returns the quality of life," she said. "This is very significant."