Acupuncture for breast cancer hot flashes

DETROIT, Dec. 31 (UPI) -- Breast cancer patients with hot flashes may benefit from acupuncture, a U.S. researcher says.

Dr. Eleanor Walker of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit said acupuncture has the added benefit of potentially increasing a woman's sex drive and improving her sense of well-being.

"Acupuncture offers patients a safe, effective and durable treatment option for hot flashes, something that affects the majority of breast cancer survivors," Walker, the study leader, said in a statement. "Compared to drug therapy, acupuncture actually has benefits, as opposed to more side effects."

In the study, breast cancer patients with hot flashes were randomly assigned to receive either acupuncture or drug therapy.

At the end of 12 weeks, all patients stopped their therapy, kept a diary and were tracked for one year.

The study, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, found both groups initially experienced a 50 percent decline in hot flashes and depressive symptoms, indicating acupuncture was as effective as the drug therapy.

However, the drug therapy group soon had a significant increase in hot flashes but the acupuncture group continued to experience minimal hot flashes until three months post-treatment.