Hot Flashes, Night Sweats and Acupuncture
According to the Mayo Clinic, “A hot flash is the sudden feeling of warmth in the upper body, which is usually most intense over the face, neck and chest. Your skin might redden, as if you're blushing. A hot flash can also cause sweating. If you lose too much body heat, you might feel chilled afterward. Night sweats are hot flashes that happen at night, and they may disrupt your sleep.”
Hot flashes can be caused by medical conditions or treatment and are most commonly associated with perimenopause and menopause.
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In Chinese Medicine, hot flashes are typically caused by the decline of Yin. This can be due to changes and deficiencies of hormones, slower metabolism and/or loss of integrity of certain organ structures and systems that occur naturally due to age and/or lifestyle. Yin is a difficult substance to re-gain and repair which is why many East Asian Medicine providers emphasize rest, rejuvenation, prevention and proper menstrual care. Once you are in a state of decline or yin damage, your treatment process should be more proactive and frequent. The yin in your body can represent the structure and integrity of your organs, your hormones, your body fluids as well as your body’s ability to cool and regulate temperature. When there is less Yin, your Yang or heating systems will appear more prominent which manifests in yang rising up to cause hot flashes, headaches, irritability, anxiety, dizziness, high blood pressure, changes in metabolism and/or dryness symptoms.
Hot flashes can sometimes occur with certain types of medications or treatments like hysterectomies, cancer treatment or chemotherapy, during IVF or IUI. Since treatments like IVF and IUI are temporary there is no damage to your yin mechanisms or structures, after the treatments are over, your body will naturally re-adjust. Cancer treatments can be more intense, therefore, depending on what it entails so there is a change your body will re-adjust and regain its yin, but it is not always the case. Hysterectomies are a removal of an organ so it will cause damage to your yin. Treatments as mentioned are usually in situations in which the benefits outweigh the side effects.
Photo by Chanel Matsunami Govreau, featuring Kitara products
In Chinese Medicine, the balance of Yin and Yang are considered quite often and both will have a natural decline with age. Though the decline of Yin is part of your natural aging process, our modern lifestyles, especially how busy we are in NYC, tend to burn away Yin faster and sooner than it should be. Your natural decline of Yin should not be something that causes disruption in your daily activities. The good news is, Chinese Medicine does not only look to treat your symptoms, but to assess your unique situation.
A 2007 study determined that acupuncture reduced the severity of hot flashes for post menopausal women after 7 weeks and 9 treatments that were individualized to each person. (Nir et. al)
A 2010, randomized control trial where peri-menopausal and menopausal women who had high scores of hot flashes received 12 sessions of acupuncture. This study’s results suggest that acupuncture was associated with significant improvements in hot flashes and menopausal symptoms. (Kim et. al)
In 2015 a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials found that acupuncture significantly reduced the severity and frequency of hot flashes. The long term effects of treatment last up to three months. (Chiu et. al)
Written by Dr. Emily Siy, DACM on 8/19/2024
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Sources:
Chiu, H-Y., Pan, C-H., Shyu, Y-K, Han, C-N., Tsai, P-S. (2015) Effects of acupuncture on menopause-related symptoms and quality of life in women in natural menopause a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials Menopause 22(2):p 234-244, February
Kim, KH., Kang, KW., Kim, D., Kim, HJ., Yoon, HM., Lee, JM., Jeong, JC., Lee, MS., Jung, HJ., Choi, S-M (2010) Effects of Acupuncture on Hot Flashes in perimenopausal and menopausal women - a multicenter randomized control trial. Menopause 17(2):p 269-280, March
Nir, Y., Huang, M.I., Schnyer, R., Chen, B., Manber, R. (2007) Acupuncture for Postmenopausal Hot Flashes Maturitas Vol. 56 Issue 4 April 20 pp 383-395