Combining Eastern and Western concepts of hot-flush pathogenesis can lead to safe, evidence-based interventions which can improve quality of life for patients who are experiencing hot flushes, according to a review paper from the USA. The author provides evidence of acupuncture’s efficacy for treating hot flushes according to the currently published literature. He goes on to examine the neurophysiological mechanisms of hot flushes and their overlap with acupuncture theory. The pathophysiology of hot flushes involves central nervous system endogenous opioid, noradrenergic and serotonergic pathways, which have been demonstrated to be modulated by acupuncture, and which the author suggest correspond to pathology of the Kidney, Spleen, Lung, and Heart acupuncture channels. (Acupuncture for Hot Flashes: Combining Traditional and Neurophysiologic Considerations for Effective Treatment. Medical Acupuncture. December 2012, 24(4): 215-220).
Categories: Menopausal syndrome
