HRT

Presentation Slides

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Acupuncture alone or combined with standard care was associated with significant improvements in perimenopausal depression and reductions of other menopausal symptoms.

2021 Frontiers in Psychiatry Acupuncture as an Independent or Adjuvant Management to Standard Care for Perimenopausal Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Zhao FY, Fu QQ, Kennedy GA, Conduit R, Zhang WJ, Zheng Z

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

Acupuncture improves perimenopausal sleep quality and symptoms, potentially a safe alternative or adjunct to hypnotic drugs, requiring further research validation.

2021 Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Comparative Utility of Acupuncture and Western Medication in the Management of Perimenopausal Insomnia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Zhao, F.-Y., Fu, Q.-Q., Kennedy, G. A., Conduit, R., Wu, W.-Z., Zhang, W.-J., & Zheng, Z.

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Systematic Review

The present study indicated that acupuncture had an advantage over hormone replacement therapy in reducing serum FSH level and increasing serum E2 level in women with premature ovarian insufficiency.

2020 Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science Acupuncture for premature ovarian insufficiency: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Yin, Yq., Xu, Hf., Fang, Yg. et al.

Chinese Medicine Research Hub

Gui-zhi-fu-ling-wan, a herbal therapy, depicts to be a viable alternative to hormone replacement therapy for treating hot flashes in post-menopausal women experiencing coldness in lower extremities.

2005 The American Journal of Chinese Medicine Comparing the Effects of Estrogen and an Herbal Medicine on Peripheral Blood Flow in Post-menopausal Women with Hot Flashes: Hormone Replacement Therapy and Gui-Zhi-Fu-Ling-Wan, a Kampo Medicine
Ushiroyama T, Ikeda A, Sakuma K, Ueki M

Executive Summary

Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Research into Chinese medicine treatment for HRT" summarising the research below and using language that can be easily understood by patients and avoiding medical jargon using a professional and caring tone of voice.

Write an executive summary in the form of a blog article on the topic of "Researched Chinese medicine treatments for HRT" summarising the research below in an objective and easy to understand way, and using language that can be easily understood by patients. Group the article into Chinese medicine treatments first, followed by nutrition and other treatments. Avoid using medical jargon and use a professional and caring tone of voice.

Write me a concise but easy to understand executive summary on the topic of "Chinese medicine treatments for HRT" based on the following research that I will give you. Your summary should be 2 paragraphs long in Australian English spelling and include references to the studies.

A Systematic Review published in 2021 in the journal Frontiers in Psychiatry found that Acupuncture alone or combined with standard care was associated with significant improvements in perimenopausal depression and reductions of other menopausal symptoms. Our review found that acupuncture was better than standard care alone in reducing HAMD score by 1.4–3.6, which is of clinical significance—acupuncture is better than or at least equivalent to antidepressant in improving perimenopausal women's depression. In addition to the satisfactory short-term effects, the intermediate- and long-term benefits of acupuncture against PMD outlast those of antidepressants. Long-term clinical efficacy is crucial in the management of depressive symptoms, as depression is characterized by a high recurrence rate. Frequent relapse of depression and withdrawal symptoms of antidepressants are also two major reasons for numerous patients reject psychotropic agents and seek help from CAM therapy. It is interesting to note that acupuncture also improved perimenopausal symptoms (decreased KI scores), better than either antidepressant alone or antidepressant combined with HRT, reflecting different underlying mechanisms of the two interventions (acupuncture vs. pharmacotherapy).

A Systematic Review published in 2021 in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that Acupuncture improves perimenopausal sleep quality and symptoms, potentially a safe alternative or adjunct to hypnotic drugs, requiring further research validation. Certainly, here's a more concise summary: Acupuncture, alone or combined with hypnotic drugs, improves sleep for perimenopausal women more effectively than using only hypnotics. The reduction in PSQI scores (2.4 to 3.1 points) is clinically significant. However, uncertainties exist about acupuncture's hormonal effects due to limited data, and differences from Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) are unclear. Adverse events related to acupuncture are mild. The review's strength lies in comparing acupuncture with standard pharmacotherapy and focusing on common acupuncture methods. Yet, study limitations include small sizes, low quality, and high heterogeneity. The review suggests moderate evidence for acupuncture's positive effects. Acupuncture outperforms hypnotic drugs in reducing PSQI scores and improving perimenopausal symptoms, possibly through hormone regulation. However, exact mechanisms need further investigation. Acupuncture's role as an adjuvant therapy with hypnotics or HRT requires exploration. The absence of sham acupuncture limits understanding of placebo effects. Overall, acupuncture shows promise as a safe option to enhance sleep and manage menopause-related symptoms, but more research is needed for clarity.

A Systematic Review published in 2020 in the journal Journal of Acupuncture and Tuina Science found that The present study indicated that acupuncture had an advantage over hormone replacement therapy in reducing serum FSH level and increasing serum E2 level in women with premature ovarian insufficiency. Eight eligible RCTs with a total of 496 POI patients were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled results showed that there was a significant reduction in the basal serum FSH level and a remarkable elevation in the basal E2 level in the acupuncture group when compared with the control. Subgroup analysis showed that compared with HRT, a significant decrease in the FSH level was observed in both acupuncture alone and acupuncture plus HRT, while a remarkable elevation of E2 was only found in acupuncture plus HRT. There was no significant difference in the LH level between acupuncture and HRT, only one trial reported AMH, and no significant difference was found between acupuncture and HRT.

A published in 2005 in the journal The American Journal of Chinese Medicine found that Gui-zhi-fu-ling-wan, a herbal therapy, depicts to be a viable alternative to hormone replacement therapy for treating hot flashes in post-menopausal women experiencing coldness in lower extremities. In this study, an examination of the connection between extremities' blood flow and hot flashes was conducted among 352 post-menopausal women aged between 46 and 58 who were showing climacteric complaints. 131 of these women, who were experiencing hot flashes, were treated either with HRT or Gui-zhi-fu-ling-wan, a type of herbal therapy. This investigation measured blood flow under the jaw, in the middle finger, and the third toe using laser doppler fluxmetry. Subsequent to the therapies, there was a notable decrease in the heightened blood flow under the jaw that is associated with hot flashes. However, the herbal therapy, Gui-zhi-fu-ling-wan, interestingly, increased blood flow in the lower extremities while the hormone replacement therapy did not. This suggests that Gui-zhi-fu-ling-wan does not uniformly affect the activity of the vasodilator neuropeptides on the sensory neurons of systemic peripheral vessels, thereby proving more effective in treating hot flashes accompanied with cold lower extremities.

Moderation Tools

Topic