Hot flashes halted with hypnosis

Friday, November 02, 2012 by: Ben Meredith
Tags: hot flashes, hypnosis, treatment

(NaturalNews) While there are very divided sentiments about the concept of alternative therapy, new research has found a potentially effective treatment for hot flashes due to menopause. The study, conducted by researchers at Baylor University's Mind-Body Medicine Research Laboratory, received positive results by using hypnosis as a method of treatment for hot flashes and night sweats.

To date, hormone therapy has proven the most effective treatment for these symptoms of menopause. Unfortunately, many women can't or won't engage in hormone therapy for relief.

Finding this alternative method could be a sigh of relief for many women. Hot flashes can be very exhausting and overwhelming. They are characterized by a sudden rush of heat, followed by facial flushing and sweating. The rapid flash is often then followed by chills and clamminess. Approximately 80 percent of menopausal women suffer these symptoms.

Baylor University researchers did a previous study of the effects of hypnosis on breast cancer patients who suffered treatment-related hot flashes and night sweats. Based on the study's success, they decided to try the same method on menopausal women who suffered the same symptoms.

The study involved 187 postmenopausal women, all of who reported having at least seven hot flashes a day, or 50 episodes per week. Half of the women went through self-hypnosis training in five 45-minute weekly sessions. The other half of the women underwent an equal number of sessions with a clinician, sans hypnosis training. All of the participants kept diaries documenting the frequency of their hot flashes, and they also wore small sensors that recorded hot flashes.

For believers in alternative therapy, the results were uplifting. After 12 weeks, the hypnosis group reported an average of 74 percent fewer hot flashes, and their skin sensors showed 57 percent fewer hot flashes as well. In comparison, the other group reported only 17 percent fewer hot flashes with their skin sensors reporting a 10 percent decrease in hot flash frequency. The hypnosis group additionally reported a significantly smaller frequency of hot flashes interfering with their daily lives.

The researchers at Baylor recommend to women interested in trying this alternative treatment that they find a qualified practitioner - specifically, a practitioner affiliated with the American Society of Clinical Hypnosis or the Society for Clinical and Experimental Hypnosis.

For women wanting to learn more about hypnosis as an alternative therapy for menopausal symptoms, the full study was published in this week's edition of the journal Menopause.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.healthnewsreview.org

http://www.latimes.com

http://www.southasiamail.com/news.php?id=107402

About the author:
Ben enjoys writing about the benefits of green tea at Tendig.com, a revenue sharing site that publishes unique and interesting articles.