A new study shows the benefits of acupuncture for relieving menopausal symptoms. The report, published in the journal Acupuncture in Medicine, found that acupuncture reduced the psychological and physical effects of menopause.

The research included 53 postmenopausal women and assigned 27 of them to a five-week course of acupuncture, twice a week. The rest of the women got sham treatments. Those who received acupuncture showed more relief from their symptoms than the placebo group. Both their hot flashes and mood swings were less severe.  Plus the estrogen levels were significantly higher for the women in the acupuncture group compared to the control group.

The Turkish researchers suggested that acupuncture may offer an alternative for women who can’t or don’t want to use hormone replacement therapy to ease menopause symptoms. I think this is a great suggestion!