Pilot study on night sweats due to menopause
Background:
Night sweats are a common side effect for women during menopause. Conventional treatment (with hormones) is considered unsafe by many women in terms of long-term effects, and most therefore choose to try various dietary supplements or simply endure the discomfort.
Acupuncture with needles has shown good efficacy in treating night sweats, and the purpose of this test was therefore to investigate whether home treatment with Tao could be an option for women suffering from night sweats.
Target Group:
Women suffering from night sweats due to menopause.
Recruitment:
The women were recruited for the study through publicity in the magazine Ugebladet Søndag and on the website sund-forskning.dk. It was a prerequisite that the women had an email address. The study was conducted in January-February 2006.
Method:
The women were asked to record the number of night sweat episodes over a 14-day period without treatment and to continue recording for 14 days with treatment. For the treatment, the women received written instructions and a Tao device.
The chosen points were Stomach 41, Liver 2, Gallbladder 44, and Heart 8. The women were instructed to stimulate both sides once daily, as it fit into their daily routine.
Episodes could be noted as category A: "A mild episode where I could sleep through," category B: "A severe episode where I had to change bedding," or category X: "Neither of the categories apply."
Furthermore, the women were asked to note whether the points were easy/difficult/very difficult to find, and if there was any discomfort associated with the treatment.
Sampling:
43 women received instructions and a Tao device, and 27 completed the test. The relatively large dropout rate weakens the data basis but was not due to dissatisfaction with the instructions or treatment. Most simply did not get started for many different reasons, or became ill/went on holiday/got busy during the period.
Results:
- 4 women completely got rid of night sweats
- 9 women experienced a clear improvement
- 3 experienced a slight improvement
- 9 experienced no effect
- 2 experienced a worsening
See also Appendix 1: data.
Regarding the use of Tao, 11 indicated that "it is easy to find the points," 11 that "it is somewhat difficult," and 3 that "it is difficult" to find the points. (2 did not respond). There is no correlation between how easy the women found the points and their results.
Regarding discomfort, no one experienced much discomfort, 2 indicated "some discomfort," and 23 experienced no discomfort from the treatment. (2 did not respond).
Conclusion:
Half of the women experienced a clear improvement or were completely free of their night sweats with daily treatment using Tao. Most are able to use the device based on written instructions, and the treatment is experienced as virtually free of side effects.
