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Meditation May Cool Hot Flashes
Sept. 13, 2006 -- Easing stress through meditation may help turn down the heat of hot flashes caused by menopause.
A small new study shows that menopausal women who participated in a stress reduction program that included meditation experienced significant relief from hot flashes and improved their quality of life.
Hot flashes and night sweats affect most women at some point during menopause. Researchers say that in many cases, women regard them as little more than a nuisance. However, 10% to 20% report experiencing hot flashes that cause considerable distress and seriously disrupt their lives.
Alternative Treatment for Hot Flashes
About one-third of menopausal women seek treatment for hot flashes.
Until recently, the standard treatment was hormone replacement therapy (HRT). But in the wake of studies suggesting HRT can raise the risk of heart diseaseheart disease and breast cancerbreast cancer in some women, it is only recommended for short-term use, and alternative therapies are becoming increasingly popular.
In the study, published in Menopause: The Journal of the North American Menopause Society, researchers evaluated the effects of a mindfulness-based stress reduction program on hot flash severity and quality of life in 15 menopausal women (average age: 53.6) experiencing an average of at least seven moderate to severe hot flashes per day.
The women kept a diary of their hot flashes during the seven-week stress-reduction program and the four weeks immediately after.
The stress-reduction program consisted of eight weekly 2 1/2 hour classes over seven weeks, during which the women received training in the following:
- Body scan meditation: a gradual moving of attention over the body from feet to head to bring awareness of bodily sensations, done while lying on the back.
- Sitting meditation: focusing on the flow of breathing and other bodily sensations, thoughts, and emotions while sitting upright.
- Mindful stretching: exercises designed to develop awareness during movement.
The women also received two guided meditation compact discs to practice at home for 45 minutes, six days a week.
Meditation Eases Menopausal Symptoms
The frequency of the women's hot flashes decreased by an average of 39%, the study found.
In addition, the average severity of the hot flashes decreased 40% over the course of the 11-week study.
A 28% improvement was also seen in overall quality of life, with most women saying they were better able to cope with their hot flashes after the stress-reduction program.
Researcher James Carmody, PhD, of the University of Massachusetts Medical School, and colleagues say the results of this small study suggest mindfulness-based stress-reduction programs that include meditation may be feasible and effective in managing menopausal symptoms, and warrant further study.
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VIVELLE-DOT (estradiol transdermal system) IS AVAILABLE BY PRESCRPTION ONLY.
INDICATION
Vivelle-Dot is used after menopause to: reduce moderate to severe hot flashes; treat moderate to severe dryness, itching and burning in or around the vagina; help reduce your chances of getting osteoporosis (thin weak bones); and treat certain conditions in which a young woman's ovaries do not produce enough estrogens naturally. Vivelle-Dot 0.025 mg/day is only used to prevent osteoporosis from menopause. If you use Vivelle-Dot only to treat your dryness, itching, and burning in and around your vagina or if you use Vivelle-Dot only to prevent osteoporosis from menopause, talk with your healthcare professional about whether a different treatment or medicine without estrogens might be better for you.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
Estrogens increase the chances of getting cancer of the uterus (womb). Report any unusual vaginal bleeding right away while you are taking estrogens. Vaginal bleeding after menopause may be a warning sign of cancer of the uterus (womb).
Do not use estrogens with or without progestins to prevent heart disease, heart attacks, or strokes. Using estrogens with or without progestins may increase your chances of getting heart attacks, strokes, breast cancer, and blood clots. Using estrogens with progestins may increase your risk of dementia (decline in memory and thinking skills).
Vivelle-Dot should not be used if you have unusual vaginal bleeding; currently have or have had certain cancers, including cancer of the breast or uterus; had a stroke or heart attack in the recent past (for example, in the past year); currently have or have had blood clots; currently have or have had liver problems; or think you may be, or know that you are, pregnant.
The most common side effects that may occur with Vivelle-Dot are headache, breast tenderness, and back pain.
You and your healthcare professional should talk regularly about whether you still need treatment with Vivelle-Dot.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Please see Full Prescribing Information for Vivelle-Dot.
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