Hypnosis May Reduce Hot Flashes

Clinical hypnosis may reduce hot flashes in postmenopausal women, according to a recent study.

Various forms of hypnosis, trance and altered states of consciousness have been documented in a number of cultures throughout history. Hypnosis-like practices can be traced to ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Persia, Britain, Scandinavia, America, Africa, India and China. Wong Tai, a father of Chinese medicine, made an early written reference to hypnosis in 2600 BC.

The way hypnosis works is not well understood. Some changes in the body have been associated with hypnosis, including changes in skin temperature, heart rate, intestinal secretions, and immune response. During hypnosis, decreases have been noted in heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and brain wave patterns (alpha waves). Similar changes have been reported with other forms of relaxation. Early evidence shows that hypnotherapy may be beneficial in the treatment of hot flashes and may improve quality of life in women who are experiencing menopausal symptoms; however, data are not conclusive.

In a recent study, researchers randomly assigned 187 postmenopausal women experiencing at least seven hot flashes daily to receive five clinical hypnosis or structured-attention control sessions weekly for 12 weeks. Hot flash frequency and score were evaluated as the main outcome measures.

The researchers found that the average number of reported hot flashes from the beginning of the study to week 12 significantly reduced in the clinical hypnosis group when compared to the control group, with average reductions of 55.82 and 12.89 for the hypnosis and control groups, respectively. Psychological measurements also showed significant hot flash reductions in the hypnosis group with an average reduction of 5.92, compared to 0.88 in the control group. Furthermore, hot flash scores reduced by an average of 18.82 in the hypnosis group and only 3.35 in the control group.

The authors concluded that hypnosis may be effective in reducing hot flashes in postmenopausal women. Additional research is warranted to further evaluate these findings.

In addition to hypnosis, black cohosh is a popular alternative to prescription hormonal therapy for the treatment of menopausal symptoms, such as migraine headaches, sleep disturbances, hot flashes, mood problems, perspiration, heart palpitations and vaginal dryness. Initial human research suggests that black cohosh may improve some of these symptoms for up to six months. However, the current evidence is mixed and more studies are needed before a firm conclusion can be made.

For more information about integrative therapies for hot flashes, please visit Natural Standard's Comparative Effectiveness Database.

For more information about hypnosis, please visit Natural Standard's Health & Wellness Database.

Comments

[SS]

This is a great alternative. Quite a few women come into the pharmacy and ask for something to help with menopause and its symptoms without getting a prescription. I have recommended the black cohosh in the past but it is great to have another suggestion to give a patient if they do not want to take something.

[Sara Berg]

This is fascinating and has the potential to help so many women. HRT is on the decline due to the risks associated with it. I often have women looking for herbal alternatives, but I am hesitant to recommend some things (such as black cohosh) due to risks of renal toxicity. I would like to learn more about this.

[bc]

This is interesting because I don’t know too much about hypnosis and all the potential benefits. I would not have even thought of this type of correlation. I would like to read other studies on this to see how beneficial it has been

[MN]

This a very interesting article. I never thought of hypnosis as an option for the treatment of post menopausal symptoms. However, if more studies confirm this to be true in the future, it would provide safer alternative for hormone replacement therapy and helps improve the quality of life for many women.

[NL]

Hypnosis is a complementary alternative medicine option that I would have not considered when first thinking about potential choices. I look forward to hearing about future research in this area.

[tw]

It is interesting to see in kn's comment that there is no specific training that hypnotherapists complete here in the US. I didn't realize that hypnotherapists are so variable in their skill level and training. This information makes me lump hypnotherapists into a similar category as psychics. I agree that it is likely that the relaxation produced from a hypnotherapy appointment alone could have an effect on brain patterns and therefore hot flashes. Though I would be interested in reading more comprehensive studies on this topic.

[ML]

I never thought about how they could standardize the treatment. I guess they would have to start with a standard way of licensing the hypnotherapists. There would also have to be a standard for practice for different conditions. It will be interesting to see if these standardizations would be possible.

[k.ash]

Hormone replacement therapy with estrogen and progesterone to manage vasomotor symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats has declined because of concerns about their risks, particularly stroke and blood clots. There is also an increased interest in alternate, low-risk treatments that may be potentially beneficial so hypnosis may be a good option. Though there seems to be few risks associated with hypnotherapy, caution is still warranted in individuals with psychiatric illnesses due to the potential risk of worsening these conditions.

[lw]

I have always read articles about hypnosis with a grain of salt, as I just can't understand how it works. It is amazing that it can potentially lower blood pressure, decrease hot flashes and body temperature, but it is difficult to understand how this is possible. Perhaps the effects from simply sitting still and relaxing for a set period of time produce the relaxation needed for these results to be noted. Clearly more research will be needed to assess the future uses of this controversial therapy.

[ac]

Hypnosis for hot flashes is an interesting theory. I’ve never really thought of hypnosis for anything other than psychological issues. It’ll be interesting to see what further studies will show.

[J Squared]

It is quite interesting to see how psychological manipulation and stimulation can have an effect on the body. However, I am always such a skeptic when it comes to studies like this, since I’ve always thought of hypnosis as a magic act versus the real deal. For some women this might work, especially if they do not want to consume anything orally for their symptoms, so this just might be worth trying.

[KJ]

Wow, the numbers here are pretty impressive! Reduction in overall symptoms of 55.82 for hypnosis and only 12.89 control group. I have been hypnotized, it is a very strange feeling, almost as if you are dreaming a very vivid dream. I can see how changes in brain patterns can affect vasomotor symptoms of menopause so this makes sense that any affect on brain pattern can impact them.

[kat]

I know hypnosis, or hypnotherapy, is typically aimed at reaching an altered state of consciousness in which the conscious mind is relaxed, the unconscious mind is more accessible, and the person is susceptible to suggestion. Depending on the person, the degree of susceptibility to hypnosis and suggestion also seems to vary a lot. Most of the positive scientific evidence for hypnotherapy has been used in a psychological manner for behavior or emotion alteration. It is interesting to see hypnosis used for more medical conditions, though I wonder about the mechanism of action in these instances.

[kn]

Hypnotherapists may vary widely in their training, credentials, and skill level so I am curious as to whether this could provide a source of bias in studies such as these, particularly if participants are being treated by different hypnotherapists. In the United States, there is no universally accepted standard or licensing for hypnotherapists. This also makes me wonder if self-hypnosis could potentially be helpful in managing hot flashes, but this would likely depend largely on the individual.

[ks]

I always think treatment that involves hypnotherapy is very intriguing. Unfortunately, it seems like evidence for this particular use, as well as many others, is lacking. Hypnosis currently has a Natural Standard evidence grade of C for unclear or conflicting scientific evidence for menopausal disorders. I think more research is definitely needed regarding the use of hypnosis in helping treat certain medical conditions, and if it proves to be effective it would be a great alternative for many people in which traditional therapies have been ineffective.

[ML]

This is very interesting. I have heard of hypnosis for other things such as smoking cessation and PTSD. It seems like it might work because of the relaxation that hypnosis causes. I guess it won’t hurt to try especially someone who can’t get control of symptoms with current therapy.