Clinical Trial: Pilot Study - Impact of Traditional Acupuncture on Menopause

Study Status: Completed
Recruit Status: Completed
Study Type: Interventional

Official Title: Pilot Study - The Impact of Traditional Acupuncture on Menopausal Vasomotor Symptoms, Psychological Stress and the Hypothalamic Pituitary Adrenal (HPA) - Sympathetic Nervo

Brief Summary:

This pilot project is a randomized research study to examine the effects of acupuncture on menopausal symptoms. The investigators will recruit up to 45 Cedars employees (excluding Dr Bairey Merz's employees) with menopausal symptoms by posting a study flyer on Exchange. If a patient is interested in this study, she may contact the research team for further information. Once a patient is identified as being eligible for the study, she will be contacted to schedule the screening visit. They will receive an explanation of the study. They will be sent the consent form to review prior to the initial visit. At the initial visit, prior to any study-related procedures, the consent will be reviewed with the patient. After all questions have been answered and the patient appears to fully understand the study, the patient will be asked to provide written consent.

This pilot project will collect data from three study groups as stated in the NIH application proposal. The first research study group will undergo traditional acupuncture (TA). The second research study group will receive alternative acupuncture (AA). The third group will be a waiting control group (WC) that will receive four weeks of acupuncture following completion of the study duration.

Traditional acupuncture means that the needle is inserted in true acupuncture point locations. Alternative acupuncture is a technique that varies slightly from traditional acupuncture and is used to assess which technique, if any, produces the best therapeutic results. Waiting control is a group of subjects who get neither traditional nor alternative acupuncture during the duration of treatment, which in this case, is 3 months.

Patients will be randomized into one of the three study groups, and will have one in three chance of being placed

Detailed Summary:

This pilot project is a randomized research study to examine the effects of acupuncture on menopausal symptoms. The investigators will recruit up to 45 Cedars employees (excluding Dr Bairey Merz's employees) with menopausal symptoms by posting a study flyer on Exchange. If a patient is interested in this study, she may contact the research team for further information. Once a patient is identified as being eligible for the study, she will be contacted to schedule the screening visit. They will receive an explanation of the study. They will be sent the consent form to review prior to the initial visit. At the initial visit, prior to any study-related procedures, the consent will be reviewed with the patient. After all questions have been answered and the patient appears to fully understand the study, the patient will be asked to provide written consent.

This pilot project will collect data from three study groups as stated in the NIH application proposal. The first research study group will undergo traditional acupuncture (TA). The second research study group will receive alternative acupuncture (AA). The third group will be a waiting control group (WC) that will receive four weeks of acupuncture following completion of the study duration.

Traditional acupuncture means that the needle is inserted in true acupuncture point locations. Alternative acupuncture is a technique that varies slightly from traditional acupuncture and is used to assess which technique, if any, produces the best therapeutic results. Waiting control is a group of subjects who get neither traditional nor alternative acupuncture during the duration of treatment, which in this case, is 3 months.

Patients will be randomized into one of the three study groups, and will have one in three chance of being placed
Sponsor: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Current Primary Outcome: vasomotor symptoms (VMS) frequency and severity [ Time Frame: 3 months ]

vasomotor symptoms (VMS) frequency and severity


Original Primary Outcome: All measures will be collected at study entry, 4 weeks, 8 weeks and study exit, with the exception of the urinary and blood collections that will be collected at study entry and exit only. [ Time Frame: 36 weeks ]

Current Secondary Outcome:

  • The Pittsburgh Sleep Diary (PghSD) [ Time Frame: 60 minutes ]
  • Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) [ Time Frame: 30minutes ]
  • Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) [ Time Frame: 30 minutes ]


Original Secondary Outcome: The Pittsburgh Sleep Diary (PghSD), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), etc. [ Time Frame: 2 hours ]

Information By: Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Dates:
Date Received: July 30, 2009
Date Started: January 2009
Date Completion:
Last Updated: March 23, 2017
Last Verified: March 2017