A new study has found that acupuncture is ineffective in treating hot flashes joint pain and other menopausal symptoms. Forty-seven female breast cancer patients were treated with eight weeks of either real or fake acupuncture as a way to reduce the side effects of an anti-cancer medication. Twenty-three patients were given real acupuncture (placing needles on carefully-selected points on the body) and 24 were given sham acupuncture where needles were placed (but not actually inserted into) the skin at random locations. The treatment's effectiveness was determined by patient-reported symptoms and the study was double-blinded (meaning that neither the patients nor
