Yes, disposable 0.3 mm needles and ASP needles for auriculotherapy
() Treatment regimen
(3a) Number of treatment sessions
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
(3b) Frequency and duration of treatment sessions
Yes
Yes; ca. 50 min/session
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes; 20 min per section
Yes
Yes
Yes
() Other components of treatment
(4a) Details of other interventions administered to the acupuncture group
Yes, description about medicines
Yes, diet (according to TCM) and self-massage (TuiNa)
No
No
No
Yes, moxibustion was allowed
No
No
No
No
No
(4b) Setting and context of treatment, including instructions to practitioners, and information and explanations to patients
No
Yes, participants received instructions about diet and self-massage Practitioners received specific training before the beginning of the study
No
No
No
Yes, participants free to use self-provided care. Acupuncturists discussed the expected TCM diagnoses and the recommended acupuncture point selection
Yes, all study participants were instructed not to take hormonal medications or initiate other treatments for their hot flashes during treatment
Yes, acupuncturists were instructed to limit verbal contact to the most pertinent clinical information and to refrain from counseling and offering advice
Yes, take light food, more fruits and vegetables, and avoid greasy and spicy food, do appropriate physical exercises to strengthen the body constitution (among others)
No
No
() Practitioner background
(5a) Description of participating acupuncturists
No
Yes, sessions were conducted by MDs trained at the TCM with at least 400 h of experience Practitioners received training and were supervised by the director of the study
No
No
Yes, licensed acupuncturist
Yes, the study acupuncturists met the current membership criteria of the Norwegian Acupuncture Society (2,500 h) and had at least 3 years of experience
Yes, treatments were performed by experienced acupuncturists trained in TCM
No
No
Yes, licensed acupuncturist
No
() Control or comparator interventions
(6a) Rationale for the control or comparator in the context of the research question
N/A, case report
Yes, control group were given diet and self-massage training, but no acupuncture
Yes, Sham group
Yes, Sham group
No
Yes, control group with no intervention
Yes, Sham group
Yes, Sham group
N/A, case report
Yes, comparison acupuncture treatment
N/A, case report
(6b) Precise description of the control or comparator
N/A, case report
Yes, TuiNa massage (30 min massage for the areas in which acupuncture points are present) and diet (food choice based on the energetic balance of the individual)
Yes, needles in different acupoints
Yes, Sham points were proximate to the treatment points site, but not considered active
No
Yes, no medical treatment, but free to use self-provided nonpharmaceutical interventions
Yes, needling at sites thought to have minimal effects on hot flashes. Six needles in each side, shallowly needled, no attempt to reach deqi
Yes, Streitberger placebo needles in 4-5 points
N/A, case report
Yes, general treatment: LV4, KI7, ShenMen sympathetic, kidney, liver, and lung points
N/A, case report
STRICTA: Standards for Reporting Interventions in Clinical Trials of Acupuncture; N/A: nonapplicable; data detailed in Table 1.
