Would you take a small injection in your neck annually to reduce menopausal hot flashes? This study, from Northwestern University, shows that if a teaspoon full of local anesthetic is injected into the Stellate Ganglion (a small nerve bundle in the neck) of women, the severity of hot flashes is decreased by 52%. The effect can last for up to a year. The sample size was small, but if this pans out in larger studies, it may be a wonderful treatment without the need of hormones.
Find more information about this study in our Journal Articles Section.
No. I’d be tempted, because I’m exhausted not sleeping more than 3-4 hrs at night due to waking up on fire & in a puddle of sweat! But the risk of nerve damage or being stuck with a side-effect for a year is too great. I’ll keep watching your page to see what concurrent study outcomes reveal/offer. Thank you!
I am always hesitant. I would love to be relieved from hot flashes. Sitting still and sweating is not fun and so uncomfortable. How safe is this?
Jennifer:
The procedure is probably as safe as having a local anesthetic placed anywhere else in the body. All injections have the risk of damaging nerves or anesthetizing motor nerves. The problem right now, is that this is only in the research stage, and the only way to get it done in an approved manner, is if you enter a research study. It is only after the larger studies are finished, that we will know the real extent of safety, effectiveness, and side effects. You could contact the authors to see if you could enter the study, or if they know of a study near you. Paula Maki is the doctor I know who is doing a study in Chicago.