Psychoeducational interventions to alleviate hot flashes: a systematic review

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Hot flashes are frequent and bothersome in menopausal women and breast cancer survivors. Most pharmacological interventions or herbal therapies for hot flashes have limitations because of contraindications in breast cancer survivors, side effects, or lack of proven efficacy. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of psychoeducational interventions, including relaxation, on hot flashes in menopausal women and women previously diagnosed with breast cancer. DESIGN: MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycInfo, the Cochrane Library, and reference lists of articles were searched for relevant articles published between January 1980 and December 2006. Data extraction and quality assessment were ca..