Hot Flashes & Menopause

Vasomotor flushes and night sweats, otherwise known as hot flashes, are distinguished by symptoms of sweating and heat, especially around the neck and head of women during menopause. They affect between 50 and 85 percent of women during their menopause years. Most women only experience mild discomfort when it comes to hot flashes, but as many as 10 to 15 percent of women go through hourly sweating, drenching, hot episodes, which may then lead to depression, loss of sleep and anxiety.

Time Frame

• Usually once a woman begins to experience hot flashes, they tend to subside in a year or two. For some, however, they can last for years and cause great discomfort. While the actual cause of hot flashes is not entirely known, they are thought to be related to faulty neurotransmitter changes in the brain that are not completely understood. Additionally, hot flashes may tend to increase if a woman is tense or anxious.

Treatment Options

• There are some nutritional treatments that can help ease the discomfort of hot flashes for menopausal women. Vitamin E taken twice daily (100 to 400 iu's) is thought to be helpful.

  Citrus bioflavonoids which contain ascorbic acid is also considered a good treatment option for hot flashes. Take 200 mg. four to six times a day for optimal effect.

Soy Protein

• Soy protein products can have a significant impact on lessening the symptoms of menopause, namely hot flashes. Just taking 50 mg. per day can decrease the intensity and duration of hot flashes. Soybeans and other soy products contain phytoestrogens along with isoflavones which have been shown to improve menopausal symptoms and regulate estrogen levels.

  Large amounts of phytoestrogens are also found in foods like almonds, peanuts, oats, apples and cashews.

Black Cohosh

• Many herbs are commonly used to treat hot flashes during menopause. One of the most popular of these herbs is black cohosh, which is available in natural health food stores in various formulations. Black cohosh is considered equal in value to conjugated equine estrogens in its ability to provide improved vaginal lubrication and to reduce the incidence of hot flashes. A typical dose of black cohosh is two tablets, twice daily. Follow label instructions carefully, as the dose may vary by brand.

More Herbal Treatments

• Other herbs that are helpful in treating hot flashes during menopause are vitex, Siberian ginseng, dong quai, and wild yam. These are widely available in health food stores and come in tincture form or supplements. In order to show improvement in hot flash symptoms, you may have to take these formulations for between 4 and 6 weeks.

Natural Progesterone and Estrogen

• Another effective tool to combat hot flashes is the use of natural progesterone. The effect of progesterone is that it tends to balance out excessive estrogen levels, thereby decreasing the incidence of hot flashes, and other bothersome symptoms of menopause.

  The most standard treatment for hot flashes is the replacement of estrogen in the body of menopausal women. Whether using conventional or natural estrogen replacement, this treatment is highly successful, when symptoms are due to decreased estrogen levels.