Hot Flashes...

[Mynyel]

I have been getting them. I am 36 so I figure it is about the right time. My Mom was in her mid 40's when the Change hit.

 

However, when I get these hot flashes there are times I will feel... well.... icky s the only way to explain it. Maybe a little sick, but it is hard to explain. Just icky. I want to move but then I don't want to move. I don't anyone to talk to me. It goes away quickly, 20-30 seconds maybe. It doesn't happen with every hot flash either.

 

Normal? Or at least average? :D

[serene]

bump

[Liz CA]

Probably normal. Try a little maca. It's not a hormone but will support your thyroid and aid in a little extra estrogen manufacturing. :001_smile:

[Negin]

Lots of possibly overwhelming info here. Just do with it as you wish. :)

 

Hot Flashes are periods of sudden intense heat, while flushes include the obvious flushing or redness. While they usually come and go for a year or two, some still have hot flashes for 10-15 years after menopause. Hot flashes and flushes can last for a few seconds or up to five minutes.

 

WHAT HELPS

HEALTHY EATING

Heat-producing foods can trigger hot flashes – limit fatty foods, sugars, caffeine, and very hot spicy foods

Cooling foods and plant estrogens help reduce hot flashes – fruits, vegetables, yogurt, goat cheese – these all cool the body

More salads

Fewer cooked foods

Drink plenty of water throughout the day

When dietary changes are not enough, it’s time to look into supplements.

 

SUPPLEMENTS

Hesperidin is found in the skin of lemons and oranges. It works like a miracle for many women, eliminating hot flashes and night sweats.

Take 500 mg morning and night. You most likely will need that much to reduce hot flashes.

Although hesperidin is a bioflavonoid, you can’t get enough of it in bioflavonoid supplements. Look for a hot flash formula with high amounts of hesperidin.

 

PHYTOESTROGENS are plant-based estrogens that curb hot flashes, weight gain, and other complaints.

Look for a multiple-herb formula with

• Chaste-tree berry (normalizes hormone secretion and helps balance estrogen and progesterone) – 40 mg daily – quite frankly, this is the only one I think I will try from this list of phytoestrogens. The rest are of concern to me, since there is a likelihood that they may raise breast estrogen levels.

• Black cohosh

• Red clover

• American ginseng

• Milk thistle

Nothing has been found to be nearly as effective for menopause symptoms as Black Cohosh. Many Black Cohosh supplements are less potent than they appear. You need to get 540 mg daily. Studies have shown that in sufficient doses, this herb can help alleviate menopausal symptoms in as little as 4 weeks. Puritan’s Pride Black Cohosh 540 mg

One study found that women who took Black Cohosh were 47 percent less likely to have breast cancer.

Black cohosh can reduce hot flashes by 85%. 40 mg daily of Remifemin

Black cohosh treats hot flashes, night sweats, headaches, vaginal dryness, and anxiety

OVERALL RELIEF

Daily Balance Harmony

Enzymatic Therapy AM/PM Menopause Formula

Gaia Herbs Phyto-Estrogen

NOW Foods Menopause Support

Solgar Herbal Female Complex

SAGE has been used since ancient times to stop hot flashes and helps reduce all kinds of excessive perspiration. Sage tea and sage tincture helps hot flashes and night sweats.

1-3 cups of sage tea can reduce your hot flashes OR take the herb as a supplement

Sage tea is the safest and least expensive solution. Allow the tea to cool down for best results. Drink 1-3 cups a day in between meals. You can increase this amount, if you like, to 4-5 cups a day. You may need much less. In fact, just 1 serving of sage tea can cool down some women within two hours and last for a day or more.

Tinctures or capsules containing sage are good options if you don’t want to drink the tea.

WILD HOPS reduces hot flashes and night sweats, anxiety, and helps muscles relax. Wild hops can help you sleep

30-120 mg at bedtime

Has to be dried to have any medicinal effect

Often used in combination w/valerian and lemon balm.

SAFFRON promotes calmness and reduces irritability and hot flashes

1 pinch stirred into hot, cooked food daily

 

Some have said that the combination of Chinese Bitters (taken before breakfast) and Fem-Mate (taken at bedtime) is very helpful for alleviating hot flashes. In one case, a 60 year old woman was on HRT for 10 years and was told to stop her HRT immediately because of her vaginal bleeding. When she stopped, her hot flashes became unbearable, and she tried all manner of remedies to no avail. When she took Chinese Bitters and Fem-Mate, her hot flashes became manageable in only 4 days, although it took 3-4 months before her hot flashes disappeared.

This remedy works because Chinese Bitters decongests and cleanses the liver while Fem-Mate stimulates natural progesterone and estrogen production by stimulating the adrenals. For some women, whose hot flashes are relatively mild, Chinese Bitters alone is enough to eliminate their hot flashes.

In some cases, the complete program of liver and gallbladder cleansing may be necessary because HRT is known to cause gallstones. Daily morning exercises such as stretching and deep breathing can also help by "activating" the liver in the morning.

 

OTHER TIPS

Sleep on right side. Sleeping on right side prompts relaxation and decreases blood pressure – which can help calm you during hormone-related symptoms such as hot flashes.

 

Soak your feet in cold water to prevent hot flashes during night

[Onceuponatime]

I don't know, I'm in my mid 40's and I've only had one hot flash and it gave me a panic attack. However, I was asleep and I started dreaming the house was burning down, lol.

 

That was in February and I haven't had another. I keep wondering if that is normal.

[Mynyel]

Wow thanks Negin! I will be looking into that stuff. I am thinking it is hormones. The last time I had flashes like these was when I had a Mirena for a short 30 days (had that blasted thing removed) and it was giving me hot flashes. My Dr said I am sensitive to hormone fluctuations. SO :)

 

Fun fun, getting older. Oh well bring it on, one less thing to have to myself at the store! :P We won't talk about the other gazillion supplements I may have to replace it with. Nope, not thinking about that part :P

[BeckyFL]

I started getting these and they completely went away with a Black Cohosh supplement. I thought that I would try one thing at a time to see what worked and luckily I started with that. It took a few weeks before it kicked in. It gradually got to the point that they were gone completely.

[Cindy in FL.]

I have had hot flashes for 8+ years now. Often when one is coming on my initial symptom is feeling unwell (nausea, etc.) At first I'll think that I'm getting sick and then the flash will come. From what I've read it is not uncommon to feel that way.

 

Cindy

[LizzyBee]

I think 36 is pretty young for hot flashes. Have you ever taken your temp during one? I thought I was having hot flashes during the spring, and it turned out that I was having fevers related to having leukemia. It's highly unlikely that you have leukemia :tongue_smilie:, but I think as women, we tend to be quick to explain away, rationalize, or blame ourselves for how we feel instead of visiting the dr.

Edited August 20, 2011 by LizzyBee

[Lady Florida.]

Ah yes, power surges. :D That icky feeling is not unusual, but at 36 I would make sure it's what you think it is.

 

If it is hot flashes, you will have to find what works for you. Black Cohosh did absolutely nothing for me, but exercise helped. I found that my hot flashes are worse when I haven't exercised in a while. I have friends who only needed supplements. Try some different things, and stick with what works for you.

[Negin]

I started getting these and they completely went away with a Black Cohosh supplement. I thought that I would try one thing at a time to see what worked and luckily I started with that. It took a few weeks before it kicked in. It gradually got to the point that they were gone completely.

Becky, so glad to hear that yours went away. :) And yes, most supplements take at least a few weeks, oftentimes more, to start working. Same with dietary changes.

 

I think 36 is pretty young for hot flashes.

I thought so also. The only reason I'm not worried too much is that she mentions her mother getting them early also. Plus, there are some lucky ones (IMHO, since I would love to have early menopause AND I wish I had started my period after the age of 16 ... I wish, I wish, I wish!) who just start getting perimenopause and later menopause symptoms in their mid-late 30s.

 

You are officially in menopause only after you haven't had a period for a full year.

Perimenopause can begin 10 years before menopause, as your hormones begin to fluctuate.

Lots of the symptoms overlap.

Some women find the symptoms worse in peri than they do after the "pause."

• Unusually heavy, irregular, or long-lasting periods

• Bleeding mid-cycle, when periods had been regular

• Getting your period again after not having had it for 6 months or more

• Difficulty concentrating and/or mood swings

• Unexplained insomnia, sweating, and/or joint or muscle aches at night

• Frequent urination

• Vaginal pain or dryness that does not improve with home treatment

 

exercise helped. I found that my hot flashes are worse when I haven't exercised in a while. I have friends who only needed supplements. Try some different things, and stick with what works for you.

:iagree: