Beat Hot Flashes
Kathryn Whittaker
There is little doubt that menopause is a taxing time both
physically and emotionally. For busy women trying to live
normal, active and fulfilling lives, it can be extremely
frustrating to deal with the many symptoms of menopause, all of
which can be exhausting, upsetting and sometimes unpleasant.
Nevertheless, similar to menstruation and pregnancy, women are
expected to solider on and keep smiling! And by and large that
is precisely what the vast majority of women do when they go
through menopause – they just keep on smiling and go on working
and living with grace and good humor. That said, there are ways
of managing the symptoms of menopause to minimize their
intrusion on your lifestyle.
If you are going through menopause the old adage “forewarned is
forearmed” is one of the best pieces of advice you can get.
Knowing about the sorts of things you might feel during
menopause allows you to be mentally prepared. And since there
are so many symptoms of menopause, you need to be ready for
almost anything, not least of all heart rate irregularities,
migraines, weight gain, sleep problems, mood swings,
depression, muscular and joint pains. There are lesser known
symptoms as well.
Ask any menopausal woman though and she will tell you that one
of the more unsettling symptoms of menopause are hot flashes.
While they are not life-threatening or dangerous, hot flashes
can be unexpected, uncomfortable and distracting. And when you
have never experienced them before, hot flashes can even be
frightening!
Actually, there are both hot and cold flashes, and they are
quite simple to explain. Hot and cold flashes are simply
changes to your internal thermal stability that can be traced
back to your hypothalamus. Just imagine your body has an
internal thermostat. This internal thermostat is regulated
mostly by your hypothalamus, which is an area situated at the
base of your brain, just above your pituitary gland. Certain
functions of the hypothalamus are affected by changes to the
level of estrogen being produced in the body. Since women’s
ovaries naturally begin to produce less estrogen during
menopause, these hormonal fluctuations upset the hypothalamus
causing it to quickly alter the body temperature in response.
The result? A hot or cold flash!
Although hot or cold flashes can be unpleasant, the good news
is that there are some strategies you can adopt to lessen their
impact. The first option you may wish to explore is estrogen
replacement therapy, a potential course of action you will need
to discuss with your physician. There are plenty of diet and
lifetsyle changes you can implement as well however that are
simple and cost you next to nothing. For example, avoid
caffeine, alcohol, spicy foods as well as sugary drinks, since
these are all known to be ‘trigger’ foods that cause flashes.
Other no-no’s to rule out are highly-processed foods, like
white rice, breads and flours, as well as sweets, cakes and
cookies, which tend to use white sugar, white flours and corn
syrup. Make sure you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day,
and include plenty of fruit, vegetables and legumes in your
diet, especially those that contain high levels of
phytoestrogens, such as apples, carrots, beans, green leafy
vegetables and seaweed . Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring
plant-based estrogens that connect with estrogen receptors in
your body. Not only will that help you combat hot and cold
flashes, but by consuming phytoestrogens you will also help
reduce the impact of other menopause symptoms.
As far as lifestyle is concerned, many women say that doing
regular exercise and relaxation practices such as yoga,
meditation or Tai Chi helps them to deal with flashes because
they have a better overall frame of mind. Alternative health
remedies such as acupuncture and herbal supplements are also
worth exploring as they offer a natural method for bringing
your symptoms under control.
Don’t let hot and cold flashes get in the way of a normal,
happy life. By knowing the reasons behind them you can see they
are a normal response to the hormonal changes in your body. And
by implementing dietary and lifestyle changes, you can start to
take control again!
Here are a couple of natural alternatives to prescription drugs
that you might like to review:
MellowPause - A natural remedy for menopause.
Menozac. - Discover why more women are turning to Menozac for
Natural Menopause Relief.
There are also many more resources and lots of information
about controlling and treating Menopause symptoms in my e-book,
Natural Menopause Relief Secrets.
About The Author: Kathryn Whittaker has an interest in
Menopause. For further information please visit
http://www.natural-menopause-relief-secrets.com/menopause.html
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