Hot Flashes

Hot flashes are the one thing most women dread once they get to menopausal age. You have no control over them. They just kick off whenever they want to and you feel completely powerless to stop them.

As many as 75% of menopausal women experience hot flushes or hot flashes. They vary in intensity and frequency and may recur over months, or even years. They often begin during the period preceding the menopause and start to get less frequent once the menopause has been reached and the body begins to adjust to the lower levels of female hormones in the body.

Hot flashes or hot flushes, refers to the dilation, or relaxation, of the tiny blood vessels near the skin, leading to a rise in skin temperature and flushing of the skin. Increased heart rates, headaches, dizziness, weight gain, fatigue or insomnia may accompany hot flushes.

You can feel suffocated or even have moments of panic, while you're having a hot flush,and it is sometimes followed by shivers and feeling cold.

The common garden herb Sage is said to work remarkabley well for hot flashes and excessive sweating (even in men). In fact clinical studies have shown that it can reduce the occurrence of excessive sweat due to menopausal hot flushes both during the day and night.

You can make sage tea by infusing chopped dried sage (approx 1 tablespoon) for 20 minutes, in about 200ml (approx 1 cup) of boiling water.

Alternatively and more practically, you can take sage supplements. A good supplement is A Vogel's Sage Menopause tablets. I actually saw a man who suffered from excessive sweating that he could not get relief from, being given these supplements by a menopausal woman in a TV show in the UK called 'Come Dine With Me', and by the end of the show, the man's sweating stopped. It was quite amazing to watch.

Another helpful herb is black cohosh, however, although v effective, there have been recent reports of liver toxicity, so women who have suffered from hepatitis or liver damage should not use it. It's better to take under medical supervision. A good supplement for hot flashes that contains small amount of black cohosh amongst other herbs is Menozac.

Some other ways of dealing with hot flashes are

Wear natural fabrics that breathe like cotton

Try the new wicking fabrics which are lightweight, quick drying and regulate your temperature at night

Wear layers so that you can add or remove layers as needed

Carry a foldable fan with you to help cool down.

Don't fight the flush — try to relax if you can

Carry moist wipes to freshen up after a flush

Have a glass of cold water

Splash your face with cool water if at home

Take some vitamin E

The combination of bioflavonoids, especially hesperidin, together with vitamin C (at about 1000mg of each per day) can also be useful for flushing and other circulatory problems.

It's important to stay calm as anxiety and the fear of getting a hot flash can ironically actually trigger a hot flash.