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 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.

Some of the ways of dealing with hot flashes are

Vitamin E

Vitamin E, has long been established for helping many menopausal problems especially hot flushes, night sweats, palpitations and vaginal dryness. The dose taken is 200-600iu per day.

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.

Natural sources of vitamin E are plant oils (hemp, olive), seeds (linseeds, hemp seeds, sesame), wholewheat products (wholemeal bread, cereals), tinned tuna and asparagus.

Apparently vitamin E doesn't always work, but if you've tried all else, it's definitely worth a try!