Hot Flashes
What is a hot flash?
A hot flash is a feeling of warmth that happens internally and flushes over the skin, which is sometimes accompanied by perspiration. Hot flashes occur because the body’s estrogen levels are decreasing or fluctuating. With proper diet, nutritional supplements, and exercise, hot flashes and other menopausal side effects can be minimized, and often eliminated.
Some women go through menopause with few or no noticeable symptoms, while other women experience a range of short-term or acute symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, fatigue, dizziness, headaches, anxiety, depression, poor libido, bladder problems, vaginal dryness and itching, burning and discomfort during sexual intercourse, breast tenderness, dryness and ageing of the skin, shortness of breath, heart palpitations, poor memory and insomnia. Caring Medical has been very successful in helping hundreds of women get relief from menopausal symptoms and begin living a normal life again.
Case of D
When we first met with D, she was 53 years old and she was suffering from symptoms of pre-menopause. She had been having hot flashes and insomnia for six months and she felt the insomnia could be due to the hot flashes, or "night sweats", that were occurring every night. D's symptoms were becoming severe, and she described them as "close to intolerable".
She appeared exhausted. "I wake up at night drenched from hot flashes and can't get back to sleep," D told us.
"I don't want to take hormone replacement therapy due to the health risks involved. What else can I do to help relieve my symptoms?"
Caring Medical stressed the importance of individualized treatment to meet D's specific needs. We explained that menopausal hormonal imbalances and metabolic imbalances due to improper nutrition can wreak havoc on your body.
We tested D's hormone levels and her diet type. After reviewing her test results, the doctor prescribed a natural hormone cream to increase D's progesterone levels and some vitamin/mineral supplements, including calcium and magnesium. She was to also talk with the nutrition coach about the Hauser diet she was to follow as her new nutrition plan. Based on D's diet typing results, she talked to the nutritionist about following the Hauser Diet #1, the lion diet. This diet is 60% animal protein, 25% good fats and oils, and only has 15% carbohydrates. We recommended D eliminate all sugar from her diet, including soda’s, simple carbohydrates, artificial sweeteners, and fruit. We also recommended D start exercising at least three times a week since exercise is known to decrease menopausal symptoms.
Three months later...
D visited us; her night sweats had almost disappeared and she is sleeping much better. She is also walking 1 1/2 miles on her lunch hour several times each week. "What a difference these changes in diet, supplements, and exercise have made! I face each day now feeling more refreshed and not having to anticipate waking up with hot flashes each night."
Here’s a hot “news” flash: Eat right for your type!
The best advice we can give to women going through a difficult menopause is to get Diet Typing. Your body’s needs are changing and that could mean that the diet you have been eating for many years is no longer helping your body, but rather aggravating your menopausal symptoms.
What we often see is that women are eating too much processed food and beverages. Here are some general tips that can accompany your diet typing results.
Caffeine
Reduce your intake of caffeine (from coffee, tea and soft drinks). If you drink coffee, having a cup without sugar or sweetener is fine. Coffee is a great tonic in many situations, just don’t over do it. Tea can also be a great comfort, and green and herbal teas are packed with healthy ingredients. If you are sensitive to caffeine, find an herbal “naturally” caffeine-free tea! However, due to the chemicals used to process “decaffeinated” teas, we do not recommend them.
Vegetables
Hot flashes diminish vitamin C. The best way to get natural C is eating fresh vegetables. Eat a rainbow of colors including orange, red, yellow, and green. Do not limit yourself to just an iceberg lettuce salad. When it comes to green, the darker green the vegetable, the better.
Protein
Hot flashes also diminish the B vitamins. Get more by eating more protein, such as eggs, fish, and soy foods. Soybeans have the same amount of protein that animal meat has. Eat oily fish, such as salmon and tuna, because they are great sources of Omega-3 fatty acids.
Soy
We have found that one of the most functional foods in decreasing the symptoms of menopause is soy. Soybeans contain a variety of phytochemicals, but they are the only food source with nutritionally significant amounts of one important phytochemical, called isoflavones. In various experiments, isoflavones directly or indirectly have been found to lower cholesterol, inhibit bone resorption, relieve menopause symptoms and possess anticancer activity.
Relieve stress
Most women at menopausal age have to look for ways to avoid stress, and allow time to relax. A key to reducing your hot flashes and menopausal symptoms is to avoid stress. You can reduce and relieve stress by doing meditation, yoga, breathing exercises, and listening to music. Studies have shown that women who have less stress report having fewer hot flashes than women who have a lot of stress.
Get regular exercise
Getting exercise and working out several times a week is important for everyone, especially women who are experiencing hot flashes and menopause symptoms. As little as 20 minutes three times a week may reduce flashes significantly, but we like many of our patients to strive for more exercise. Try walking on your lunch break if there is no time before or after work.
Water
Drink at least eight 8-ounce of purified water per day to help prevent drying of your skin and mucous membranes.
If you are struggling with menopausal symptoms, consider a consultation with an experienced natural medicine clinic. Caring Medical has many years of clinical experience with getting women feeling back to normal and being able to enjoy life again. Give us a call to schedule an appointment!
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