Natural Ways to Eliminate Hot Flashes
A big part of the discussion with menopausal women is hot flashes: how do you deal with this common nuisance in a natural way so your life is not disrupted?
Hot flashes are a result of dis-regulation of body temperature and may also be seen in the male population as well with hormonal shifts. Hot flashes can be a little as a minute flush to severe night sweats.
Hot flashes can also be a result of shifts in estrogen levels, which happen after the ovaries stop production. It is beyond challenging to comprehend the way these hormonal changes affect your health, weight, and risk of cardiovascular and other disease processes.
What are a few simple natural ways to eliminate or minimize hot flashes:
- Take your omega 3’s omega 3’s, especially ground flax seeds provide ALA and lignans, the fiber in ground flax seeds, which can help stabilization of estrogen levels in some women. The other omega 3’s, DHA and EPA which come from fish can lower risk of insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome which is thought to contribute to hot flashes.
- Take Evening Primrose Oil (EPO) at bedtime –Â Â EPO contains oils that can stabilize estrogen levels overnight. Most studies recommend 2000 mg. EPO helps eliminate many women’s hot flashes but if severe this might only take the edge off.
- Minimize diet triggers such as alcohol, caffeine (coffee) and hot or spicy foods and beverages. Every woman’s triggers are different but these particular ones that can trigger symptoms.
- Regular exercise/activity and yoga can lower the incidence of hot flashes and help the insomnia they cause. Keep exercise moderate as extreme exercise can lower cortisol levels and lower estrogen levels, which can increase flashes.
- Acupuncture is frequently used to rebalance hormones and clear stagnation in the body caused by fluctuation in hormones.
There is no one right therapy and it might take a combination of any or all of the above to find the mix that works for your body. Self care is individual and a process to finding what works for your system and health.
