Hot! Hot! Hot!

Sleep was uncomfortable and fleeting last night. One minute I was hot, and flinging the covers off of me, and the next minute I was cold; grabbing the covers and pulling them over my head. This went on for h-o-u-r-s! As I lay in the bed tossing the covers back and forth, I thought about the most recent conversation I'd had with my gynecology. For the last 7 years, I've been going through peri-menopause. Now I have graduated to the season of menopause. At this point, I don't care what you call it. I just want it to PAUSE!

At 4:00 a.m., I finally got up in frustration and had a cold glass of water while I made a pot of coffee. As that wonderful aroma of freshly brewed coffee permeated throughout the room, I became irritated again. "Lisa, you know coffee is a stimulant that can trigger estrogen deficiency." I stared intensely at the coffee pot as I held my favorite coffee cup, and counted to 10. With a sigh, I reached into the cabinet, tore open a pack of decaf/non-black tea, plopped it into a cup, and boiled some water in the microwave. I desperately needed to start my day in a positive mood, so I sat on my outside patio, sipped my herbal tea, and watch the sunrise boldly fill the sky. Slowly, I began to feel both calm and energized. Thirty minutes later, I had changed into my walking shoes, and was out the door for a brisk walk. Now I was ready for the rest of the day. No hot flash is going to get this fabulous 49 year old woman down!


Note: The use of prescription hormonal replacement therapy has had a long history and has come under fire in recent years. In some cases it has been linked or there has been a suspected link between hormone replacement therapy and an increased risk of estrogen dependent breast cancer. For many this is a risk that is not worth taking and the prescribed drugs have gone under a reformulation to reduce the amount of estrogen in them. Yet for many because of the increased risk of breast cancer, they have chosen to look for alternatives to the hormone replacement therapy. This has led many to herbal remedies and other forms of seeking relief from the affects of hot flashes. There is the fact that an increase in physical activity can help relieve the symptoms of hot flashes.

It has been recommended that you get 30-minutes of moderate exercise more than 3 hrs before going to bed. This helps not only reduce the symptoms of hot flashes but also
improves your physical fitness, improves the quality of sleep and aids digestion. Another course of action that has been recommended is to limit or eliminate the use of alcohol and caffeine in your diet.

These items have been shown to increase the frequency and severity of your hot flashes. Remedies for hot flashes also include other dietary items like limiting or removal of very spicy foods. Examples of these would be Cajun, East Indian types of food. Foods with hot pepper, cyan, chili powder and other such foods can increase the symptoms of hot flashes. By eliminating these types of foods you can reduce your hot flash symptoms.

Here are some good website for more information on relieving hot flash symptoms:

breastcancer.org

Decline in U.S. Breast Cancers Tied to Drop in Hormone Use