Hot Flash Help

Are you waking up in the night with hot flashes? Do you hot flash during the day? Are you tired of being embarrassed by sweaty clothes? Has menopause become a four-letter word for you? There are times when it is difficult to pretend that a change in our lives is for the good. While you lay there tossing and turning, sweating and then getting cold, sheets on sheets off, well you know the drill all to well.

The change in hormone levels is to be blamed. Many doctors are treating hot flashes with bioidentical hormone therapy. These medications contain hormones that have the same chemical formulas as those made naturally in the body. The hormones are created in a laboratory by altering compounds derived from naturally occurring plant products. Some of these preparations are U.S. FDA approved and manufactured by drug companies, while others are made at special pharmacies called compounding pharmacies, which make the preparations on a case-by-case basis for each patient. These individual preparations are not regulated by the FDA, because compounded products are not standardized. Many women use this therapy with wonderful results.

Progesterone skin cremes can be effective as well. In the Wisdom of Menopause, Dr. Christiane Northrup strongly recommends meditation and relaxation techniques and says that 90% of the people who try this therapy are flash free. Helpful herbs include black cohash, dong quai and chaste berry.

Acupuncture can also help rid you of night sweats, among many other things. These therapists use fine needles inserted in particular points of the body. This will normalize the flow of life energy, or chi. It works by redirecting the flow of chi along energy pathways in the body known as meridians. The process is usually painless and the benefits for getting rid of those nasty flashes is priceless.

So what is setting off the heat in your body? Caffeine, chocolate and alcohol are the prime offenders here. Spicy foods and of course hot weather can bring them on to. If you are going to drink a glass of wine while munching on chips with salsa, you are setting yourself up. Try drinking more water, turning down the thermostat in your house. Wearing cotton allows your body to breathe. Stress causes the brain to release a chemical that stimulates the part of the brain regulating your temperature. Needless to say, exercise will reduce some of that along with meditation, yoga, massage and breathing exercises.

Hot flashes can be a problem for both women and men. Change is just exactly that, so we must do things a little differently to keep our bodies properly regulated to ensure heath, happiness and a good nights sleep.

Suzanne McPherson's passion is working with alternative healing modalities to encourage a better balance of emotional, physical and spiritual health. Her blog, http://zenergygal.com is filled with suggestions for you to improve your health using holistic methods. Just click on the link to read suggestions for a healthier, happier and more joyful life. Sign up for your free report on the 'Importance Of Energy In Our Lives.' Just click on the RSS feed to be automatically notified of updates. Watch for her upcoming e-book Tweak Your Health, which will be coming soon.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Suzanne_McPherson