Hot Flashes and Night
Sweats! By Pamela Van Camp, 3/11/13
What are they?
"A hot flash is a sudden, intense feeling of heat in
the face and upper body, often accompanied by an increased heart rate,
sweating, dizziness, headache, weakness, or anxiety. Hot flashes are generally associated with the
symptoms of menopause and premenopause." ~Connie & Alan Higley, in
"Reference Guide for Essential Oils." They can last only a few seconds or off and
on for hours. Hot flashes may last for 2
- 4 years after menstruation ends.
A night sweat is a hot flash that happens during the
night. Although night sweats are often just a menopausal symptom, keep in mind
that they could also be due to a more serious illness.
Who gets them?
About 75-80% of women in western cultures, at various
stages of menopause, experience hot flashes to some extent. Incidences of hot flashes are much less
common in non-western cultures, such as in Japan, Hong Kong, and Pakistan.
(Could this be due to the S.A.D.--Standard American Diet? I'd say yes!)
What are they
caused from?
Hot flashes and night sweats are thought to be caused
from the body producing less estrogen and progesterone, due to menopause. This confuses the hypothalamus in the brain,
which sends conflicting signals to the blood vessels to expand and contract,
resulting in sudden bursts of increased
and decreased circulation. Increased
circulation causes heat.
Additionally, it is thought, and I agree, that the
increased temperature might be the body's natural defense mechanism to kill off
cancer cells and viruses, and to release toxins that might be trying to cause
dis-ease.
What are triggers
for hot flashes and night sweats?
Triggers for hot flashes and nights sweats can include spicy
food, hot drinks, alcoholic beverages, caffeine, white sugar, table salt, stress,
hot weather, hot tubs and saunas, tobacco and marijuana and anger, especially
when unexpressed.
What can be done
to alleviate them?
Of course it is obvious to stay away from the triggers
that cause them. For me, getting my digestion
under control, by avoiding dairy, gluten, and the above food triggers, as well
as combining my food correctly, was what it took to almost completely eliminate
them.
HRT (Hormonal Replacement Therapy) is known to cause
disruption to the endocrine system, cancer risk, weight gain, heavy bleeding,
PMS-like pain, severe leg cramps, migraine headaches, uterine and breast
fibroids, and low libido. I'd say HRT is
not something I will ever use.
Natural treatments can support the endocrine system,
which is the system of organs that produce and regulate hormones. However,
listen to the body while using them. It
might be a good idea to work with someone who is familiar with the natural
remedies you choose to use. That person
can help decide how much of what to use.
Some suggestions
that may help alleviate hot flashes are:
·
Ginseng: Normalizes the body's response to hot and
cold.
·
Sage: Grounding herb. Can be taken as a tea.
·
Vitamin E:
"D-alpha tocopherol" means
that it comes from a natural source, but "DL alpha" means it is a
synthetic form of the vitamin.
·
Black
Cohosh: Highly effective in
relieving hot flashes in women.
·
Don Quai: Used to treat almost ever female
gynecological ailment. Known as a blood purifier.
·
Evening
primrose: Cleanses the liver and
kidneys. Is useful for treating inflammation associated with yang (heat
related) conditions of the body. Also promotes restful sleep.
(All of the above herbs can be found in a local health
food store of your choice.)
Other thoughts and
ideas on hot flashes:
·
Regular exercise increases endorphins, which are
lowered during a hot flashes.
·
Hot flashes rob the body of vitamin C, the B
vitamins, magnesium, and potassium.
·
Drink enough fresh, pure water--around a quart a
day is a recommendation. (Lemon is
cooling to the body, so adding a squeeze of lemon wedge or drop of lemon
essential oil to the water might help too.)
·
Essential oils thought to help with hot flashes
and night sweats include peppermint, clary sage, bergamot, and fennel.
It is my thought that night sweats are a way for the body
to rid itself of harmful toxins that may be increased during the different
stages of menopause. Menopause is a time
when the body is changing rapidly and it may have extra waste to get rid of due
to all of the hormonal changes. Menopause is also a time when many women experience
digestive problems, another reason why sweating might be needed to release
waste and other toxins.
I hope this helps you!
References used:
http://www.power-surge.com/headlines/hotflash.htm
Great Taste No Pain, by Sherry
Brescia
Reference Guide for Essential
Oils, by Connie and Alan Higley
Linda Page's Healthy Healing
book
The Way of Herbs, by Michael
Tierra
Rosemary Gladstar's Herbal
Recipes for Vibrant Health
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