Is it hot in here? Or is it me?
Could be you actually, especially if you’re in peri-menopause or menopause itself. Oh joy. Your thermostat is dysfunctional, and summer is no longer something to look forward to!
Hot flushes (flashes if you’re north american) can be a very debilitating symptom of hormone change (stating the obvious here), so let’s get into talking about why they happen, and then of course what you can do to help improve them.
A hot flush is actually a very clever mechanism by a region of your brain called the Hypothalamus. Once your estrogen levels start to decline, this organ becomes more sensitive to temperature change, and triggers a hot flush as a way of getting excess heat to the surface of your body and out, often closely followed by a sweat (another way of quickly cooling the body). Your hypothalamus is acting as a sensitive thermostat. This can happen up to every hour and a half due to the blipping along of another important hormone in this picture: Luteinising hormone (LH). It has been surging at this approximate frequency for all of your reproductive life, but now that estrogen is not as high, it’s effects trigger heat, which needs to be dispersed.
What we suggest is, don’t google “how long do hot flushes last” (it can be quite a long time for some women!). What we do suggest is getting a good toolbox of strategies and natural hormonal support ready so that the experience of these is moderated and less debilitating.
Naturopaths work on an individual basis, understanding the influences on a person’s health and wellbeing by taking time to ask detailed questions. So one prescription might look different to another, as it is tailored for you. Having said that, there are a few things that may make a difference across the board, which we’d love to share with you here:
Greatly reduce the hot drinks you have each day, especially after dinner, and especially caffeine.
Record your hot flushes so you can observe patterns to them, and any obvious triggers
Use cotton sheets and nightwear (rather than synthetic)
Reduce stress (if only it were that easy right? We can help you with strategies)
We also ensure that we test and balance your hormones, using natural methods (herbal medicine gets our consistently best results). Choosing plant medicine as your first choice for hormone balance (and hot flush reduction), or to help support pharmaceutical treatments can bring about positive change. The beautiful thing about utilising herbal medicines is that they are individually selected and dose-calibrated for your specific needs. We don’t have one formula for all. Herbal medicine does have a powerful taste however, so there are tablet options also that do an equally good job.
If you’d like to experience life with less hot flushes, do get in touch. We’d love to help you.
