Hot Flash Remedy, Natural Remedies for Hot Flashes

How Effective is Any Hot Flash Remedy?

And, what's most fascinating to me, is the difference in numbers of women in the US that have hot flashes compared to those in Japan or China. Again, we don't know why. Some people have speculated about various hot flash remedies, or that it has to do with older women gaining more respect and position in eastern societies, compared to the US, where we lose position as we age.

So here's the bottom line if you're looking for a hot flash remedy: what works for one (or many) women may or may not work for you. I know someone who swears by Maca Root – says it's her top hot flash remedy - it didn't do a thing for me. Many women will tell you progesterone cream is a great hot flash remedy...I absolutely LOVE progesterone cream, but it does nothing for my hot flashes.

In fact, when I first got hot flashes they were so intense all I could think of when I got one was finding the biggest fire hose around and having it filled with ice water to flood my head and body with as fast as possible. At that time I was already taking progesterone cream (a popular hot flash remedy) and had been for a couple of years. I was also taking a full complement of vitamins(including lots of Vitamin E), minerals and cod liver oil, so I tried another hot flash remedy - black cohosh. At first I didn't notice anything. Then I added dong quai and wild yam (dioscorea) to the black cohosh and was able to reduce the intensity quite a bit.

By the way, hot flashes are experienced very differently by different women. My own flashes have varied from extremely intense, as I mentioned above, to so mild that they don't even feel like “flashes” any more...just a general feeling of being uncomfortably warm...for a minute or two...and then....I'm not so warm...Also, when they were more intense, I used to get cold right before and right after...like chills. For more about hot flash symptoms, see Hot Flash Symptoms.

According to Lonnie Barbach, Ph.D. in her book, The Pause (1993), "For most women, hot flashes last a year or two, but about 25% find they last for more than 5 years, and a few continue to have them sporadically for decades."

So what can you do? Experiment, experiment, experiment. Not only will a different hot flash remedy work for different women, the same substance (or combination) won't necessarily continue to work for the same woman at different times. The good news is, most of these hot flash remedies don't cost much and, used correctly, won't hurt you, even if you don't need them. If you notice they help with some of your symptoms (not just hot flashes), GREAT! If not, no problem, just try something else.

I know it can be frustrating for those of you (like me) that have flashes that interrupt what you're doing or cause a lot of discomfort. Embarrassment is not a problem for me, I am lucky enough to be around a lot of menopausal women...we recognize each other by our constant removal of layers of clothes, followed by putting them back on a few minutes later.

But discomfort has been a big problem...first of all I work in an office that is stuffy and overheated most of the time. And secondly, I deliver mail (a pretty physical job, requiring your body temperature to go UP when you're working), in the Sacramento area of Northern California, where 95 degrees is only a mildly hot day in the summer. Talk about uncomfortable! So one of my favorite hot flash remedies is this: I have my spray bottle, that I keep in the fridge until I'm ready to out on my route, and then when I do go out I take a small cooler with me, to keep the sprayer and my extra water as cold as possible. There've been days when I spray myself continually....my hair is dripping and I have big spots of wetness on my tee shirt, but I DON'T CARE...because I can't feel the hot flashes any more. Of course if you work in an office, you won't want to go that far, but a sprayer, used in moderation, can be a great hot flash remedy.

The spray bottle idea works well for night sweats too. I just keep it beside my bed and spray when I wake up, usually with my heart pounding, the urge to go to the bathroom...isn't menopause fun!?!

This reminds me of something else I wanted to mention. Susan Weed, in her great book, "The New Menopausal Years", talks about stopping and “enjoying” the hot flash surges. And taking time away during your menopausal years. I love these ideas, but they are next to impossible for me to even consider.

My job, during the fall and winter, often requires 10 or 12 hours of straight through physical work with a ten-minute break for lunch. If I take more than that, I can't get the job done. And I left my marriage at the start of perimenopause (I was a stay-at-home mother), so I went from working part-time to working full-time and still not making ends meet, becoming a single mother. Not exactly room for taking time off! I just mention that for those of you who might be feeling left out if you're surrounded by women who may be better off financially during this time, and have options that you don't have. I have some wonderful women friends, but they really can't understand what it's like to be always worrying about where your food money is coming from near the end of your pay cycle.

Here are some natural remedies for hot flashes:

Avoid common triggers – caffeine, hot drinks, white sugar, spicy foods may trigger hot flashes

Eat a nutrient-rich diet – hot flashes decrease some vitamins and minerals, including B and C, calcium and magnesium. Eating lots of vegetables and foods high in the B vitamins will help keep you nourished.

For more info, see Vitamins for Hot Flashes.

Bioidentical Progesterone cream has proven to a reliable hot flash remedy for many women.

Exercise and yoga are very health supportive, and may be a natural remedy for hot flashes as well.

Herbal Remedies for Hot Flashes, Black Cohosh for Hot Flashes:

Herbs that may help are Cimicifuga Racemosa/Actaea racemosa (Black Cohosh), Dioscorea (Wild Yam), Angelica sinensis (Dong Quai), Vitex (Chasteberry). These are all herbal medicines (stronger than tonics, intended for short-term use as needed), not herbal tonics (more food-like herbs safe for long-term, continuous use)

Nervines – herbs that help your body relax when you are under stress – can also be good hot flash remedies. Leonurus cardiaca (Motherwort) and Scutellaria laterifolia (Scullcap) are nervines that may decrease hot flashes.

Also see Hot flashes after menopause

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