Herbal Remedies for Hot Flashes: Avoiding the Problems of Hormone Replacement Therapy

The most common menopausal symptom for most women is also the most uncomfortable. Women who would otherwise hardly notice the transition into menopause definitely notice hot flashes! The medical treatment that was usually suggested for hot flashes in the past was hormone replacement therapy. While HRT can be very effective in alleviating the symptoms it can also increase your risk of breast cancer and stroke. It is no wonder that so many women are using herbal remedies for hot flashes.

The exact cause of hot flashes is unclear, but hormonal changes and imbalances are thought to be the main reason. Medical professionals consider hot flashes as an estrogen deficiency that can be triggered by stimulants, such as spicy foods (ginger, cayenne, pepper), acidic foods (tomatoes, citrus, pickles), hot drinks, alcoholic drinks, caffeine (chocolate, coffee, cola, black tea), white sugar, stress, hot weather, saturated or hydrogenated fats (margarine, meat), saunas and hot tubs, marijuana or tobacco, intense exercise, and anger. For many women, just eliminating that list of triggers plus using herbal remedies for hot flashes will bring immediate relief.

Hot flashes may last for a few minutes or even up to an hour. They may be mild or very severe. Every woman will experience them a little differently. Hot flashes which occur at night are called night sweats. They can be accompanied with anxiety and nightmares. Not all women experience hot flashes and fewer experience night sweats. However, many women experience both situations when they are going through menopause.

Exercise is a good way of decreasing hot flashes because it decreases the amount of FSH and LH hormone circulation by toning and nourishing the hypothalamus and raising endorphin levels.

Herbal remedies for hot flashes include plants that have the ability to cool the body, such as chickweed, violet, and elder; plants which increase and nourish oxygen utilization of the liver, such as dandelion, dong quai, polygonum multiflorum,, and yellow duck; and plants which contains high phytosterols, most notably black cohosh.

These are some of the most used herbal remedies for hot flashes:

1. Dong quai relaxes and contracts the uterine muscles. Its effect is not estrogenic, which is the main reason for dong quai's effectiveness. It treats hot flashes by stabilizing the blood vessels.

2. Chaste berry or vitex affects the functions of the pituitary and regulates dizziness and hot flashes. Its beneficial effects are altering the secretion of FSH and LH hormones during menopause. It lowers the levels of estrogen while increasing progesterone levels, which keep vaginal walls and bones strong.

3. Black cohosh was used widely by Native Americans and later by the American colonists for relieving menopause and menstrual cramps. Clinical studies have revealed that black cohosh extract relieves hot flashes, vaginal atrophy, and depression.

4. Motherwort lessens the frequency, duration and severity of hot flashes. It relieves anxiety, insomnia, and stress. Frequent usage will produce the best results.

5. Licorice root is historically used for treating various female disorders. It also has been used effectively in treating asthma and infections of the respiratory tract. It also decreases estrogen and increases progesterone.

6. Essential oils of thyme or basil alleviate hot flashes when utilized in baths, foot rubs, when inhaled, or combined with massage oils.

These herbal remedies for hot flashes - when combined with eliminating common triggers - can greatly reduce menopausal symptoms in most women.

Endometriosis and Menopause - What to do if Symptoms Persist

Not many women can say they are looking forward to the day that menopause starts and start dealing with symptoms like hot flashes and mood swings. However, for Endometriosis sufferers the thought of menopause can bring a welcome smile. So, why do these women have such a positive view of endometriosis and menopause?

Did you know that when women reach menopause, they tend to cease experiencing the painful and often debilitating symptoms of endometriosis?

Endometriosis symptoms can start to be felt any time after the onset of puberty. In other words, menstruating women are more at risk of developing endometriosis.

So, women are less likely to feel the painful effects of endometriosis if they are in their menopausal years.

This relief has made many women accept and even welcome the onset of menopause to relieve themselves of the Endometriosis related pains.

However, unfortunately, it's not that straight forward as it has been found that menopause does not guarantee the removal of all the endometriosis symptoms. But more on this in a moment.

To understand why menopause helps women overcome endometriosis symptoms, it helps to understand more about the nature of endometriosis.

The exact cause of the condition is not yet determined, but the reasons why the symptoms are felt once endometriosis has developed seem quite clear.

The uterus contains endometrial tissues that are directly affected by estrogen levels in the blood.

Every month estrogen levels increase and the endometrial glands in the uterus start producing lots of tissue to thicken the wall lining in readiness for pregnancy. When pregnancy doesn't occur the estrogen levels drop and the period starts.

Problems start when endometrial glands are found in other parts of the body like the kidneys, ovaries, bladder, abdominal wall, intestines and even the areas in-between these organs.

These deposits react in the same way as the glands that line the, swelling then shedding and bleeding. However, there is usually nowhere for the blood and debris to go, and this is what can cause the endometriosis symptoms, including the excruciating pain.

Menopause

During menopause, the ovaries are not active anymore. Estrogen levels dip and so women who regularly suffer from endometriosis who reach the menopause tend not to experience endometriosis symptoms anymore.

The same goes for younger women who elect to have their ovaries surgically removed in a bid to alleviate the pain endometriosis brings about. By taking this route, menopause is accelerated.

Recurrence

Unfortunately, menopause either natural or forced does not necessarily mean the end of endometriosis symptoms. If you take hormone replacements or if your body continues to produce hormones after menopause your symptoms can still remain.

But what should you do if endometriosis recurs during and after menopause?

Normally, your doctor would ask you to take pain relievers for pain relief. There are also a number of natural methods and simple lifestyle changes you can make that help reduce the endometriosis symptoms..

You can read more about the natural treatments for Endometriosis by signing up for our free newsletter below.

Endometriosis and menopause can have significant impacts on your life, so make sure you understand how the two are linked to choose the best solution.

Hair Loss in Menopause - Treatments to Stimulate Natural Hair Regrowth

It may not seem like it, but thinning hair is a very common occurrence among women. In fact, nearly half of all middle aged women will experience some degree of hair loss. Menopause can cause changes in a woman's body which can cause her to shed hair in clumps. There are natural treatments which can lead to natural hair regrowth.

Androgenic Alopecia

Androgenic alopecia causes the strands to start thinning throughout a woman's head. Nearly half of all women will have this experience by their 50th birthday. Hormones are linked to this form of hair loss. Menopause causes a shift in hormonal levels.

Women have small amounts of the male hormone testosterone in their bodies. An enzyme known as alpha-5-reductase converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone, which is also known as DHT. DHT attaches itself to the hair follicles causing them to shrink. As the follicles shrink, they become non-functional. This causes the strands to fall out. New hair cannot grow in because the follicles are now unable to hold onto hair.

Genes are also a factor with this condition. If one or both of your parents had thinning hair during middle age, there is a greater chance you will also start losing some of your hair as well.

Natural Remedies for Hair Loss During Menopause

Women can use natural remedies to help reduce hair loss. Menopause does not have to cause you to permanently lose your hair.

Horsetail is a good source of silica, a natural substance which will strengthen your strands. Green tea can reduce shedding caused by androgenic alopecia, also known as female pattern baldness. The tea contains substances which prevent the enzyme alpha-5-reductase from converting testosterone into DHT. This will allow the follicles to begin functioning again which will allow the hair to grow back.

You can stimulate natural hair regrowth and reduce thinning by applying emu oil directly to your scalp.

A Horrific Prescription For Menopause

Someone I know, thinking she had finally reached the stage of menopause because of frequently occurring hot flashes that were driving her mad, made an appointment with her doctor. The doctor set her up to have a hormone panel done. With the positive results of the tests, her suspicions were confirmed, she had indeed reached menopause.

Before we go any further in this posting, let me tell you a few facts about my friend. She is a very joyful woman, is very happily married, an active sex life with her husband, has two wonderful teenagers and a positive attitude towards life. Enough about my friend.

Let me tell you her horror story.

So she went to her doctor to discuss her hormone testing results and, after enough reading the research from some books and the internet, she decided she wanted to get bioidentical hormones. Her doctor told her they don't work and refused. What her doctor prescribed for her was a rather horrific solution for her menopause problems. Her doctor prescribed Premarin (pregnant horse's urine), a D&C and anti-depressants.

Horrified, my friend left the doctor's office.

We would like to ask why would a doctor prescribe anti-depressants to a happy person? Anti-depressants cause among other side effects: suicidal thoughts, dry eyes, loss of libido and a dry vagina. My happy friend said the last thing she wanted was a dry vagina, loss of libido and suicidal thoughts.

We ask also, why would a doctor prescribe a D&C? Very interesting.

The overall problem is that very few doctors understand menopause. Not many doctors stay up to date with the latest research on menopause. Many ordinary people believe that most doctors finish their Med school and that's it. This particular doctor is in her late 50s, so this doctor would have completed her training about 20 to 25 years ago.

Another problem is that there is not the money to do more research into bioidentical hormones. A fact to consider is that the all-powerful pharmaceutical companies have seen their profits decline because of the latest negative research on traditional HRT (chemical hormone replacement theory) and would not profit from BHRT because its mixtures cannot be patented. One pharmaceutical giant has even launched legal action against the makers of compounded bioidentical hormones.

So, millions of women in North America and Europe do their own research, find a compounding pharmacy and find a doctor capable of prescribing and monitoring their hormones with BHRT. It's time that governments do the official research. Women are rebelling.

An update on my friend: I asked her two weeks after starting a bioidentical hormone therapy how her symptoms were. She asked, what symptoms?

Genistein Is the Proven Safe and Effective Menopause Relief Supplement

Hot flashes and night sweats are the most common symptom of menopause in 50-70% of menopausal women in developed countries and estrogen hormone replacement therapy is a highly effective hot flashes treatment. However, in recent years the use of estrogen hormone therapy has been substantially reduced due to the finding in the large Women's Health Initiative study that it increases risk of stroke and breast cancer.? Thus, there is a need for a safe and non-hormonal alternative for hot flashes treatment.? One of the most highly studied alternatives is soybean isoflavones. It was suspected that soybeans contain compounds that provide menopausal relief since Asian countries where soybean consumption is much higher than in Western counties only 20-25% of postmenopausal women experience hot flashes and night sweats.

Soy isoflavones are naturally occurring in soybeans and consist of three compounds called genistein,daidzein, and glycitein which make up approximately 50, 40, and 10% of the total soybean isoflavone content, respectively. Since the mid 1990s, dozens of studies have been conducted with isoflavones to determine if they will alleviate menopausal symptoms. However, the findings have been very mixed and it was observed only recently those soy products with genistein as the major isoflavone were consistently effective and those with daidzein as the major isoflavone were mostly ineffective.? This observation has now been confirmed in three published clinical intervention studies in Italy and one recent clinical study in Canada with postmenopausal women given pure genistein that taken together prove its value in hot flash treatment.

In the first study by Crisafulli (2004) 98 postmenopausal women had hot flash reductions greater than placebo of 22, 29 and 24% after 3, 6 and 12 months, respectively. In a second study by D'Anna (2007, 2009) 389 postmenopausal women were given 54 mg/day of genistein or a placebo over 2 years.? Hot flashes and night sweats were reduced in the genistein group after one month and reached 56.5% after 12 months but did not decrease further in the second year. A third study by Albertazzi (2005) gave 90 mg/day of genistein or placebo to 100 postmenopausal women for 6 weeks.? Women who had more than 9 hot flashes per day had a 31.25% reduction in the genistein group compared to a 20% reduction in the placebo group.

A fourth clinical intervention study was conducted by Elliott (2009) with 84 Canadian postmenopausal women who received 30 mg of pure synthetic genistein or a placebo for 12 weeks.? After 12 weeks the women on genistein had a 51% reduction on hot flashes and night sweats compared to only 27% for the women in the placebo, a highly significant difference.? Compared to placebo, this reduction in hot flashes at 12 weeks was a net reduction of 24% which is very similar to the 29% net reduction seen in the Crisafulli (2004) study after 12 weeks.? What is particularly noteworthy about this study is that the dose was 30 mg versus 54 mg in the Italy studies and a daily genistein intake of 30 mg falls well within the range consumed by Asians who eat traditional soy foods.The genistein used in this study is branded as geniVida, a product of DSM Nutritional Products. It is 99% pure, soy-free, allergen-free and has an extensive package of safety studies in animals and humans which demonstrate it is safe for daily use.

The geniVida used in the above study is now available in a new product for hot flash relief called i-cool.? To learn more about i-cool and purchase go to SupplementFirst.com.

References Cited:

Crisafulli A, Marini H, Bitto A, Altavilla D, Squadrito G, Romeo A, Adamo EB, Marini R, D'Anna R, et al. Effects of genistein on hot flushes in early postmenopausal women: a randomized, double-blind EPT- and placebo-controlled study. Menopause 2004;11:400-4.

D'Anna R, Cannata ML, Atteritano M, Cancellieri F, Corrado F, Baviera G, Triolo O, Antico F, Gaudio A, et al. Effects of the phytoestrogen genistein on hot flushes, endometrium, and vaginal epithelium in postmenopausal women: a 1-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Menopause 2007;14:648-55.??

D'Anna R, Cannata ML, Marini H, Atteritano M, Cancellieri F, Corrado F, Triolo O, Rizzo P, Russo S, Gaudio A, Frisina N, Bitto A, Polito F, Minutoli L, Altavilla D, Adamo EB, Squadrito F. Effects of the phytoestrogen genistein on hot flushes, endometrium, and vaginal epithelium in postmenopausal women: a 2-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Menopause 2009;16:301-6.

Albertazzi P, Steel SA, Bottazzi M. Effect of pure genistein on bone markers and hot flushes. Climacteric 2005;8:371-9.

Elliott J, ?Evans M,? Sharma P, Berman B, Guthrie N. Genistein reduces the number and duration of hot flashes in peri/post menopausal women in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center trial. Experimental Biology 2009, L8471, 4/09.

Eating Foods That Contain Estrogen, Primarily Soy, May Reduce Menopausal Symptoms

Scientific research concerning plant foods that contain estrogen (referred to as phytoestrogens) is still in the preliminary stages. Most research concerning estrogens and red clover isoflavones (a type of phytoestrogen) has been performed using laboratory animals. As with hormone replacement therapy, plant foods that contain estrogen are the subjects of much research and some debate in the scientific community. Here we look at some of the most recent research, on both sides of the debate.

Red clover is a plant that grows throughout the world. It was a food source for humans, at one time, but is primarily grown today to feed livestock. It has many uses in herbal medicine, including the treatment of coughs, bronchitis, eczema, sores, mouth ulcers and sore throats. Isoflavones, a type of plant estrogen or phytoestrogen, isolated from red clover are included in many natural remedies for menopausal symptoms.

Scientific research concerning plant estrogens and red clover is in the preliminary stages. The School of Pharmacy in Messina, Italy recently published two separate studies concerning estrogens and red clover. In both, laboratory animals were studied for the effects of decreased estrogen production after removal of the ovaries, in order to mimic the effects of menopause.

The first focused on osteoporosis, which is bone loss that is often found in menopausal and postmenopausal women. The study found that animals that were fed red clover had less bone loss than animals that ate their normal diet. The researchers' conclusion: "These findings suggest that red clover isoflavones are effective in reducing bone loss."

The second study focused on the skin. Many symptoms may accompany menopause and are believed to be associated with decreased estrogen production. The skin tends to become dryer, thinner, has less moisture and less collagen. These skin problems show up in female lab animals, just like they do in women. In this study the researchers concluded, "These findings suggest that red clover isoflavones are effective in reducing skin aging induced by estrogen deprivation."

Research concerning foods that contain estrogen focuses primarily on soy isoflavones. The health benefits of soy is the subject of some debate, but the majority of the scientific evidence indicates that replacing high fat red meat with soy products is good for the heart, may reduce cholesterol and may prevent some types of cancer. It is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids, protein and carbohydrates.

Soy isoflavones have an estrogen-like effect on the body. On the plus side, this means that isoflavones may relieve some of the symptoms that typically accompany menopause, such as hot flashes and night sweats. On the negative side, some experts fear that isoflavones may increase a woman's chances of developing breast and uterine cancer. These types of cancer are seen more often in women taking hormone replacement or estrogen replacement therapies.

The research results are mixed. One long-term study of Japanese women concluded that women whose diet was high in soy were less likely to develop breast cancer than women who did not eat soy. Of those women eating soy who did develop breast cancer, their survival rate was better. As with most things, genetics apparently plays a role.

Researchers have learned that some women have a genetic predisposition to suffer numerous menopausal symptoms. Likewise, it is clear that certain types of cancer, particularly breast cancer, occur often in some families, but not at all in others. Regretfully, there is no way to predict, with any certainty, how a woman's body will respond to the changes accompanying menopause, nor to adding plant foods that contain estrogen to the diet. The safest advice for women who have a history of breast cancer in themselves or their family is to avoid estrogen in all its forms, until scientific research can give us better guidelines.

Spotting The Early Signs And Symptoms Of Menopause

Before entering the menopausal stage, there are various symptoms that a woman may experience. This transition in a woman's life may be experienced when she reaches 40 years old and above. However, there are cases wherein one may experience it even before the age of 40 and this is due to some reasons.

One of the most common symptoms of an upcoming menopause is the missed menstrual period. This is greatly affected by the hormonal imbalance which causes the ovaries to stop producing eggs to be ovulated during menstrual cycle. Estrogen level drops down during this phase of a woman's life resulting to many unexpected changes.

In the early stage of menopause, a female may experience a heavy bleeding during her period or a light one. She may also experience a very early menstrual period rather than the usual or a very late one. These changes may cause also to the changes of the pre menstrual syndrome and other effects. One may observe some alteration of the regularity of PMS and the like. She may experience severe menstrual cramps and other effects.

Changes in the attitude and severe exhaustion are several of the symptoms as well. Due to the imbalanced hormones and the decreasing count of estrogen in the reproductive system, the emotional condition of a woman could be affected resulting to changes in attitude and lose of temper from time to time. When not alleviated, this condition may get worse. Another indicator of initial menopause is when one begins to feel some warm sparks in her body that may cause soreness of the face. This condition is also a result of the changes in the hormonal count.

A woman will apparently experience serious exhaustion, nervousness, and stress. Menopause may likewise bring a disturbance in sleep and great depression that will consume one's energy. Because estrogen count decreases, one may have a sudden hair growth due to the active testosterone. Other situation brings thinning of hair or hair fall on the other hand. Other symptoms include lack of sleep which could result to insomnia, vaginal dryness, and reduction of sexual drive.

All women will have menopausal symptoms at some stage during their life, the vast majority in their forties or later but some can experience them in their twenties so it is vitally important that the early signs of menopause are recognized so treatment can begin at the earliest opportunity.