Hot Flashes & Night Sweats

According to the U.S. National Institute of Health a hot flash is a sudden temporary onset of body warmth, flushing and sweating. The Mayo Clinic reports that 75% of menopausal and post menopausal women experience hot flashes making them one of the most common issues for this demographic group. Seems a hot time was had by almost everyone!

Conventional Approach: Dress in easy to remove layers. Buy a cheap hand held fan from a dollar store. Turn down the furnace, go outside if it's cooler or open the windows. Avoid food that is known to trigger a flash. Your personal list may consist of spicy foods, caffeine and alcohol.

Introduce more soy and flax seed in your diet. These, as well as some beans, peas and lentils contain "phytoestrogens". Researchers think phytoestrogens may reduce menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, and also help prevent heart disease and osteoporosis, although this has not yet been proven.


Complimentary Therapies: Take a nighttime dose of magnesium/calcium combination. Have a spare nightie (or towel if you sleep in the buff) and a fresh set of sheets nearby just in case you 'wet the bed'. Several women I've talked to highly recommend getting a stash of fine quality semi-sweet chocolate to help you through your hottest times. This is not scientifically proven, but it has no known side effects.

Herbal Hot Flashes and Night Sweat Remedies: Take a tepid or warm bath to reduce body temperature. A cup of sage tea before bed may help. If you find that you can't sleep Valerian is an excellent remedy.

Homeopathic Hot Flashes and Night Sweat Remedies: Belladonna, Sulfur, Nux vomica, Black cohosh, Wild yam, Dong quai, Maca Root and Valerian and several other remedies will help bring relief. You will need to detail your symptoms and meet with your N.D. in order to find the remedy that is most effective for you.

Bioidentical Hormone Therapy: are made from different plant hormones that are like those in a woman's body. Each prescription is hand-mixed and the dose can vary from patient to patient.