It is time again for “Ask the Doctor.” I particularly enjoy this monthly feature because it gives me an opportunity to answer your questions and help you on your path to health and wellness.
If you have a question or health concern that you would like me to address, please visit the Hotze Health & Wellness Facebook page and send me a private message. Mention Katy Christian Magazine in the subject line.
Natural Solutions for Hot Flashes and Night Sweats
I am 49 and all of the sudden I feel awful, my periods are almost gone, I have headaches and what I think are actually hot flashes and night sweats! I am drenched throughout most of the day and night. I must be going into menopause, but I can’t be around other people like this. I’m miserable. What can I do to stop this? I really don’t want to take Premarin – I’ve heard horror stories from my friends who took it. Thank you! – Cathy R.
Thank you for your question, Cathy. I am so sorry you are going through this, but there is a natural, safe solution to help you! Hot flashes and night sweats are the most common and well-known symptoms of menopause. They can be miserable (and embarrassing when around other people) and you need relief fast.
Menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats can also affect women who have had their ovaries removed or had a total hysterectomy, since that throws a woman directly into what is referred to as surgical menopause. Having a tubal ligation can also lead to menopause symptoms. Some women have mild hot flashes and can tolerate them well. However, for others, hot flashes can be debilitating.
Common Menopause Symptoms
As women age, their naturally occurring sex hormones decline, often leading to the following symptoms:
- hot flashes
- night sweats
- fatigue
- weight gain
- migraines
- brain fog
- depression
- loss of libido
- osteoporosis
- insomnia
- anxiety
What happens during hot flashes and night sweats?
Hot flashes occur when you feel surge of heat, a red flushed face and neck, and sweating. They occur when your estrogen levels decline during menopause, and declining progesterone can contribute to them, as well. Hot flashes occur when the blood vessels near the skin’s surface dilate to cool, making you break out in sweat. Hot flashes with sweating that happen at night are called night sweats. Hot flashes can last either for a very short time, from about six months to two years, and they usually get milder over time, but some women have them for much longer time.
Here are 10 tips for relief from hot flashes and night sweats:
- Replenish and balance your hormones. This is the number one thing you should do – correct estrogen and progesterone loss. Replenishing and balancing these hormones with bioidentical hormones is crucial to stopping hot flashes.
- Stay hydrated. It’s important to drink a lot of water throughout the day. This helps keep your body’s cooling system working well.
- Avoid sugarwhich can trigger hot flashes. Sugary desserts in the evening can set off hot flashes and night sweats during the night due to a drop in blood sugar.
- Avoid triggers such as alcohol(especially red wine), chocolate, and aged cheese.
- Lower the temperature setting on your A/C thermostat. Keep your bedroom as cool as possible.
- Use fansat night to help keep the air flowing.
- Avoid spicy foodsbecause they make you warm inside.
- Take a cold showerbefore bed.
- Don’t smoke cigarettes. Tobacco is linked to an increase in hot flashes, and smoking is very harmful to your overall health.
- Work on losing those extra pounds, since excess weight and obesity are risks factors for hot flashes.
Caution: A Word about Premarin
As Cathy mentioned in her question to me, many women are miserable on Premarin. Premarin is made of horse estrogens derived from pregnant mare urine, hence the name, “Pre-mar-in.”
Premarin side effects include blood clots, breast tenderness, fluid retention, headaches, leg cramps, nausea and vomiting, vaginal bleeding, worsened uterine fibroids and endometriosis. Premarin also causes blood clots, gall stones, high blood pressure, impaired glucose tolerance, increased risk of diabetes, increased risk of endometrial and breast cancer, increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
Unfortunately, Premarin is conventional doctors’ answer for hot flashes and night sweats. It contains potent horse estrogens that were not meant to be inside the human body, with potentially devastating results, including cancer, as I mentioned earlier.
The Women’s Health Initiative studied 27,347 postmenopausal women, age 50–79 years. The women were given Premarin, or horse estrogen (conjugated equine estrogens), with Provera (medroxyprogesterone acetate or progestins, which are also bad for you) for women with an intact uterus and Premarin alone for women with hysterectomy, or their placebos. The main outcomes of the study were coronary heart disease and invasive breast cancer, respectively, as well as stroke, pulmonary embolism, colorectal cancer, endometrial cancer, hip fracture, and deaths. (1)
The RIGHT Solution
The right solution is to replace those missing hormones with bioidentical hormones to restore your body back into balance. Bioidentical hormones are identical to the hormones made by your body. Women in menopause often need to not only restore their estrogen and progesterone, but also testosterone, as well.
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We Can Help
Are hot flashes and other menopause symptoms controlling your life? Take my symptom checker to find out what could be the cause of your symptoms.
We can help. Let us guide you safely through menopause and help you to feel your best. Contact my Wellness Consultants today for a complimentary wellness consultation at 281-698-8698. It’s time to stop those hot flashes and night sweats and get your life back!
Want to learn more? Click here to subscribe to Dr. Hotze’s Wellness Revolution Podcast today!
Research
Keep Your Questions Coming
I hope these suggestions are helpful to you and to others who are dealing with these common health problems. Keep your questions coming! Send me a private message on Hotze Health & Wellness Facebook page at www.facebook.com/HotzeHWC/. Don’t forget to mention Katy Christian Magazine in the subject line. And remember, there’s no such thing as a dumb question.
To learn more about the Hotze Health & Wellness Center and schedule a Free Wellness Consultation, call us at 281-698-8698 or visit hotzehwc.com.
