What exactly is happening with menopause causing hot flashes for women is explained in many places a woman might have access to if she wishes to do the research, either before or during that time in her life. Books in the local library will have information about the subject, and her doctor probably has brochures that will explain the process. There are many online sites for the person who is computer literate that will give helpful information as well.
The cause and the most common treatment can be said in one word: hormones. Menopause hormones, or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is replacement of estrogen that has dipped below normal levels, causing the onset of this midlife phase. The slowing down and final cessation of monthly periods is evidence of the lowering of estrogen levels. This hormone deficiency directly affects the part of the brain that controls the body's "thermostat" and makes it read "too hot." Another part of the brain sends a message to the heart, blood vessels, and nervous system to lower the heat. So the heart pumps faster, blood vessels in the skin dilate to radiate off the heat, and sweat glands release sweat to cool the body off. These confused messages result in skin temperature rising as much as six degrees Centigrade sometimes during a hot flash. These can happen at very inopportune moments, so women going through this phase will make every attempt to keep them from occurring. Simply wishing doesn't restore health, but hearing good wishes from someone close can be helpful. "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 1:2)
A very high percentage of women in the U.S. experience these symptoms shortly before and a couple of years after their periods stop. A lesser number have them for a longer period of time, but they do decrease in intensity. There is wide variation in time of onset, duration, frequency, and nature of menopause causing hot flashes. An episode can last anywhere from a few seconds to an hour, and it will take an additional half hour for a person to feel normal again. The most common times of occurrence are between six and eight in the morning, and six to ten at night.
Patients who have had breast cancer treated by either surgery or chemotherapy may have more severe hot flashes from the lower menopause hormones, but they will not be treated with estrogen to correct the imbalance. There is concern about the safety of this treatment for anyone who has had cancer. Other approaches will be considered instead to relieve the symptoms. These other treatments are often very effective for the general population of women as well, so hormone treatment is becoming a less favored treatment at this time.
When a person keeps track of the circumstances surrounding the occurrences of the menopause causing hot flashes, there are sometimes very specific triggers found to be causing the problem. The most common cause is stress, so any steps to ease the stress on the individual can make a difference to that person. Allowing more time to prepare for a task or rehearse a presentation could be a stress reliever, and keeping meetings and decision-making times to a minimum, or at least spaced well apart. Avoiding hot food, tubs, showers, beds, rooms, or weather can help, as well as avoiding alcohol, caffeine, diet pills, and spicy food. Smoking constricts blood vessels, so that isn't good during this time either.
A person can wear cotton clothes, use cotton sheets, and drink plenty of cold water to ward off the heat. Taking a cool shower before bed, and taking a mild medication like Tylenol may help one to sleep through the night, and of course lowering the thermostat helps a lot. Another tool for combating menopause causing hot flashes is exercise, and that activity is useful in combating other symptoms caused by the lack of menopause hormones. Some of the symptoms helped by exercise are: fatigue, elevated cholesterol levels, heart, bone, and muscle health, and insomnia. Psychological symptoms such as mood swings, eroded self-image, and loss of libido will improve when exercise is introduced to a woman's daily schedule.
If alternative treatments appeal to someone who suffers the loss of menopause hormones, she might wish to look into Chinese medicine. They have a long tradition of treating hot flashes. The Chinese doctor uses acupuncture and herbs as treatments. Plant estrogens that have been effective in treating hot flashes are found in ginseng, evening primrose oil, licorice root, red raspberry leaves, sasparilla, spearmint, damiana, motherwort, chasteberry, black cohosh, and wild yams. Women are cautioned not to self-treat with herbs, however, because some will not mix well with other medications she might be taking.
Some women take Vitamin E every day with good results, but if they are not helpful to an individual, then something else may be needed that can only be obtained through a physician. Some physicians treat menopause causing hot flashes with blood pressure-lowering medications that lessen the severity and frequency of hot flashes because they modify how the blood vessels respond to the brain's command to give of heat quickly. Low-dose antidepressant medications intercept the chemicals in the brain that transmit the hot flash alarm, thus producing relief.
The cause and the most common treatment can be said in one word: hormones. Menopause hormones, or hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is replacement of estrogen that has dipped below normal levels, causing the onset of this midlife phase. The slowing down and final cessation of monthly periods is evidence of the lowering of estrogen levels. This hormone deficiency directly affects the part of the brain that controls the body's "thermostat" and makes it read "too hot." Another part of the brain sends a message to the heart, blood vessels, and nervous system to lower the heat. So the heart pumps faster, blood vessels in the skin dilate to radiate off the heat, and sweat glands release sweat to cool the body off. These confused messages result in skin temperature rising as much as six degrees Centigrade sometimes during a hot flash. These can happen at very inopportune moments, so women going through this phase will make every attempt to keep them from occurring. Simply wishing doesn't restore health, but hearing good wishes from someone close can be helpful. "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth." (3 John 1:2)
A very high percentage of women in the U.S. experience these symptoms shortly before and a couple of years after their periods stop. A lesser number have them for a longer period of time, but they do decrease in intensity. There is wide variation in time of onset, duration, frequency, and nature of menopause causing hot flashes. An episode can last anywhere from a few seconds to an hour, and it will take an additional half hour for a person to feel normal again. The most common times of occurrence are between six and eight in the morning, and six to ten at night.
Patients who have had breast cancer treated by either surgery or chemotherapy may have more severe hot flashes from the lower menopause hormones, but they will not be treated with estrogen to correct the imbalance. There is concern about the safety of this treatment for anyone who has had cancer. Other approaches will be considered instead to relieve the symptoms. These other treatments are often very effective for the general population of women as well, so hormone treatment is becoming a less favored treatment at this time.
When a person keeps track of the circumstances surrounding the occurrences of the menopause causing hot flashes, there are sometimes very specific triggers found to be causing the problem. The most common cause is stress, so any steps to ease the stress on the individual can make a difference to that person. Allowing more time to prepare for a task or rehearse a presentation could be a stress reliever, and keeping meetings and decision-making times to a minimum, or at least spaced well apart. Avoiding hot food, tubs, showers, beds, rooms, or weather can help, as well as avoiding alcohol, caffeine, diet pills, and spicy food. Smoking constricts blood vessels, so that isn't good during this time either.
A person can wear cotton clothes, use cotton sheets, and drink plenty of cold water to ward off the heat. Taking a cool shower before bed, and taking a mild medication like Tylenol may help one to sleep through the night, and of course lowering the thermostat helps a lot. Another tool for combating menopause causing hot flashes is exercise, and that activity is useful in combating other symptoms caused by the lack of menopause hormones. Some of the symptoms helped by exercise are: fatigue, elevated cholesterol levels, heart, bone, and muscle health, and insomnia. Psychological symptoms such as mood swings, eroded self-image, and loss of libido will improve when exercise is introduced to a woman's daily schedule.
If alternative treatments appeal to someone who suffers the loss of menopause hormones, she might wish to look into Chinese medicine. They have a long tradition of treating hot flashes. The Chinese doctor uses acupuncture and herbs as treatments. Plant estrogens that have been effective in treating hot flashes are found in ginseng, evening primrose oil, licorice root, red raspberry leaves, sasparilla, spearmint, damiana, motherwort, chasteberry, black cohosh, and wild yams. Women are cautioned not to self-treat with herbs, however, because some will not mix well with other medications she might be taking.
Some women take Vitamin E every day with good results, but if they are not helpful to an individual, then something else may be needed that can only be obtained through a physician. Some physicians treat menopause causing hot flashes with blood pressure-lowering medications that lessen the severity and frequency of hot flashes because they modify how the blood vessels respond to the brain's command to give of heat quickly. Low-dose antidepressant medications intercept the chemicals in the brain that transmit the hot flash alarm, thus producing relief.
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