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Hot flashes are experienced by many
but not all women undergoing menopause suffer from hot
flashes. Hot flashes are mostly caused by the hormonal changes
when women ages, but can also be affected by lifestyle
and medications. A hot flash is a
feeling of warmth, sometimes associated with flushing,
that spreads over the body and may be accompanied by
perspiration. A diminished level of estrogen has a
direct effect on the hypothalamus, the part of the brain
responsible for controlling your appetite, sleep cycles,
sex hormones, and body temperature. Somehow (and nobody
knows how), the drop in estrogen confuses the
hypothalamus—which is sometimes referred to as the
body's "thermostat"—and makes it read "too hot."
The brain responds to this
hot flashes report by
broadcasting an all-out alert to the heart, blood vessels,
and nervous system: "Get rid of the heat!" The message is
transmitted by the nervous system's chemical messenger,
epinephrine, and related compounds: norepinephrine,
prostaglandin, serotonin. The message is delivered
instantly. Your heart pumps faster, the blood vessels in
your skin dilate to circulate more blood to radiate off
the heat, and your sweat glands release sweat to cool you
off even more.
This heat-releasing mechanism is how
your body keeps you from overheating in the summer, but
when the process is triggered instead by a drop in
estrogen, your brain's confused response can make you very
uncomfortable. Some women's skin temperature can rise six
degrees Centigrade during a hot flash. Your body cools
down when it shouldn't, and you are miserable: soaking wet
in the middle of a board meeting or in the middle of a
good night's sleep.
Menstruating women above 40 often develop hot flashes. Hot
flashes may last for a decade or more in some women. There
is no way to predict when hot flashes will cease in an
individual woman; however, they decrease in frequency with
time.
Estrogen and Progesterone and Hot Flashes
To understand menopause and
hot
flashes
one has to understand the role
of estrogen and progesterone.
Estrogen plays
a very important role in shaping the female body. Estrogen is vital for the development of
breasts and hips, vagina, uterus and other female
organs. Estrogen and pregnancy are closely interlinked.
Together with progesterone, estrogen regulates the changes that
occur with each monthly period and prepares the uterus
for pregnancy. More than 90% of the
estrogen in a woman's body is made by the ovaries. The
rest of the organs like the adrenal glands, liver, and
kidneys make the rest of the estrogen. Women who are
overweight when they are going through menopause may
have fewer problems with hot flashes and osteoporosis
because fat cells can also make small amounts of
estrogen.
Apart from the above functions, estrogen also stimulates
skeletal growth and helps maintain healthy bone density. It also
helps to improve the health of the cardiovascular system by increasing 'good cholesterol' (HDL or
high-density lipoprotein) and lowering 'bad cholesterol' (LDL
or low-density lipoprotein) and
in
relieving menopausal symptoms.
Hot Flashes Occurrence
Menopause can be a smooth transition but for some women menopause
can be a bumpy road. Although menopause is not new,
doctors actually have very little research to rely on
when counseling women about what to expect.
Women frequently ask what symptoms they
can anticipate during menopause. In reality, each woman
experiences menopause differently. While one woman is
certain that insomnia is a symptom of menopause for her,
another is certain that joint aches are her symptom of
menopause. Doctors are not even able to tell women what to
expect because research into the symptoms of menopause is
in its infancy. Moreover, it is not understood how
menopause causes many of the symptoms like hot flashes and
mood swing. For example,
medical science cannot explain how the declining hormone
levels of menopause could cause joint aches.
Menopause is not a disease but a
natural transition, yet many of the symptoms of menopause
also may be caused by diseases. We are not always certain
which symptoms are due to menopause, and women differ in
their symptoms. How, then, do we decide when women
undergoing menopause need treatment in the first place?
The same pattern of hot flashes in two different women can
have a very different psychological impact. For one woman,
hot flashes can disturb her daily functioning greatly, but for
another, hot flashes may hardly be bothersome.
Generally, the symptoms of menopause
can be divided into early (in the process of menopause)
and late symptoms. Treatment is directed toward the
particular symptoms that are present. Early symptoms
include
abnormal vaginal bleeding,
hot flashes, and mood changes. Late symptoms include
vaginal dryness and irritation, osteoporosis, and
heart disease.
Symptoms
When you're having hot flashes, you might experience the
following symptoms:
-
You
feel a mild warmth to intense heat spreading through
your
face, neck, shoulders, and upper chest
-
A rapid pounding heartbeat
-
Experience perspiration
-
A slight chilly feeling
-
Night perspiration
Hot flashes can last a very short to as long as 20 minutes
but most subside within a 4 to 5 minutes. The frequency of
hot flashes varies from woman to woman
Prevention
of Hot Flashes
Menopause cannot be prevented but symptoms may be
treated. A woman may feel better by:
-
Abstain from smoking, caffeine, and excessive alcohol.
They make hot flashes worse.
-
Try to avoid taking red wine, aged cheeses, and
chocolate as they contain chemicals that may
trigger hot flashes.
-
Try to use lightweight blankets at night.
-
Avoid sudden change in temperature as it may trigger
an attack.
-
It would be sensible to wearing clothing made of
cotton in loose layers.
Treatment
for Hot Flashes
Changing your diet: Over time, a low-fat diet
may helps women with hot flashes.
Herbal
Formulations: Chinese herbal formulation has a long
history of treating hot flashes. Chinese medicine treats
ladies genealogical problems holistically.
Herbs
like Angelica Sinensis, Paeonia
Lactiflora and Glycyrrhiza Glabra have traditionally
been combined as a formulation to treat gynecological
problems because of their phytoestrogen.
Together with Atractylodes Lancea and Diospycos Kaki they
form the most important women gynecological formula. The
formula work synergistically to restore women's hormonal
balance because it has gone out of sync due to drug, age
and other factors.
Over the centuries, women has found plant
estrogens to be effective for treating menopausal
problems like hot flashes and mood swing. Estrogens can be
found in ginseng and licorice root etc. These Chinese herbal remedies and plant
remedies from other cultures may be effective in treating hot flashes.
Scientific research on herbal formulations containing
Angelica Sinensis (Danggui) and Glycyrrhiza Glabra
(licorice) was found to be effective in treating
menopausal problems.
Another formulation combines peony
root (Paeonia Lactiflora) with dong quai and four other
herbs and has been found to effectively reduce symptoms of
cramping and pain associated with dysmenorrhea (painful
menses). Research has shown that glabridin from
Glycyrrhiza Glabra has positive menopausal and
phytoestrogen effect.
The
best way to control the adverse effects of menopause is to
increase consumption of herbal supplements i.e. food rich
in phytonutrients. These plants contain plant hormone
that can assist the women to arrest the effects of
declining estrogen and progesterone levels. Clinical
studies have
shown that
phytoestrogens (from plant source) are among the dietary
factors affording protection against cancer and heart
disease
and other menopausal problems. Below are extracts of researches
that confirm that the folklore use of these herbs are not
without scientific basis
Radix Angelicae Sinensis:
1)
Clinical studies by western scientists have
shown that Radix Angelicae Sinensis can be used to treat
abdominal pain.
98468
2)
Clinical studies by western scientists have
shown that
Radix Angelicae Sinensis has hematopoietic
effect (formation
of blood cellular components)
on person suffering from anemia cause by chronic renal
failure. Therefore
Radix Angelicae Sinensis can
improve kidney functions.
30986
Paeonia Lactiflora:
Clinical research by western scientists
confirmed
the validity of the historical use of the drug, Paeonia
Lactiflora for improving liver functions by preventing
liver damage and micro-circulation disorders.
41991.
Radix Glycyrrhiza
Glabra:
1)
Clinical studies by western scientists have shown that
two natural compounds derived
from licorice root: glabridin, the major isoflavan, and
glabrene, an isoflavene, both demonstrated estrogen-like
activities and be used as a new agent for modulation of
vascular injury and atherogenesis for the prevention of
cardiovascular diseases in post-menopausal women.
147-55.
2)
Clinical studies by western scientists have
shown that
licorice
root extract may be helpful for treating symptoms
associated with premenstrual syndrome (PMS). Studies have
shown that the extract has estrogenic activity and may
help to regulate the estrogen-progesterone ratio.
39: 177-80.
3)
Clinical research by western scientists have shown that
glabrene, an isoflavene exerted
varying degrees of ER
(estrogen receptor)
agonism in different tissues.
78(3):291-8
4)
Clinical research by western scientists have shown that
isoliquiritigenin
and glabrene from licorice roots exerts estrogenic
activity.
960-0760
5)
Clinical research by western scientists from Israel have shown
that glabridin is a phytoestrogen, binding
to the human estrogen receptor and stimulating
creatine kinase activity in rat uterus,
epiphyseal cartilage, diaphyseal bone, aorta, and
left ventricle of the heart.
5704-5709
6)
Clinical research by western scientists from Israel have shown
that
glabridin
and glabrene from licorice roots exerts estrogenic
activity.
91(4-5):241-6
7)
Clinical research by western scientists have shown that
phytoestrogens (from plant
source) are among the dietary factors affording protection
against cancer and heart disease. 87:897-904
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