Help For Hot Flashes Without HRT

By Linda J Bruton

While some women experience hot flashes for a brief moment during menopause, there are some women who experience this annoyance for the rest of their lives. Even though the severity and intensity of such a condition lessens with time, menopausal women and breast cancer patients are constantly seeking help for hot flashes. Below you will find a few suggestions to keep in mind when you wish to beat the heat.

1) When putting on clothes, it helps to layer your wardrobe. This way, once you feel yourself getting warmer, you will be able to counter by peeling off your clothes one layer at a time.

2) When choosing what to wear for the day, the type of clothing you select may provide help for hot flashes. This means putting on a nice cotton dress or shirt made from linen or rayon. Some of the materials to stay clear of if you wish to obtain help for hot flashes include wool and silk, as well as synthetics.

3) Help for hot flashes is only a sip away when you have your trusty thermos or glass filled with ice water. Having this refreshing beverage by your side will help to cool down your insides if you feel a hot flash attack coming on.

4) Turtlenecks should be avoided if you want help for hot flashes. Wearing shirts with an open neck helps to control the frequency of hot flash attacks.

5) If you have an air conditioner or ceiling fan at home, you should put these appliances to good use. Lowering the thermostat also provides help for hot flashes. It is also quite common to see a menopausal woman toting a small hand-held battery operated fan with her. Even an inexpensive paper fan can help with hot flashes.

6) At night, slip into a cotton nightgown or pajamas to help absorb some of the sweat that may accumulate throughout the night. When making the bed, make sure you are placing a fresh batch of cotton sheets on instead of a synthetic material.

7) Before bed, a cool shower may supply you with help for hot flashes. This act should become a ritual for achieving comfort before retiring for the night.

Discover how YOU can relieve hot flashes and menopausal symptoms without Hormone Replacement Therapy at Linda Bruton's Survive Menopause site. Pick up your free special report "Coping with Hot Flashes the Natural Way" (a $27 value) by clicking here:
www.survivemenopause.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Linda_J_Bruton
http://EzineArticles.com/?Help-For-Hot-Flashes-Without-HRT&id=380776

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When Natural Hormone Replacement Therapy Can Be Misleading

By Rebecca Prescott

Natural hormone replacement therapy uses what are called bioidentical hormones. These natural hormones may or may not be made from plants. They could be made in a lab from a plant extract, or they could be made from other chemicals. The reason they are called natural hormones is because they are identical to the hormones that are in your own body. This means when they are metabolized, the breakdown products are also similar to what your body knows from metabolizing its own hormones.

It can be confusing looking at the source of a supplemental hormone. This is because synthetic hormones can actually be made from 'natural' substances. A good example of this is Premarin, which is made from the urine of pregnant mares. This may seem like it makes it a good candidate to be considered natural. However, Premarin, and other synthetic hormones, are structurally quite different to our own hormones. This is true of their breakdown products as well.

Because the breakdown products are also structurally different, synthetic hormones expose women to foreign chemicals that can cause side effects and potentially other harm over a period of time. Some synthetic hormones are even made from plants. So don't assume a plant derived hormone is 'natural' (and hence safe), unless it is also a bioidentical hormone.

Bioidentical natural hormones include:

Estrogen:

* dermestril septem

* elleste-solo MX40 & MX80

* estraderm MX

* evorel

* femseven

* oestrogel

* aerodiol

* hormonin

* ovestin

* climaval elleste-solo progynova

* estring

* vagifem

* ovestin

* ortho-gynest

Progesterone:

* crinone

* cyclogest

* gestone

Natural hormone replacement therapy medication is available as pills, creams, gels, patches and sprays. They have much fewer side effects than synthetic HRT, although some women may not respond to them. In that case, synthetic hormones may be the best option.

Before taking any form of hormone replacement therapy, even a natural hormone, it is worth making dietary changes, and exploring the use of herbs and phytoestrogens. Vitamins may help as well.

There are three types of phytoestrogens - isoflavones, lignans, and coumestans. Isoflavones are relatively well known. They are found in soy products and things like chick peas, lentils, and red clover (a herb). Try eating more tofu, and drinking more soy milk. These are often supplemented with calcium as well. It's better to consume isoflavone rich food rather than taking isoflavone supplements, as the protein in the foods are needed to make the isoflavones active in the body. If you do decide to take an isoflavone supplement, make sure it has soy protein in it, or take it with a glass of soy milk.

Lignans can be found in flaxseed, as well as many fruits, vegetables, and cereals. Coumestans are found in alfalfa and bean sprouts.

References: Dr L E Corio and L G Kahn, The Change Before The Change

If you'd like to learn about some free natural remedies for hot flushes, click here. More information on synthetic and natural HRT is here.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Rebecca_Prescott
http://EzineArticles.com/?When-Natural-Hormone-Replacement-Therapy-Can-Be-Misleading&id=331842

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