Search Results for: blog dealing with hot flashes

Dealing with Night Sweats

Some women will experience night sweats at some point during pregnancy. The degree of sweating can vary from very mild and occasional sweating to more severe sweats. Night sweats are similar to hot flashes that are experienced later as menopause approaches. The cause is the same as well, hormonal changes. Specifically changes in estrogen levels can interfere with the normal heating and cooling of the body. The heat and temperature of the body is regulated by the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus releases body heat when it is hot and keeps in heat when it is cold outside. This explains why people … Continue reading →

Ease Hot Flashes with Flaxseed

You can never have enough remedies for those hot flashes! Researchers at the Mayo Clinic took a good look at flaxseed in a recent study. A quick look at the study participants: Twenty-one post-menopausal women None using hormone therapy All of them experiencing fourteen or more hot flashes per week The study participants were asked to take four tablespoons of crushed flaxseed daily. They could eat it pretty much any way they wanted to. Some sprinkled it on yogurt or cereal. Some mixed it into juice or water. I’ve never tasted flaxseed myself, so I’m not sure what kind of … Continue reading →

Does Dong Quai Help With Hot Flashes?

Seems like I’ve heard a lot of talk about dong quai lately. This traditional Chinese herb is popular for treating menstrual and menopause problems… but does it work? Doctors suspect that hot flashes are related to changes in circulation. Blood vessels near the skin’s surface dilate in an attempt to cool the body — that can create a flushed look in the face. Your body may turn on the sweat to help you cool down. Hot flashes may be triggered by caffeine, cigarettes, alcohol, and spicy foods. Stress can also be a trigger for hot flashes. A recent study in … Continue reading →

Do Men Get Hot Flashes Too?

Believe it or not, some men can be just as troubled by hot flashes as some women. For women, hot flashes usually come in association with menopause. Menopause is when estrogen levels drop in a woman’s body, causing all sorts of changes. For men, hot flashes are associated with androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer. Prostate cell growth is stimulated by testosterone. If you reduce hormone levels or block hormone action in the body, it can help make radiation therapy for prostate cancer more effective. As much as eighty percent of men who receive androgen deprivation therapy end up experiencing … Continue reading →

Dealing With Hot Flashes

The most frequent — and most annoying — symptom of menopause and perimenopause is the dreaded hot flashes. More than two thirds of all women going through perimenopause suffer from hot flashes. Nearly all women with premature menopause or induced menopause suffer from hot flashes. What is a hot flash? Doctors don’t know what causes a hot flash, but some suspect they are related to circulatory changes. Blood vessels near the skin’s surface dilate in an attempt to cool, producing a red, flushed look in the face. You may also perspire as your body attempts to cool down. You may … Continue reading →

A “Sensory Friendly” Santa Claus

Traditionally, part of a child’s Christmas celebration includes going to the mall to visit Santa. It brings a little “magic” to the holiday, and gives parents a clue about what their child wants to get for Christmas this year. Kids who have sensory issues, or an autism spectrum disorder, might be more comfortable visiting with a “sensory friendly” Santa this year. Visiting Santa at the mall can be a very exciting experience for small children. There is usually an area set aside where Santa will be waiting. This area, and the space leading up to it, are often decorated with … Continue reading →

Brighten Up Your Eyes

There is nothing worse than waking up in the morning and taking a look at yourself in the mirror when you have lacked adequate sleep. Sadly, this is the case for me almost every morning. I have two main reasons for the lack of adequate sleep. First, I am teetering on the edge of menopause. I have been dealing with premenopause for several years and now it seems I am following in my mother’s footsteps. She was completely through menopause in her early 40’s. Trouble sleeping is something that usually goes along with this stage in a woman’s life. I … Continue reading →

What is Hormone Replacement Therapy?

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Hormone replacement therapy is helpful for easing symptoms of menopause and preventing osteoporosis in some women. You may also hear hormone replacement therapy called “opposed estrogen therapy”. The name basically describes how it works. Hormone replacement therapy increases estrogen and/or progestin levels in a woman’s body. There are several different forms of hormone replacement therapy, including: Estrogen and progestin combination pills (brand name Premphase, Prempro, Activella) Estrogen and progestin patches that continuously release hormones over time (brand name CombiPatch) Oral progestin used with an estrogen-only pill or patch (brand name Provera, Prometrium, Micronor, Norlutin, Aygestin) Progestin intra-uterine device (IUD) used … Continue reading →

Menopause and Lack of Sleep

A lot of women in the early stages of menopause are finding that their worst problem is the lack of sleep. A recent survey of women between the ages of forty-three and fifty-five in the early stages of menopause looked at the severity of symptoms, including hot flashes, day and night sweats, mood issues, forgetfulness, sleep difficulties, and vaginal dryness. What constitutes “early stages” of menopause? Three years or less from your last menstrual period. Of the more than one hundred highly symptomatic women who responded to the study, the majority said difficulty sleeping was the worst. More than ninety-four … Continue reading →

Types of Leukemia

Your bone marrow produces three types of blood cell: red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Red blood cells carry oxygen through the body. White blood cells help fight infection. Platelets help with clotting. In people with leukemia, the bone marrow produces abnormal white blood cells. These abnormal cells may work normally at first, but can crowd out normal, healthy blood cells and make it difficult for blood to do its work. Leukemia can be divided into two groups, depending on how quickly the disease develops and progresses: Chronic leukemia gets worse slowly. Abnormal blood cells can still do … Continue reading →