Menopause and Hot Flashes

Menopause and Hot Flashes

Hot flashes are the most frequent symptoms of menopause and perimenopause. Hot flashes occur in more than two-thirds of North American women during perimenopause and almost all women with induced menopause or premature menopause.

See What to Expect During Perimenopause and Menopause

What Is a Hot Flash?

A hot flash -- sometimes called a hot flush -- is a momentary sensation of heat that may be accompanied by a red, flushed face and sweating. The cause of hot flashes is not known, but may be related to changes in circulation.
Hot flashes occur when the blood vessels near the skin's surface dilate to cool. This produces the red, flushed look to the face. A woman may also perspire to cool down the body. In addition, some women experience a rapid heart rate or chills.
Hot flashes accompanied with sweating can also occur at night. These are called night sweats and may interfere with sleep.
A hot flush is a hot flash plus a visual appearance of redness in the face and neck.

How Long Will I Have Hot Flashes?

The severity and duration of hot flashes varies among women going through menopause. Some women have hot flashes for a very short time during menopause. Other women may have hot flashes -- at least to some degree -- for life. Generally, hot flashes are less severe as time passes.

Can I Prevent Hot Flashes?

While it may be impossible to completely avoid hot flashes during menopause, there are certain triggers that may bring them on more frequently or cause them to be more severe. To prevent hot flashes, avoid these triggers:


• Stress
• Caffeine
• Alcohol
• Spicy foods
• Tight clothing
• Heat
• Cigarette smoke

Other things you can do to keep hot flashes at bay include:

• Stay cool. Keep your bedroom cool at night. Use fans during the day. Wear light layers of clothes with natural fibers such as cotton.


• Try deep, slow abdominal breathing (six to eight breaths per minute). Practice deep breathing for 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes in the evening and at the onset of hot flashes.


• Exercise daily. Walking, swimming, dancing, and bicycling are all good choices.


• Chill pillows; cooler pillows to lay head on at night might be helpful.


Talk to your doctor about taking short-term (less than five years) hormone replacement therapy, or HRT. This treatment prevents hot flashes in many women. In addition, it can help other symptoms of menopause, including vaginal dryness and mood disorders. However, even short-term hormone therapy carries some risks, including blood clots and gallbladder inflammation. If HRT is not right for you, there are other treatments that may offer relief. These include both over-the-counter and prescription therapies. It is important to clear any new drugs (including over-the-counter) or supplements with your doctor before taking.

Nonprescription treatments include:

• Vitamin B complex
• Vitamin E
• Ibuprofen

Prescription treatments include:

• Catapres, Catapres-TTS, and Aldomet, blood pressure medications
• Birth control pills
• Antidepressants, such as Zoloft, Paxil, and Effexor
• Other hormones, such as Provera and Megace
• Neurontin, an anti-seizure drug

Are There Alternative Therapies to Relieve Hot Flashes?

Although some alternative therapies like botanical and herbal therapies have shown promise for relieving menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, more research is needed to determine the benefits and risks of these alternative remedies.


Because botanicals and herbs may have adverse side effects or exhibit harmful interactions with other medications, it is important to consult with your doctor before taking any of these products. Also, it's important to note that the manufacturing of these supplements is not regulated, leading to the possibility of taking too much or too little.


Botanicals and herbs that may help relieve hot flashes include:


• Soy products. Plant estrogens, found in soy products, such as isoflavones, are thought to have weak estrogen-like effects that may reduce hot flashes. Soy foods, not supplements, are recommended.


• Black cohosh. Some studies suggest that black cohosh may be helpful in the very short term (six months or less) for treating hot flashes and night sweats. Side effects include gastrointestinal upset.


• Evening primrose oil is another botanical that is often used to treat hot flashes, although there is no scientific evidence to support this. Side effects include nausea and diarrhea. Women taking certain medications, such as blood thinners, should not take evening primrose oil.


• Flaxseed. Although there is no scientific evidence to support using flaxseed, it is thought to decrease the symptoms of menopause, particularly hot flashes. Also known as linseed, flaxseed is available in both whole seed and seed oil forms.


Be sure to talk to your doctor before you take any medications to relieve hot flashes. Also, keep in mind that your hot flashes may be temporary. You may be able to manage without any treatment

Breast Cancer Awareness Month..Early Dection Is The Answer..See Your Doctor..Get Your Mammogram

Early Detection Is The Answer

http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/About-Breast-Cancer/Breast-Self-Exam.aspx

You may have noticed a lot of pink around campus lately. West Virginia University has changed its website from Gold and Blue to pink. The football team will soon be sporting pink ribbons on their helmets.

The pink ribbon is used to signify National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an important, month-long reminder to raise awareness of the second-most common cancer among women in the U.S. and around the world.


The National Cancer Institute estimates 207,090 women will be diagnosed with the disease in 2010, claiming the lives of 39,840. I do not have these figures world wide. In any event such numbers are troubling, and are a disturbing reminder of this terrible condition.


To help raise awareness, the WVU community is playing its part. Already, free examinations have been given at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center. The Cancer Center will hold a fashion show Oct. 25 with local designers and stores at Lakeview Resort.


Athletic teams will also contribute to the cause. The volleyball team will host a "Dig Pink" game against Georgetown, with the crowd encouraged to wear pink.

The Christ the Redeemer statue is lit up in pink at night for Breast Cancer awareness in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and the list of supporters goes on.

Breast cancer is a tumor that grows in one or both of the breasts, according to the National Breast Cancer Awareness Month website. The cancer typically develops in ducts, lobules or milk-producing areas of the breast.

The American Cancer Society recommends women 40 and older should have a mammogram every year, continuing to do so "as long as they are in good health."


Women in their 20s and 30s should have a breast exam administered by a health expert every three years.


Women in their early 20s, and throughout their lifetimes, should perform self-examinations.


Trouble signs include: lumps or swelling, skin irritations or dimpling, nipple pain or nipple turning inward, unusual redness or scaliness of nipple or breast skin or a discharge other than breast milk.


Medical experts agree early detection can save thousands of lives a year. By combining regular screening and self-examination, the number of those falling victim to the disease should drop.


"The majority of women diagnosed with breast cancer live a long life," Dr. Jame Abraham, chief of hematology and oncology at the WVU School of Medicine and medical director of the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center, told WVU Today. "Early detection and effective treatment offers great help and will enhance their chances for survival."


Awareness is the key to eliminating breast cancer once and for all. Simple techniques at home, coupled with money raised, can help rid the world of a senseless killer.

Green Tea

The health benefits of Green Tea have long been discussed by health guru’s and have been generally thought of and defined as "an immune system enhancer." The following study published by American Journal of Clinical Nutrition was therefore of particular interest. One interesting aspect of the study depicts the benefits of green tea for women only. The study is as follows:

Japanese women who drink even a little bit of green tea seem to have a lower risk of developing pneumonia, and those who drink five or more cups per day may be able to cut their risk by 47 percent. These findings are from a study published in the September 2009 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The researchers also found that drinking a single cup of green tea daily cut the risk of dying from pneumonia by 41 percent. But these results apply only to Japanese women, not men. Even with the gender differences, the investigators noted that their findings support the hypothesis that compounds in green tea can destroy or inhibit the growth of viruses and other microorganisms that cause pneumonia. This was a big study that followed more than 19,000 men and more than 21,000 women for more than 12 years. The participants' ages ranged from 40 to 79. The researchers saw the benefits in women (but not men) after controlling for age, physical function, smoking status and other health and dietary factors that might influence the risk of pneumonia.

For more information regarding Green Tea studies follow the link provided on this post.

Always be happy and healthy
Carl

Is This A Health Care Red Flag For US Policy?

There may be no need to feel guilty about putting off your annual trip to the gynecologist anymore! New guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists assert that healthy women should not get cervical cancer screening pap tests every year. Instead they encourage women to get the screening every two to three years. The medical group also recommends against getting a pap test until after the age of 21, even if an adolescent is sexually active.

What are the new rules for getting mammograms?

After commissioning two studies that reviewed the risks and benefits of breast cancer screening, the USPSTF announced changes to the current mammogram guidelines, which the same group instituted in 2002. For average-risk women, they recommend:

1-No routine mammograms for women ages 40 to 49
2-Every-other-year mammograms for women ages 50 to 74
3-No need for clinicians to teach women to do breast self-exams

The new recommendations against annual cervical cancer screenings are not intended to save you embarrassment or discomfort — they're meant to prevent unnecessary and possibly harmful treatments. For example, treatment of precancerous HPV symptoms that would otherwise go away on their own puts women at a higher risk of giving birth to a premature or underweight baby. Still, cervical cancer rates have dropped 50 percent since the 1970s mostly thanks to the pap test, so I hope the doctors aren't trying to fix something that isn't broken. But the authors of the guidelines explain that the same results can be accomplished with less-regular screenings.


I'll admit the idea that less screening can be better for your sexual health seems counterintuitive. Will you stick to your annual pap test or do you welcome a chance to get one less frequently?


Is this recommendation designed to protect our population’s health or is it the beginning of restrictions to cut services at the expense of early detection? Do we need clarification on this matter and if so should we hurriedly pass the bill that has been presented by the White House?

We need a better system of health care that provides everyone the health care that is necessary, at a cost that we can all afford. Is this a better solution? I for one have consistently been an advocate of universal health care from a humanitarian prospective but I am not sure that this “Change” that we are going forth with is the kind of change that we need. Again what will be the cost in terms of availability of services, or unavailability of services and money that would saddle us with an unprecedented National Debt that will affect our children and grandchildren?