Hot Flushes: Much-Needed Relief From Hot Flushes
I'm constantly being asked for advice on how to alleviate hot flushes caused by the menopause. In addition, I also receive many emails from menopausal women who want to alert me to natural remedies they've used that have helped them.
Some studies have shown mixed results regarding natural remedies for hot flushes. For instance, in a previous report I told you about a study that found red clover extract to be effective for some women - not ALL women - but the trial demonstrated the simple fact: for some, it worked.
So with the idea that sometimes you have to just move the studies aside and get a view from a human level, I looked at stories from women who had found success with natural treatments for hot flashes. And just as I suspected, the human level revealed details, advice and insights that you rarely find in the formal language of a clinical trial.
Putting on the yam
An HSI member named Donna wrote to me recently on this subject, "...a friend of mine told me she was using a cream called yam cream. I of course thought she was a little nuts, but what did I have to lose but the hot flushes if it worked? Guess what? It worked really well! I rarely had a hot flush from then on. I also started to add yams to my diet, and I felt great. Since it worked for me, I've told other women about this cream, and I have been told they don't understand how it worked, but they loved it. Anything scientific about this?"
Actually there is something "scientific" about it - or rather something that can be logically explained anyway. US HSI Panellist Dr Martin Milner, often prescribes natural oestrogen derived from yam when oestrogen replacement therapy is called for. This is because yam contains phyto-hormones that closely resemble hormones found in humans. When a woman's body is struggling to manufacture hormones, the phyto-hormones in yam may provide exactly the boost it needs to regain hormonal balance.
Way too hot
As I mentioned last week, the term "hot flush" sounds like something brief and warm - almost nurturing. But for many women, there's nothing brief about hot flushes, and certainly nothing at all nourishing. That's demonstrated in this message from a member named Jeanne:
"I suffered from hot flushes for years (at least one per hour, many times more) while trying everything in the book including every herb, every over-the-counter preparation, even HRT. Nothing worked, but the HRT did a better job than the other stuff.
But I got off the HRT for good reason, and was really having the hot flushes after that, like 1-2 per hour! I had hot flushes all night long which kept me from sleeping well.
"Even during days I couldn't concentrate, face was flushed, had the nausea and mood swings, makeup was a mess, hair dripping wet, etc. Finally, I found something that worked 100%. I didn't think it would help, but when I read the description of how it normalised hormonal function, I had to try it. Indium, the element indium as indium sulphate. It also gave me more energy, brought my concentration back, stopped the anxiety, etc. Indium proved to be an absolute miracle for me. Then just to test, I stopped taking it for a few days and the hot flushes returned with a vengeance."
Indium is a trace mineral that is not new to HSI members. Some years ago, we first told you about the remarkable benefits reported with the use of indium sulphate supplements. One doctor has used it with success for cancer patients, a dentist reports increased gum health, another practitioner finds that it benefits chronic fatigue patients - the only substance he's ever found to help. But apparently the indium itself doesn't have a direct effect on any specific bodily system. Dr Henry A. Schroeder, an expert in trace minerals, believes that an increase of indium triggers the body's uptake of "good" metals: copper, chromium, manganese, and zinc. The enhanced action of these metals is apparently what brings about all the benefits, including a reduction of hot flushes for some women.
Back to essentials
In upcoming e-alerts I'll cover additional comments from HSI members about hot flushes, but to finish up today I'll leave you with information about something simple - but quite effective - from a member named Glo, who writes:
"For my hot flushes I have been using Vit C 2000 mg and Vit E 400 IU each day. This has taken me from around 10 a day to 1 first thing in the morning. Occasionally I will have one during the night, whereas before I was awakened 4 and 5 times a night with them."
Please write in and tell me about any remedies you've had success with for this problem.
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