What are they?
Hot flushes and night sweats are scientifically referred to as vasomotor symptoms and are considered one of the major symptoms of menopause with studies showing that between seventy and eighty percent of women will suffer from them to some degree. Merck Manuals cites that on average women experience hot flushes for 7.4 years but that they can continue for ten years.
During a hot flush a women usually feel a sudden warmth with spreads from her upper body into her face. Some women experience red, blotchy skin and her heart rate may rise. These may last from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. But for many women experiencing hot flushes it seems like hours! Women who regularly experience these symptoms often wear layered clothing so they can quickly remove layers to allow cooling and are often seen fanning their faces even on what others would consider cooler days.
What causes a hot flush?
Science can't yet explain fully why women experience hot flushes. They have identified that women experiencing hot flushes have reduced levels of oestrogen and follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and are more likely to be anovulatory, however they acknowledge that not all women in this category experience hot flushes thus indicating other factors are also at play.
Located in the hypothalamus is the thermoregulatory centre which is responsible for regulating the core body temperature where small alterations in core body temperature appear to play a role in inducing hot flushes. It is also thought that the adrenal, autonomic, noradrenergic, serotonergic, and opioid systems along with vascular processes are involved with the occurrence of hot flushes but more investigation into the hows and whys is needed to gain a fuller understanding. For those of you who are interested in the neurological mechanism of hot flushes a new study on mice has reported that role of certain neurons and neurokinin B signaling in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus occurring to induce a hot flush.
Genetics/Race
Severity of hot flushes differs between women, it is thought that genetics and race play a role in how a women will experience these. The Study of Women's health Across the Nation (SWAN), an American study of 3,302 women who were recruited between 1996-1997 for the ten year study identified that the women in the ethic groups with the highest incidents of hot flushes where also the group with the highest body mass indicators (BMI) levels. Suggesting that being overweight may impact on the frequency of hot flushes.
Health Habits
The SWAN study found that smokers were 60% more likely to experience hot flushes. Passive smoking also increases the risk for experiencing hot flushes. A study in Queensland found that the rate of early menopause was higher in cigarette smoking had those who had never smoked and those who had given up smoking in their reproductive years.
The SWAN study found that exercise may assist with improved mood and weight control, it also noted that it may also rise the core body temperature and thus increase hot flush occurrence rates. This would be inline with a 2013 study of twenty four post menopausal women in which aquatic-resistance training was undertaken over 8 weeks, 3 times a week to measure its impact on menopausal symptoms, while it improved psychosocial symptoms and physical function there was no significant improvement in hot flushes and sexual symptoms.
Eating well to assist with hot flushes. A 2012 study of over 17.000 American women found that reducing fat intake and eating more fruit, vegetables and whole grains and lost weight were able to reduce hot flushes in postmenopausal women. This does not mean you have to throw fat out, avocados and nuts are great foods to eat and are high in fat, the take home message is to eat natural foods containing fats instead of processed foods. This was also the findings of
a 2018 study on postmenopausal Iranian women found that a diet higher in antioxidants lowered the occurrence of hot flushes and nigh sweats, along with sleep issues, anxiety, exhaustion and concentration issues.
What options are available to naturally assist with reducing hot flushes?
Food:
Reduce spicy foods as they can increase your core body temperature and cause you to start sweating remember everyone is individual and if they are triggering your hot flushes it is best to forgo them.
Alcohol, for some women may induce hot flushes. Once again this requires personal observation, if you notice your frequency or intensity of hot flushes increase when you drink or the next day, you may wish to moderate your consumption.
Pro-inflammatory foods such as dairy or red meat may lead to hormonal imbalance and in impact hot flushes.
Swap processed foods for fresh foods. Helping to maintain a balanced weight, adequate fibre and providing good quantities of antioxidants.
It may be useful to keep a diary of what you eat and when you experience flushes if you believe your flushes are related to your diet.
Herbs
There are an array of herbs that can assist with menopausal symptoms including red clover. Dong Quai, ginseng, and black cohosh.
Herbal tinctures are usually prescribed to address that whole person and to restore wellness. While some herbs have been studied individually to look at the effects on hot flushes generally one would expect a combination of herbs to provide a synergistic effect. For instance a meta analysis study on the herb red clover showed that while it was not effective over long term it was effective for 3 to 4 months of treatment. So while finding some herbs work short time you need to address what is happening in your body and changing your formula or herbal tablet to meet the changing needs of your body.
Herbal medicines have the potential to interact with allopathic medication, sometimes in a positive way and sometimes in a not so positive way, it is important that if you are taking medication or are unsure of how each herb works that you consult a natural health care practitioner trained in herbal medicine to assist you choose the herbs that will work with your body and assist you reach your health care goals.
Flower essence:
Bach flower remedies use Motherwort to address hot flushes.
Australian Bush Flower Essences use Mulla Mulla to address hot flushes.
Aromatherapy:
A double blind crossover study where they smelt lavender oil or the control for 20 minutes twice a day for a period of 12 weeks results showing that the group smelling the lavender oil experienced reduced incidences of hot flushing.
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