Hot flashes – the most common symptom of menopause and our enemy for the next three to five years!
Cooling your hot flashes with lifestyle changes.
Hot flashes are when a woman experiences intense heat that generally starts in the face or chest and spreads to the rest of the body. This is accompanied by sweating and rapid heart beat and usually occurs before the onset of menopause. Hot flashes can last between a few minutes and thirty minutes with some women experiencing them multiple times a day for up to five years.
To beat hot flashes, you need to start with determining what your triggers are. Some of the most common triggers are increase in room temperature, spicy foods, meats or smoking. Once you determine what your triggers are, you can start to alter your lifestyle to avoid hot flashes or at least decrease their intensity.
For many women, the main lifestyle change is exercise. Regular exercise is known to lessen the intensity of hot flashes. One of the most popular exercise programs for hot flashes is water aerobics because it keeps you cool while working your muscles. Another common exercise is yoga because of its calming effect.
You’ve also got to get your diet right. It is a known fact that vegetarians have minimal hot flashes because meat is often a hot flash trigger. Many also experience hot flashes after eating spicy foods. To decrease or eliminate hot flashes, try eating mild foods and watching which meats trigger you.
One of the most effective ways to manage menopause symptoms such as hot flashes is to contact your local pharmacist and get started in hormone replacement therapy. At Juro’s Health and Wellness, our compounding pharmacist works with each patient individually to find the right mix of hormones to ease those symptoms.
Juro’s Pharmacy offers FREE Hormone consultations with Yellowstone Naturopathic Doctors. To schedule an appointment, please call 406-869-0143.