Natural hot flash relief therapies seem to be gaining popularity amongst women.

One woman told me ” it may because they do not seem to get what they
want from conventional treatments!” Sometimes it could be because these
“natural” therapies seem to have less side effects than conventional
therapies. The exact opposite may be true for some of the natural
products.

Whatever the case, alternative therapies are here and
women are flooding to it. Do they work? Maybe. No doubt some of these
therapies may actually have some beneficial effects. As you may know, it
is not just “do they work?” that matters but also ” what else do they
do to your body besides that?”. Therefore, efficacy and safety issues
should be taken into account. Please, do not take any therapy you are
not sure of its side effects. There is alot of research still to be done
to prove the efficacy and safety of some of these therapies.

Bottomline?
Discuss with your doctor to find out about their toxicities and drug
interactions. Since these hot flashes may be mild and temporary, you may
not need any other treatment besides those lifestyle changes.

Common Herbs

The common natural hot flash relief therapies used include

Plant Estrogens

Soy
and other legumes such as red clover contain natural estrogen-like
substances called phytoestrogens (isoflavones substances). There are
claims that since these are “natural”, they are safer. This claim is
also not yet proven scientifically.This has been proposed as one the
reasons why Asian women have less hot flashes than other women. However,
clinical studies have failed to show this benefit consistently.
However, taking soy foods regularly will not harm. It is food! You can
have soy foods rather than take the soy supplements.

Black cohosh

This
has been very popular over the years amongst women. Clinical studies
have shown little short term benefit or no benefit at all. It may cause
digestive upset and especially some liver problems.

Ginseng

Though
sound scientific evidence lacking for a clear-cut benefit, anecdotal
evidence and even self-reporting still make these famous amongst women.
Ginseng may provide some benefits with the mood symptoms of menopause.

Flax seed

These
also contain phytoestrogens. As with the others, studies have failed to
demonstrate a clear-cut benefit. It is available as whole seeds or oil.

Dong quai

Though
not clinically proven benefit, it may enhance the effects of drug
thinning medications and so cause bleeding. Talk to your doctor if you
are considering it.

Kava

Though kava may
ease anxiety, it has not been shown to affect hot flashes. most
importantly, it has been shown to be toxic to the liver.

What About Bioidentical Hormones?

In brief, bioidentical hormones replacement therapy is replacement
the body’s hormones with similar natural compounds. The media attention
and the perspectives of women about this have swollen recently. They are
reported as effective as classic hormone replacement therapy and safer
because they are natural. By using saliva test, a woman’s supposed
hormones needs are identified and her a specific replacement therapy can
be used for her, even by compounding the different hormones in the
pharmacy.

At the moment, the major professional menopause
societies such as the International Menopause society and the American
college of Obstetrics and Gynecologists have issued their stance on this
that there is insufficient data at the moment to prove the efficacy and
safety of bioidentical hormones.

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