How herbs can be beneficial to treat menopause hot flashes
When coming of age, young girls experience a lot of changes in their body. Some of these changes include getting pimples, developing breasts and of course having a period. The female body goes through a cycle where eggs in the reproductive system are released to prepare for infusion with a male sperm cell. When this does not happen, the body releases the eggs through blood, i.e. menstruation.
This cycle may feel like it will happen forever, but it won’t! There comes a time when the female body starts producing less estrogen – which is the female sex hormone that allows one to be reproductive. Eventually, it stops completely, and that is when a woman is said to be experiencing menopause. The woman will start experiencing changes in her, body which include hot flashes, mood swings, problems with sleeping patterns, etc.
Why hot flashes happen
Menopause comes with some symptoms that are not very favorable. Hot flashes are part of the most common symptoms that women will experience before they confirm that they are going through menopause. They vary from woman to woman; some say they hardly notice them while others say they become very regular and severe that they affect them a day-to-day living.
The reason for hot flashes is still debatable, but some say they may be due to the low levels of estrogen which women experience in the years leading to menopause. This affects the temperature regulation in the female body which makes the mind think you are feeling very hot then the body responds by cooling you down. During this time, your, heart starts racing, circulation increases and you start perspiring uncontrollably. Do not lose heart; this happens to a lot of women, and there are menopause treatments out there to help you cope with hot flashes.
Understanding the process of menopause
Before getting into the various treatments available for menopause, maybe one needs to understand how menopause comes into effect. As stated before, the female body produces some hormones to prepare the body for pregnancy. Progesterone and estrogen are produced in the ovaries and monthly a new egg forms in the ovary which is released during ovulation. If no fertilization happens, then the woman gets her period. This is usually a regular process, but as a woman gets closer to the years of menopause (usually at ages 51-52), the ovary slowly makes fewer hormones.
Before a woman reaches the age of 40, the possibility of an egg maturing in the ovaries decreases slowly, and after that, it is rather quick until there is just no more. There are some hints that a woman gets, just before she gets menopause. Some experience a much lighter or heavier period than usual. Some get irregular periods that disappear for a month or so, but if you go for a full year without getting your period, then it is very likely that you have reached menopause.
Using herbs to deal with menopause hot flashes
Hot flashes are uncomfortable symptoms of menopause, so women everywhere are looking for ways to go through this stage of their lives in a less painful way. There are natural remedies, such as the use of herbs, which can help alleviate hot flashes.
- Black Cohosh: This herb is a derivative of the buttercup species, and it originates from North America. Black Cohosh, also known as bugwort or black snakeroot, etc., acts as a hormone and is therefore often used to treat symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes. Because is acted as a hormone, its use is not recommended for females under the age of 18, to breastfeeding mothers or even pregnant women.
- Red Clover: This is one of the plants that contain 4 of the plant estrogens which have been proven to be good for the human body. Some women who use this plan have reported that they helped deal with hot flushes. It has also been proven that an 80mg dose of red clover daily helps reduce night sweats by 75%.
- Ground or flaxseed oil: Flaxseed is rich in omega-3 fatty acids which are also part of the plant estrogens. Results vary, but some women reported that flaxseed helped alleviate hot flashes.
- Sage: This powerful plant is famous for its antiseptic properties, and it is also an anti-inflammatory remedy. Another great use for sage is to eliminate hot flashes. A study was conducted in 2011 to assess the power of sage to deal with hot flashes in women going through menopause. 71 women whose average age was 56 went through this treatment for 8 weeks. They had been experiencing menopause for a year and 5 or more hot flashes daily. They were given a tablet of sage a day for the duration of the treatment. It was reported that 64% of the women noticed a significant decrease in hot flashes within four weeks, while severe hot flashes were eliminated.
Conclusion
Dealing with menopause can be a stressful period in a woman’s life, but Mother Nature provides remedies to relieve the severity and frequency of hot flashes during menopause. The use of Estrosense, a health supplement, may help to balance female sex hormones during their reproductive years.