You’re cruising through your day (or night) and a sudden flush of heat 🥵rushes over your head, neck and even torso – you wonder if the heater just got turned on 🤨 but everyone else in the room seems totally comfortable – and you realize, its just you 😳.
Why do hot flashes happen?
Hot flashes happen when hormone levels begin to fluctuate. 📈📉 and the hypothalamus (the body’s thermostat) is struggling to regulate all these changes.😤😡🥵🥶😱
Botanical medicine recognizes hot flashes 🔥as a sign that the body needs support as hormone levels begin to change.
So how do we do that? 😊
we support our hormone levels to encourage a more sustainable ebb and flow
Have you heard of phytoestrogens? 🥬🥦🥜
Over 300 foods & herbs contain these estrogen-like compounds.
This is a good thing!!💜
Phytoestrogens competitively block more toxic forms of estrogen from binding to our cells,✋🏻 protecting us from cancer and supporting healthy estrogen levels in the body. ⚖️
What are some of the most powerful phytoestrogens?
A good place to start is by adding flax seeds to your diet on a regular basis.
Flax seeds are a great source of phytoestrogens, high in fiber and rich in healthy fats.
How much?
1-2 Tablespoons of ground flax a day has significant benefits for hormone health, heart health, skin and weight loss.💪🏼
Flax, like many high fiber foods that are great sources of phytoestrogens also help keep our bowels moving 💩
What do regular bowel movements have to do with estrogen?
The only way excess and toxic forms of estrogen exit the body is through the bowels 💩so making sure you have a healthy daily bowel movement is essential to hormone balance. Yep – one more reason gut health and women’s health are so closely related.
Eating lots of fruits, veggies, nuts & seeds and still struggling with hot flashes? 🔥
What else can help?
Don’t worry, there are dozens of botanicals that have been shown to help reduce hot flashes significantly.
Let’s start with an herb that comes from the bark of a European pine tree.
in the US its known as Pycnogenol. 200 mg of this a day significantly reduces hot flashes and protects against cellular damage (bonus!!)
Another great herb for hot flashes is Hops. this is also traditionally used for sleep ~so if you wake up with hot flashes this one is a great one to consider.
The German commission E (they are in charge of researching and regulating traditional herbal medicine in Germany) has also approved Hops for use with anxiety and restlessness. Dose is 500mg of the flowering plant or 100mcg of the active ingredient prenylnaringenin.
Valerian – another herb most well known for its ability to help people sleep also has some impressive research behind it for reducing hot flashes. Dose is either 255mg three times a day or 530 mg twice a day.
(if you are interested in trying any of these – I’ve put a few options on my amazon page.)
and as always, I’m here to help – schedule a free meeting if you are new and have a few questions about how I work – schedule a time with me during my office hours if you would like some guidance on a specific issue –