Hot enough to chat about HOT FLASHES
We're getting quite the heat wave here in New England! But our external environment isn't the only thing that can make you hot and sweaty.. Let's chat hot flashes!
Photo by Alexey Ruban
Some women get them, some women don't. Even within those who do experience hot flashes there is a lot of variation. Short periods of time to years on end, once in awhile to on the hour, feeling flushed and damp to absolutely soaked through.
Regardless of where you stand, please know that you don't have to suffer. Acupuncture is so very effective at regulating your hormones, calming down your (often correlated) stress response, and decreasing both the severity and frequency of hot flashes and nightsweats. I hate to hear of women suffering when I know they can be helped, so please give acupuncture a try!
Not ready to try acupuncture? Then let's start experimenting with your diet. Whenever hot flashes are involved I like to chat about the foods you're putting into your body. And between both Eastern and Western nutritional training and years of patient feedback and experimenting, I've found several common dietary hot flash triggers.
If you're experiencing hot flashes, let's work on reducing or eliminating the following from your diet for a period of time:
- Coffee (if you need caffeine try reducing your intake, or replacing with green tea)
- Alcohol
- Added sugar
- Dairy
Now let's be clear- when I talk about experimenting with diet, that's just it: an experiment! This is not a hard and fast rule, and it's not a forever decision/elimination. I don't want anyone to feel restricted or deprived, our goal is to ultimately find a way to nurture yourself and feel good in your body!
Sometimes we don't learn much from our experimentation- symptoms don't change when you remove the foods, or when you add them back in. TaDa! Then these are not triggers for you- let's work it from another angle. Other times, we find strong correlations. When someone adds coffee back to their morning routine, hot flashes start creeping back.
Does this mean that they can never have coffee again? Absolutely not! Now you're armed with knowledge. When you want coffee you can make an informed decision as to whether you want to a) pay the price of increased symptoms, and b) increase the length of our treatment plan by exacerbating things a bit. Yes, lifestyle choices that exacerbate your symptoms can delay relief and/or prolong our treatment plan. It creates more dysfunction, and therefore more for our treatments to work up against. But that doesn't mean that you have to say goodbye to things you love forever. Once we have everything regulated and running smoothly, we can experiment with adding those things you love back into your life!
So now you're armed with the next step: you don't need me to experiment with your diet! And if/when you need that extra help, don't hesitate to reach out! I'm always happy to chat about how acupuncture can help you and your hot flashes!
