The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Vitamin D
Posted by Jennifer (Napa, Ca) on 05/23/2024
★★★★★
So true! I suffered with insomnia and hot flashes for months until I happened to start taking Vitamin D3 for anxiety. I take 5,000iu per day starting with a loading dose of 30,000 the first day, and within a week NO more hot flashes and sleeping through the night. Absolutely astonished Vitamin D3 could help me sleep this well. ALWAYS take in the morning either with or without food, never take it at night because it's initially very energizing.
Vitamin E
Posted by Ramonasophia (Boston, MA) on 10/12/2023
★★★★★
I've been an EC fan for years, so I wasn't surprised I found help on here when my life was crippling me with the worst hot flashes ever. Someone or a few women mentioned Vitamin, so I immediately bought some desperate for relief and sleep. The very first day, I noticed the difference! I was shocked and fully expected it to be a fluke and come back the next day. But, they have not! It's been about three weeks since starting every morning with 4(268mg per capsule) capsules and some water. Talk about a life saver. I was literally having a debilitating HF every 5-10 minutes, all day and all night. Can't wait to tell my doctor tomorrow when I see him because last month he next visit we should talk about hormone replacement therapy. Can't wait to tell him no, thanks! Now I just need to pay attention to my skin to see what other benefits it's giving me.
Vitamin E
Posted by Ramona (Boston MA) on 10/04/2023
★★★★★
I've been having hot flashes for about seven years and they've only been worse this past year. Horrible intensity and almost every few minutes. It was crippling ast times. I saw on here a few mentioned vitamin E. So I bought some and take about 1,000mg ( four capsules) every morning and for the past three weeks I have, I have literally not had any. Life changing. Please try it. It took a couple days to kick in but oh my gosh when it did, I was astounded by the difference. Give it a shot.
Borax, Baking Soda, Salt
Posted by Lana (British Columbia) on 07/19/2023
★★★★★
I've been suffering with menopause hot flashes day & night. I've tried almost all the menopause supplements in my local health food store. It has been a very expensive experience with minimal relief. I came across an article referring to Borax, Celtic salt & baking soda for balancing hormones & helping hot flashes. I took my last supplement tablet of Estrovera & switched the next day to a very small pinch of each 20mule borax, Celtic salt & baking soda. Mixed it in a glass of water and went on with my day. I have experienced no hot flashes day or night now for 10 days. I'm able to “not” dress in layers. My shoulder pain has also stopped and lower back is not as sore from gardening. Many ppl & articles say not to consume Borax but honestly, it's the only thing that has “really” helped. I'm not one for synthetic prescriptions like HRT which can also be bad for us.
I'm going to continue on this “pinch a day” of these 3 ingredients as it has been affordable and helpful. And, I haven't had any side effects. Hopefully, it'll continue to help.
Diatomaceous Earth
Posted by Peggy Sue Chan (South Houston, Texas, USA) on 08/17/2009
★★★★★
To Helpplz: I buy mine at a feed store, 50 lbs for $21.00. It's real name is Diatomite Silica. You can buy it at nurseries and garden centers, too, but for far more expensive. We drink ours. I don't have hot flashes when I drink it. I took several tablespoons twice daily, and the next day the flashes quit. I vacationed in the Carribbean without air conditioning for two weeks, and the flashes still didn't happen.
I also quit having gluteal hamstring pulls--I have no idea why they quit the day after I began taking the silica. I'd had them for 5 years previously, as long as I'd been running. However, four months ago I changed my running form from heel strike to forefoot strike, and the hamstring pulls never recurred, even without my taking silica. Strange, but my knees and ankles quit hurting when I changed form, too.
When I quit taking silica, however, my hot flashes returned.
I can't tell what else silica did for me because I am not aware of having any other health problems.
Raw Chicken Liver
Posted by Christina (Park City, Ut) on 01/20/2023
★★★★★
After ten days of consuming one whole organic chicken liver raw every day, my hot flashes had decreased by 90%. It contains zinc, iron, copper, selenium, all the b vitamins, Vit A, Vit D, Vit E, etc so it's smarter than buying and choking down the inferior (and potentially dangerous) supplement forms of these. Eating it cooked is effective as well, I assume. I was also drinking ACV and lemon water during this time, though these had not helped me with hot flashes on their own, so I attribute the healing to the single greatest food on the planet. As a bonus, my cracked and peeling skin has been improving drastically, no migraines, great energy, appetite low. I take with half n half (raw, pastured) and I'm also Carnivore diet 8 months so perhaps the combination of no processed food / no plant food is important to note. Good luck.
B Complex + B5
Posted by Lisa (CO) on 12/27/2022
★★★★★
My hot flashes have vanished by taking a B complex in the morning, then a B-5 (pantothenic acid) midday with a little food and dinner time. The B-5 strengthens the adrenal glands, helping them to make the hormones that you need. It took about a full month for them to completely disappear, but I noticed slow improvement all month long. The B-5 capsules were 500mg each.
Iodine
Posted by Mister (EUSSR) on 11/04/2022
★★★★★
I've always been the kid that goes to school or work in a T-shirt at all times except the dead of winter. Three years ago, the hot flashes became quite extreme in the morning. I'm a guy so it has nothing to do with menopause :p.
A few months later I started taking iodine (as potassium iodide, orally, roughly 4 mg daily, for a few months) and have been cured for 2.5 years now. I have better resistance to heat in general. When I didn't take iodine for many months, I got the hot flashes back, but they disappear when I take a drop of iodine again (lugol's this time).
There's a lot of fear mongering about iodine on the internet, so I was apprehensive about taking high doses, taking it for a long time, or recommending it to other people. But I haven't been able to identify any negative effects from this kind of low dosing. Only the first two weeks or so I experienced harmless side effects: occasional dips in energy; fluctuations in feeling cold, then hot again; dry mouth and thirst. I made sure to get enough selenium (found in brazil nuts, pork, ...)
Glycine
Posted by Madelyn (Idaho) on 10/31/2022
That does answer my question! Thanks so much Art. I always find your posts so helpful. You sure are a gem!
Glycine
Posted by Art (California) on 10/28/2022 2325 posts
Glycine
Posted by Madelyn (Idaho) on 10/28/2022
Does anyone know what lab test will determine your levels of amino acids? I have supplemented various amino acids for the past several years, and wanted to have mine checked. When I requested the test from my practitioner, she couldn't find it listed as an option from the lab she uses.
Black Cohosh
Posted by Tonya (Canyon Lake, Texas ) on 09/21/2022
★★★★★
Hi Trang,
When I was young (I'm 70 now) and going through hot flashes, a kind neighbor told me to try black cohosh, I got some capsules at the store and took one each morning... I never suffered hot flashes or night sweats again. I hope this works well for you as it did for me.
Olive Oil, Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Alicia (San Clemente CA) on 04/22/2022
★★★★★
I started taking a high quality extra virgin olive oil from Trader Joe's for heart health. I take a shot glass full of olive oil & follow with a 16 oz glass of water mixed with 1-2 tablespoons ACV. My hot flashes miraculously disappeared.
Beets and Olive Oil
Posted by beverly (texas) on 02/22/2022
I find your response very interesting. I have often thought I had high or fluctuating histamine levels due to chronic allergies and respiratory problems..also gastric problems. I also suffered from severe hot flashes for years even on HRT meds. They are lessened now but still have them. Thanks for your insight. I will be doing more research.
Histamine produces many varied effects within the body, including the contraction of smooth muscle tissues of the lungs, uterus, and stomach; the dilation of blood vessels, which increases permeability and lowers blood pressure; the stimulation of gastric acid secretion in the stomach. High blood histamine levels will cause chronic health conditions.
D3
Posted by Beacker (West Valley City, Utah) on 11/30/2011
★★★★★
I was having multiple hot flashes and also not sleeping well. My blood work said I was deficeint in Vitamin D. Since I started supplementing four weeks ago I am now sleeping and the hot flashes have been cut in half. Is this a coincidence?
Borax
Posted by Katzie (Canada) on 05/11/2021
★★★★★
Hi Drifter (who posted in 2012 on the body odor page),
If you're like me and still getting hot flashes, try Borax! I bought a box of 20 Mule Team Borax, dip my finger in it 1x/day, and swirl it into my water bottle and shake. It is odorless and tasteless, and the only times I get more than a flash here or there is when I run out, like I am now. My hot flashes went from a 6 out of 10 down to maybe a 2. It's weird buying something from the laundry aisle to take internally, but be assured that borax or boron is merely mined from dried up salt-water beds. There's one in CA that has enough to supply the world for hundreds of years! So the stuff is cheap and amazingly wonderful on mitigating hot flashes! Best of luck, fellow hot flashers!
Garlic
Posted by Lissa (Florida) on 05/10/2021
Oh I'm glad it helped you...Garlic triggered hot flashes for me.
Glycine
Posted by Alina (Tel Aviv) on 04/27/2021
★★★★★
This might just be me, but taking glycine made a huge, immediate difference for me.
I've had hot flashes for about 8 years. At first, ACV helped. Then it didn't. For the last years the hot flashes were severe, accompanied by a feeling of malaise.
I tested the levels of vitamins, minerals, and amino acids and saw I was low on glycine (an amino acid). From the first day I started supplementing with glycine in powder form, all the horrible feeling of malaise disappeared.
For now, I still have hot flashes, but they are weak - no comparison.
I've played with the dose. I've taken from 2000 - 5000 mg. I don't really see a difference with more or less.
I hope that helps somebody.
Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Emily (NY) on 02/04/2021
★★★★★
Haven't had another hot flash after my first tablespoon of blackstrap molasses. What a tasty remedy!
Cooling Cotton Sheets
Posted by Margaret (Chicago) on 11/07/2019
★★★★★
Night Sweats -
This is the simplest remedy EVER. Hot flashes in the night might be caused by the material in your sheets and/or comforter. I started to get horrible night sweats last winter and thought, this is it... menopause is here and it really sucks. A couple of months went by and I finally figured out that the new sheets I had bought that were supposed to be warm in the winter and cool in the summer were actually roasting me! After an hour of sleep, I was literally drenched in sweat. Smartly, I put my old cotton sheets back on the bed and guess what, I slept well and had no sweating. I then spent the next few months searching for the perfect cotton sheets that would keep me cool. Bought an inexpensive set on Amazon that were marketed as "the sheets your grandmother used to have". NO. They were itchy and scratchy and definitely NOT what grandmother used to have! Horrible. Then I bought bamboo, expensive sheets from Bed Bath and Beyond after the sales person told me they were the coolest sheets around. Guess what, I really roasted in those too. So once again I went back to my old sheets. They are cool to touch and I have no idea the brand because they washed off a long time ago. Night sweats be gone.