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.
Chia Seeds
Posted by Yoya (Washington) on 07/24/2015
★★★★★
I started with hot flashes really bad. I had told myself I'm not going to take hormone therapy. What happen I try multy prenatal vitamins. It helped, hot flashes were gone. In about one year later they came back with full force, I had never been one to drip sweat. Well, this was so bad that I could feel the sweating water running. It was awful specially at night. I give up and went to see a doctor put me on hormone meds. Started the meds and gained 20 pounds during this time. It did help but did not completely so I finished taking the med and stop no more. Then mom told me she was watching the tv show it was about hot flashes they said to take chia seed 1-2 tablespoon full a day. I was all for it. The first day I took it, I only had a few hot flashes. The 2 day none, completely gone. Oh I'm in heaven.
And ever since I've been taking it worked for me and 3 off my friends.
Exercise
Posted by Xmom101 (Redding, Ca) on 07/20/2015
I wonder if this has something to do with your lymphatic system flowing from the rhythm of the horse. A rebounder might help in this case too. 15 mins of jumping a day will get your whole system moving and is very good for your body.
Ted's Remedies
Posted by Linda (Ireland) on 06/30/2015
Side effects of taking magnesium is lower blood pressure. I too was using magnesium but transdermal and found my head to swim. I later found out it was due to low blood pressure so I rectified the problem by eating natural salt on my food, licorice and applying rosemary essential oil to my wrists or ankles. Low blood pressure can make you feel really tired and light headed and can be dangerous but doctors won't do anything for it.
Ted's Remedies
Posted by Sabita C. (Middletown, Ri) on 12/30/2014
I use 2 capsules of 250 mgs Dong Quai at night and if needed, 1 in the morning. I get noticeable relief with this herb.
Ted's Remedies
Posted by Bigmama (Nh, Usa) on 12/30/2014
hi - the dizziness with the inclusion of mag may have more to do with dehydration... sweating profusely and adding mag without increasing water consumption ....250mg sounds way too low...mag is literaly a lifesaver at optimal levels, but pay attention to your water/fluid consumption ... also mag is not the cure for hot flashes but it sure does help!!! Best of luck!
Iodine
Posted by Eliza (California, US) on 12/22/2014
Thanks for the explanation, Rahat, however a little more scientific than my simplistic understanding of the body's chemical make up, but thank you nonetheless. I do hope you find the correlation between the thyroid (T3, T4) and ovaries. I was a little apprehensive to post because I didn't see any other testimonies for iodine/thyroid and hot flashes, but it worked for me and if it helps just one other woman who might be suffering as much as I was, it was worth the post.
Also, as a side note and confirmation to your explanation, I have a menstrual cycle again after not having one for 7 months and an increased libido as well.
Iodine
Posted by Rahat Iram (Bc, Canada) on 12/21/2014
This is very interesting & I am very thankful to you Elizabeth for sharing your experience which infact is generating many more questions in my mind to look answers for. I think I can explain the hidden connection between thyroid and hot flashes to some extent. The exact cause of hot flashes isn't known, but it's most likely related to changes in reproductive hormones (estrogen and progesterone produced by ovaries) and in your body's thermostat (hypothalamus), which becomes more sensitive to slight changes in body temperature. The hypothalamic/pituitary/thyroid axis (HPT axis for short, aka thyroid homeostasis) is part of the endocrine system responsible for body's metabolism and production of heat. Although there is no apparent direct connection between thyroid and ovaries except the complex feed back mechanism of HPT, but reproductive problems are known to occur with thyroid issues, such as infertility which is very commonly observed in patients with thyroid problems. Similarly, many poly cystic ovarian disease (PCOD) patients are also known to have autoimmune thyroiditis indicating some underlying connection between thyroid and ovaries. Thyroid responsitivity by the ovaries could be explained by the presence of thyroid hormone receptors in human oocytes.
In 1993, a study by Wakim and et all , for the first time confirmed the presence of T3 and T4 in human follicular fluid and the presence of T3 binding sites in human granulosa cells and suggest a role for thyroid hormone in the regulation of human GCs. Later on, the receptors of both TH and TSH were also discovered to be increased in the receptive endometrium, suggesting that they are important for implantation. Research in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism in 2007 evaluated the ovarian surface epithelial cells for hormone receptors, including those for thyroid hormone. The ovaries from women who had had a hysterectomy were used. Researchers found that the ovarian surface is a target for T3 thyroid hormone and that T3 hormone increased the action of estrogen receptors. Could this possibly help explain the link between hyperthyroidism and ovarian cancer? But if thyroid hormone levels are low, this could have huge implications for the level of estrogens, as well as the functioning of reproductive system and libido. In 2003, Cramer et al. showed that serum TSH levels were a significant predictor of failure of IVF, as TSH levels were significantly higher among women who produced oocytes that failed to be fertilized.
In short, since Iodine is needed to produce T3 & T4 or in other word for the optimum functionality of thyroid, perhaps this explains how iodine intake possibly stimulated your ovaries to produce estrogen and to helped thyroid better control the body temperature through the HPT axis.
Iodine
Posted by Kathy (Ontario, Canada) on 12/20/2014
Good for you! I suffered for the last 5 years, sometimes really bad like a few times an hour and sometimes just a few times a day. They were terrible! I found that cutting down on sugar helped alot. It seems I am through the worst part now, at least I hope so! Hot flashes are miserable!
Iodine
Posted by Elizabeth (California, US) on 12/19/2014
★★★★★
I have been meaning to post this for a while now. It's only right that I tell you about my results as I remember how miserable I was 6 months ago. About 1 year ago I started getting really severe hot flashes. I was a walking ember. No kidding, I would have one at least every hour if not more. I had to take a couple of showers a day. At night I would wake every hour drenched in sweat. I had 2 fans on me and still I woke up soaked. This went on for 5 months.
I tried all kinds of remedies like Vitamin E (which did a lot of very good things for my body, but nothing for the hot flashes), black cohosh, Chinese herbs, ACV and countless others. Nothing worked. I was so miserable and sleep deprived and at my wits end. It was unbearable. I was so close to resorting to hormones. Then one day I was cooking and accidently cut my finger so I went into the medicine cabinet and found my iodine. As I was applying it to my finger, I started to remember what iodine does...supports the thyroid which regulates hormones. So I painted a 6"x6" square over my stomach and it disappeared within 3 hours. I painted my arm which disappear pretty quickly as well and then that night I drank 5 drops of liquid kelp (ingestible iodine).
I only had 1 mild hot flash that night and slept through the night for the first time in 5 months. The next morning, I painted again and continued to drink the liquid kelp at night. I have not had one hot flash since and that's been about 6 months ago. I ordered Lugol's and I take it 3x's a week. Ladies, please don't discount a sluggish thyroid if you are having severe hot flashes. Try iodine before resorting to synthetic hormones. Iodine has been a lifesaver for me.
Chenille Robe
Posted by Erin (Pensacola, Florida) on 11/21/2014
★★★★★
Hot flashes help: I'm 83, and have had hot sweats from spring till fall each year "forever." At a yard sale, I paid $l.00 for a wonderful chenille bath robe - brand new. I had it in my closet for sometime without thinking about it. But one early morning when I was staggering out of bed in misery with my sweats, I suddenly put that robe on. I can't tell you how comfortable it was. I crawled back into bed, with it on like a blanket. It soaked up the sweaty misery like a miracle! I've used it for several years. Some people never get over hot sweats apparently. It is so thick that you pull it inside out and you have dry surface again! To me, it's a miracle.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Baking Soda and Magnesium
Posted by Joyce (Lansdowne, Pa) on 10/10/2014
What type of magnesium do you take? I can't seem to get rid of my hot flashes.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Baking Soda and Magnesium
Posted by Brooklyngurl (New York, US) on 10/10/2014 11 posts
★★★★★
After getting off of the Estradiol patch I started taking 2 tbsp of ACV + 1 tbsp of Magnesium + 1/4 tsp of Baking soda. I take this 3 times a day.
Life is good now. The flashes are gone. The magnesium healed the asthma and the baking soda helped with the
Acid Reflux.
***** 12/30/18 - UPDATE: I added 2 tablespoons of lemon (or lime) to this concoction and I am 6 months free of taking the Prilosec. I decreased the ACV to 1 tbsp and started taking a cayenne capsule with it. I add 8 ounces of warm water as well. This concoction has saved my life.
Turmeric
Posted by Wendy (Durham, Nc) on 08/05/2014
★☆☆☆☆
I'd have to say nay to turmeric for hot flashes. I take 2 capsules daily to prevent MRSA because I am a nurse. Still, at the age of 46, my hot flashes came on with a vengeance.
I have to say yea to the vitamin E though. After suffering through a few months of sleepless nights, 1000 IU of vitamin E before bed seemed to do the trick on the first night. I'll continue to take it and will check back in if my hot flashes return.
Burdock Root
Posted by Tesslynn (Colorado) on 07/08/2014
★★★★★
I have tried it all, because I had hot flashes in my 40's right after a pregnancy that ended in miscarriage and then my system seemed to go directly into perimenopause with hot flashes, night sweats, palpitations, etc. Black Cohosh calmed that down. And my system regained balance. Then came the light spotting periods at 48 and here came the hot flashes back with a vengence. So I tried progestrone cream, that worked, then it stopped, tried vitex, that didn't. Went to sepia, and that helped my moodiness, then that stopped helping. I read the books, tried all the suggestions and finally had success with omega 3-6-9-taking 8 pills daily. Tried maca, did nothing, rhubarb did nothing, deep breathing didn't help. Acupressure didn't help, nor did the essential oils. Hot flashes were becoming an all day event and forget about quality sleep at 50. Then a series of deaths and funerals in my family, grieving put me into hot flash overdrive, so I had to find something to survive. Added black currant oil to omega dose, and tried burdock root at night, and that has been a godsend combo. Burdock root is a cooling herb and my system was TOO acidic and too hot, despite trying to maintain an aklaline diet. It seemed to tame the fires within. So I recommend giving it a try. It helped me, and continues to cool me off so I can sleep through the night. I have occasional hot flashes if under stress, it seems to wake them up. And so I thought adding the Apple Cider Vinegar might just be the final ingredient needed to balance out my crazy hormones. I do have hypothyroidism, and that makes everything difficult. I recently gave up on prescriptions for that, and am doing WAY better with herbs, meds were just not accomplishing anything anymore. This whole change of life isn't fun, because finding the balance that works for you is a challenge. Every menopause is different, so HANG IN THERE and keep trying what is suggested, if it doesn't help move on. Just stay away from HRT, that is a proven BAD idea. But make sure you start with the basics, a good diet-real food people not the stuff that is laced with junk, regular exercise, and let stuff go, most of what makes us crazy and affects our health isn't WORTH the energy. Focus on serenity, you've earned it at this season of your life!!!!
Maca Root
Posted by K In L.a. (Los Angeles, Ca) on 04/26/2014
★★★★★
[YEA] I'm in my early 40's and started getting the feeling of being zapped in the middle of my body and then it would spread from head to toe for about 15 seconds. I believe it's a pre-menopause "hot flash" but for me it wasn't hot, just like being hit with an odd energy flow. I did some reading and tried a few things, then started taking 1000mg of Maca root when I wake up in the morning. Those zaps went away but my monthly cycle was more painful than before. I was craving chocolate a lot and read that it may be a sign of the need for magnesium. So I started taking slow release (SRT) magnesium, 500mg per day and after a few months my cycle became more comfortable than before.
I believe the Maca root helps with natural hormone balance, when the imbalance is mild. That is why I took it over black cohosh. I've read black cohosh adds estrogen which could cause your body to produce less, whereas the Maca root encourages your pituitary gland to produce balance in whatever is needed more. It's a facilitator more than a supplement. Not sure if that's true but I can take Maca root with less concern and it works for me.
Zinc
Posted by Lj (Tacoma, Wa) on 12/09/2013
★★★★★
Zinc worked for my hot flashes. I had tried everything: Vit E, Progesterone cream, Herbs, Phytoestrogens, etc. I started using 1 to 2 zinc lozenges, the kind you buy for colds, otc, and I realized my hot flashes were gone. I had them continuosly throughout the day, with cold flashes too. I feel so much better now.
Vitamin E
Posted by Skyblueyez2 (Greenville, Sc) on 10/02/2013
★★★★★
I am 51 years old and have been SUFFERING with hot flashes AND night sweats since April of 2011 NON STOP! Truly I have. I thought I would go stark raving mad, and I kind of lost it a couple of times with my husband, but not REAL bad! Thank God!
But, I haven't slept through the night in over two years, either, and when I do get to sleep & need to get up for any reason, I can pretty much hang it up for the rest of the night!
I did try the ACV with the 'Mother' and took it straight with a honey chaser for about a week! YUK!! It did seem to work, but the last night I took it before bed, I couldn't keep it down... Needless to say, it's even WORSE coming back up! Doesn't really seem possible, but Trust Me!
Didn't really know what to try next, until a friend of my mom's told her that she and her daughter had only ever used 400 IU of Vitamin E daily, and neither of them has had a problem with either the Hot Flashes or the Night Sweats! I bought a bottle 3 days ago - took one softgel with water about a half an hour before dinner so that it would be easier on my tummy to digest. PERFECT SOLUTION FOR ME - AND YOU I PRAY!!
Please don't give up... Believe me, I have tried it all - HRT, over the counter remedies, herbal combinations. THIS WORKS!! YAAAAAAAY!!! I also talked with another girl at my pup's veternarian's office who said she, too used vitamin E 400 IU, and that she also recommended taking it with Vitamin C, 1000 MG once per day of each. At night, for sleep, she said she takes calcium and magnesium, which I had heard of doing before, and said she sleeps like a baby, without any flashes during the day or sweating through her sheets at night!
I'm staying with this and pray that it continues to work! Try it - I'll send up prayers for you all who suffer with these issues as I have for so long! Oh, yeah... I knew I couldn't go back to drinking the ACV, but had already purhased some capsules from my favorite online vitamin store, so I took them last night and this morning along with the Vitamin E and C - it was an AWESOME DAY! Can't say whether it added anything or whether it was a placebo effect, but I will keep trying to take the ACV as long as it doesn't make me sick again! Prayers PLEASE!
Thank you all for sharing all of your stories here on this site - I do feel that you are all Heaven sent!
Warmest wishes for you all!
Skye :-D
Apple Cider Vinegar, Supplements
Posted by Skyblueyez2 (Greenville, Sc) on 10/02/2013
★★★★★
Hot Flashes: I just posted another reply a few minutes ago on another section (Remedies I think), and just wanted to let you all know that the ACV with the Mother, along with Honey, LOTS OF HONEY, seemed to work for me for about a week. Then I got sick to my stomach and had to re-live it all over again, if you know what I mean! YUCK!
I know that's not what anyone wants to hear, but when it happened, I had to start looking for something else or I might have gone CRAZY for sure! My mom's friend said vitamin E 400 IU, so off to the store I went! I just picked up the store brand of it the day before yesterday. I took one softgel 1/2 hour before dinner, and haven't had anything more than a 'warm fuzzy' since taking it just 3 times so far!
Also, bought the ACV capsules, (before I got sick), and I wasn't sure about them, but I tried it anyway today and it's been a great! I also took Vitamin C 1000MG (orange chewables), and I think this might just be the best I have felt in almost two years!
I know that we are all different, and that what works for one may not work for the other, but I highly recommend trying this combo. We really do have to keep doing what's best for us, so why not, right? I pray you will all enjoy Flash Free days and Peaceful nights from this moment on!
God Bless & keep posting! You are all so wonderful, and I am so grateful to you all for taking your time out so that I could find relief. You Rock!!
'Warm' wishes!!
Skye :-D
Cold Green Tea with Mint
Posted by Cb (Netherlands) on 09/14/2013
★★★★★
When you start drinking (cold) green tea with mint, hot flashes will disappear. It works for me and also for my sister who had them for the past 6 years. We take about 1 liter per day... But you will know when you don't drink enough because they will return (less heavy but noticeable enough to start drinking more tea! ) :-)
Oil Pulling
Posted by Maria (North Carolina) on 08/23/2013
★★★★★
I have been doing oil pulling for about 13 months now. My hot flashes almost disappeared. I do it first thing in the morning while in the shower and at night while watching, for 10-15 minutes. I can tell that it is working because this summer we were traveling, had guests over etc. and I did not do it regularly and my hot flashes and night sweats came back. Now I'm back to my daily routine and they almost are gone.
Black Cohosh
Posted by Liz (Boston, Massachusetts) on 06/15/2013
★★★★★
Have you tried Black Cohosh for your hot flashes? When I went through early menopause (I was only 42), my female M.D. Recommended it and I'll be darned - it worked!
Boron
Posted by Ruth (Harlingen) on 05/21/2013
Maybe try lowering your dose of boron--maybe what was therapeutic before is too high now that your body doesn't have a deficiency.
Boron
Posted by Minkypinky (New York, Ny) on 05/20/2013
★★★☆☆WORKED TEMPORARILY
Hey, I tried Boron and it worked from day 1, too. But after about two months, it has stopped working for me. I'm getting hot flashes again. I wonder if anyone else has had this experience? Where the effect wears off? I wonder why this happened. Very disappointed because I was soooo happy that the night sweats and hot flashes stopped. They're not as bad (before I was getting them every hour or two and now I only seem to get them if I exert myself or find myself in a warm situation, like too many clothes, or the A/C turns off in the subway), but they're back.
I'm reluctant to increase the dosage as I've read that high doses can actually worsen hot flashes.
Fenugreek, Wild Yam
Posted by Kimh (Eastlake, Ohio, Usa) on 03/09/2013
★★★★★
For quite a while I used Organic Alcohol Extract of Fenugreek Seed and also Extract of Wild Yam for Hot Flashes, twice a day and it really helped a lot. My sister passed from breast cancer so my doctor wouldnt give me any HRT but this helped a lot. Another doctor did give me Bioidentical hormones and that has helped the most but if I didnt have that, I'd be taking the fenugreek & wild yam extracts in water 2 x a day. I haven't tried the ACV but I plan to. I'd much rather take it than any hormones, bio-identical or not.
Boron
Posted by Charlottte (Simpsonville, Sc) on 02/27/2013
To Charlotte, in NC, If the boron hasn't helped, I would say try a progesterone cream. If you still cycle follow the directions. There is one brand that has been around a long, long time, and recommended by a fertility doc, ***-Gest. Hope this is helpful.
Boron
Posted by Charlotte (Charlotte, Nc) on 02/10/2013
No, not yet, I'm still taking it, I'm also taking ACV, Maca, Vitamin E, Omega 3, Soy Isoflavones. Is there anything else out there that I need to try?
Boron
Posted by Charlottte (Simpsonville, Sc) on 02/06/2013
Charlotte in Mecklenburg, I would love to know if you have gotten any results yet? Oh I do hope so. It has been fabulous not having these hot flashes and night sweats anymore!
Boron
Posted by Charlotte (Charlotte, N.c Mecklenburg) on 01/22/2013
Thanky you so much, I have been looking for something, anything to help with the hot flahes, I'm going out to day to buy the Boron, hope it work I'll check back in to let you know if it worked for me.
Boron
Posted by Charlotte (Simpsonville, Sc, Usa) on 01/21/2013
★★★★★
I have been a fan of Earth Clinic for years and I would like to help other women who are going through menopause with their hot flashes. If you are only getting minimal help with black cohosh and other estrogenic herbs, please try the mineral Boron. I take 3 mg per day and from day one the hot flashes and sweats were practically gone. So ladies, if you're still in "Flame On" mode, then give Boron a try. I don't believe you will regret it. It's especially cheap. I use a brand in an amino acid chelate form. Here's to putting out the flames!
Maca Root
Posted by Green Apple (London, United Kingdom) on 01/19/2013
★★★★★
Maca root seems to really have helped my hot flashes in just 1 week! I came home from a long hall flight and suddenly started getting hot flashes - I was worried that it was pre menopause starting... I did some research on this site (love, love Earth Clinic) and some other recipe sites. One week ago I started taking this morning drink of: 1 tsp maca powder, 1 tsp raw cocoa, 1 tsp organic regular cocoa, 1/3 tsp molasses mixed with warm raw almond milk or raw unpasteurised milk. Its delicious and has the added benefit of reducing my morning coffee intake (which is also supposed to reduce hot flashes). I'm loving this drink - Macca has a bitter coffee like flavour and its the warm, creamy, comforting drink I love in the morning. I do not feel deprived of my coffee at all. My understanding is I should only be having 1 tsp of maca a day but I like this drink so much I sometimes make a second one. Seriously, the last two nights I've had no sweating whatsoever. Thank you for Earth Clinic for pointing me in the direction of maca for hormonal balance.
Garlic
Posted by Faeqa (Amman, Jordan) on 01/16/2013 66 posts
★★★★★
Am 52 years, I have severe hot flashes since 2 years; it is around 30 flashes a day. Before 2 months I took garlic 2-3 cloves a day cut it and swallowed it with my breakfast for throat inflammation, but from the first day I noticed sudden relief from hot flash. The garlic decreased it to not more than 5 flashes a day; even in the days I didn't take it (I sometimes stop taking garlic 7 days).
Note: The old Arabians doctors advise to take fresh coriander leaves with garlic to prevent its side effects on the brain and eyes, they said that bad gas from garlic elevates from the stomach to head.
Soy
Posted by Js (Worcester, Ma) on 12/12/2012
Started drinking 1 glass of soymilk a day for my hot flashes I am in my second week and do not get hot flashes anymore this advice was giving to me by my sister please try and stay with it for a couple of weeks to get it in your sytem and you will see it works. JS
Apple Cider Vinegar, Sage
Posted by She (Richmond, Virginia, United States) on 10/29/2012
I apply it directly from the bottle usually around my lower abdomen where I use to put my hormone patch. Doesn't get rid of flashes but definitely helps!
Apple Cider Vinegar, Sage
Posted by Mmsg (Somewhere, Europe) on 10/28/2012
She, how do you apply the Clary Sage oil?
