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.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Sage
Posted by She (Richmond, Virginia, United States) on 10/28/2012
★★★★☆
I went off my hormone patch and progesterone as I just don't want to take synthetic hormones anymore! I drink apple cider vinegar with baking soda 3 xs a day and just started applying Clary Sage oil morning and night and that seems to help. This site is wonderful for all types of remedies.
Flax Seed
Posted by Kathy (Ontario, Ca) on 10/23/2012
★★★★★
I've had good success with flaxseed. I just grind it up in a coffee grinder and I add about a Tablespoon a day to my food and the flashes have subsided.
Borax
Posted by Waycool (Modesto, Ca/ Usa) on 10/22/2012
I love this! I don't have to go on hormones! Here is a quote on Boron/Borax -which might help you with hot flashes:
"Research has now shown that boron supplementation in postmenopausal women doubles the blood level of the most active form of oestrogen, 17-beta oestradiol, to the level found in women on oestrogen replacement therapy. Equally, the blood levels of testosterone more than doubled (7). With HRT there is a higher risk of breast or endometrial cancer which is not known to happen with hormones produced by the body as with borax supplementation." - health-science-spirit.com
Essential Oils
Posted by Tina (Houston, Usa) on 10/22/2012
★★★★★
I resolved hot flashes very quickly using good quality essential oils on the body.
1. Soak in sea salt baths once daily. Upto 20 mins of soak with atleast 1 lb sea salt in the water.
2. Take a shower with soap and water after this.
3. Dry off, and liberally apply lavender essential oil, or a combination of lavender, tea tree and rose oils (1:1:1) on your front and back solar plexus, heart, navel chakras. (Google to find a pic of these chakras so you understand locations).
4. Re-apply oils upto 4 times daily, and especially before bedtime and upon waking up.
This combination of oils (after salt baths) adds green and pink prana to the aura, and this in turn keeps the chakras in a normal size. This prevents the body from getting hot flashes.
Nothing has helped resolved my hormonal issues aka hot flashes like this protocol.
And please, find therapeutic grade essential oils, because this stuff gets ingested into the body, so quality is crucial.
Good luck, I KNOW you will be free of hot flashes after this. Tina
Turmeric
Posted by Madeline (Sacramento, Ca) on 09/22/2012
★☆☆☆☆
I was taking Turmeric for a very large boil, information from this site that worked incredibly, thank you so much, but I definitely still experienced hot flashes and night sweats the 5 days I was on turmeric. My experience was Nay to turmeric for hot flashes.
B Vitamins
Posted by Ttsm (Melbourne, Florida) on 08/18/2012
B Complex contains Niacin and Niacin taken in high doses can cause flushing.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Ginger, Stevia
Posted by Singprays (Stillwater, Mn) on 07/05/2012
Ginger is wonderful in this drink however, ginger is a natural warmer which can hinder hot flash relief so use with caution. :)
Dietary Changes, Cool Showers, Acupuncture
Posted by Tina (Houston, Usa) on 02/14/2012
Applying either blue chamomile essential oil, or a combination of peppermint and lavendar essential oils (1:1 ratio) on your front and back solar plexus, navel and heart chakras in the morning and just before bed does wonders to keep hot flashes to a mimimum.
Dietary Changes, Cool Showers, Acupuncture
Posted by Maria (Gippsland, Australia) on 02/14/2012
Dietary Changes, Cool Showers, Acupuncture
Posted by Maria (Gippsland, Australia) on 02/13/2012
Dietary Changes, Cool Showers, Acupuncture
Posted by Lucy (Vic, Australia) on 02/13/2012
Thanks for your lovely encouraging words - and to know we're not alone with these horrible constant hot flashes. I am in about month 3 I think of these hot flashes and I didn't sleep at all last night... I just flashed one after the other with cold periods in between. I feel like I'm withdrawing from drugs! Its a nightmare. I am doing acupuncture too... This will be my 4 session today and it helped alot with my moods and feelings... Not so much yet with the heat. I am taking the cooling herbs but I am still not getting better. I hope one day this ends, because like you, I feel like I am dying!
Dietary Changes, Cool Showers, Acupuncture
Posted by Jackie (Atlanta, GA) on 02/13/2012
★★★★★
Hot flashes are THE WORST! I just got through several months of absolute hell! I got some great herbs from a chinese medicine woman in Atlanta and took them for 4 days- and the flashes were gone!
Mine were as severe as can be- she also gave me the food guidelines- and even after they left- I kept up with all of the above to keep them away.
What worked for me is below:
1) Go gluten free- NO WHEAT. There are alot of great gluten free products on the market including pasta, crackers and bread that make this do-able.
2) Avoid SUGAR- nothing with cane sugar - try to go easy on fruit also because it is very high in sugar
3) NO ALCOHOL at all until you get the hof flashes in order (this is the worst because I LOOVVVEEEE wine! ) - this is probably the worst culprit and made a huge difference.
Once you get the flashes in order- if you need a glass- just 1/2 glass occasionally.
4) According to Chinese Medicine- the kidneys need to be strengthened- that is the reason for the urinary urgency. I think to get the urinary urgency part in check- you need chinese herbs.
5) Really pay attention to your food - you would be surprised how much of a difference this makes- EAT COOLING FOODS:
Meats- Fish and Pork are cooling- Beef, Shellfish and Chicken are heaty and will make you hotter than you already are.
Vegetables- no potatoes, carrots, these are heaty foods- go for green veggies and squash which are cooling. I got amazing relief from eating Green Cabbage.
Rice- Brown Rice, not white
Fruits- go easy- if you need fruits- blackberries are good- just things lower in sugar
Juice- No Orange or citrus juice- if you must have some juice- drink apple. Watering down is good too.
NO SPICY FOODS at all. No cinnamon, nutmeg- both are warming.
NO CAFFEINE
6) Take cool showers- I do a warm shower then end with making it as cold as I can stand it.
7) Acupuncture helps also- I do this weekly to balance hormones
8) For me- the fatigue was because I was napping through the flashes at night and not getting enough sleep. It is important to try to get some sleep- try to read at night instead of watching TV or being on the computer- that riles you up more.
9) The sadness of the life shift passed once I stopped sweating to death, and once my body got back in balance. It feels like you are dying- but it is really that your body is trying hard to balance itself and needs assistance. It will get better.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Liz (Adelaide, Sa) on 02/12/2012
★★★★★
This works for me for hot flashes - . No sugar, avoid processed food. Give it a try, just for 2 days and you will see a difference
Apple Cider Vinegar, Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Penny (Wind Gap, Pa) on 01/15/2012
★★★★★
Black Cohosh is good, but my physician, whom uses ONLY natural cures, also says Black Strap Molasses works well. I've used it in the past for night sweats, and it worked. But now the Hot Flashes are driving me nuts, so back onto the molasses I go. Your BEST options are to use a table spoon of ORGANIC Black Strap Molasses twice daily along with 3 Tablespoons of ORGANIC Apple Cider Vinegar With MOTHER. It must have MOTHER in it for the ACV to work its best. If you do your research, you will find that ACV with Mother has MANY other benefits as well, such as boosting metabolism, supporting the thyroid, cleansing your body, etc.... Personally, I always just took a medicine cup full of the ACV, drank that like a shot then followed by a glass of water. It burns a bit going down, but what a way to clear flem. Haha I stopped taking it for a while because I would forget, but then my symptoms stopped. Its been at least 18 months now. But the hot flashes are now back, not so much my night sweats, but the hot flashes are constant throughout the day making me feel gross scanky. Good luck to you ladies, hope that I helped a bit as well to get you through this oh so wonderful time in our lives.... NOT. Blessings!
Omega 3
Posted by Timh (Louisville, Usa) on 12/25/2011 2048 posts
Vi, from the Omega 3 plant oils, I have read that Evening Primrose Oil is the absolute best for menopausal problems. How they compare to fish oils I dunno. It is easy to get the fish in the diet, and suppliment with Flax, Sun & Safflower, Borage. Also, when one takes therapeutic doses of Omega 3's, it is advised to also increase Vit-E up to 800 or more iu's daily to protect the fragile unsaturated fats from free radical damage.
Omega 3
Posted by Vi (Nanaimo, British Columbia) on 12/22/2011
★★★★★
Just wanted to share this with anyone who may be suffering with hot flashes and can't seem to get relief.
I tried pretty much everything on the market for menopause/hot flashes, including Promensil and other herbal remedies, hormone creams, visits to mainstream doctors (who wanted to put me on the pill!! ), naturopaths, etc. without any help or relief.
It was getting so bad that I was having what felt like one lo-o-o-ng hot flash. It just wouldn't let up! (Anyone who deals with this knows just how incapacitating it is! )
I started taking 2000 mg omega 3s and added some B6 500 mg for arthritis. While I didn't see a big difference for the arthritis, I realized that my hot flashes had finally stopped. To find out if it really was the omega 3, I quit taking it for a few days, and sure enough, the hot flashes were back.
This has been a Godsend and I truly hope this info helps someone in the same hot boots!
Thanks for the great website too!
Coconut Oil
Posted by Laura (Houston, Texas, Usa) on 12/17/2011
★★★★★
I am a 42 yr old female w/ blood type A . I have tried soy products and organic ACV to eliminate hot flashes that I have experienced for the last 5 years or so, with little success. The only thing that completely has gotten rid of them has been replacing ALL polyunsaturated oils in my diet, like vegetable, canola & sunflower oils, with organic, unprocessed coconut oil. (I still eat a little uncooked olive oil occasionally). I have not had 1 hot flash in the last 3 months that I have been using it and that is a record for me! Be sure to get the Extra Virgin Coconut oil! Yes, it is a saturated fat, but it turns out this type of saturated fat does not clog arteries or make us fat as previously thought. It also has given me great energy and better sense of well being. I still eat the naturally occuring fats in fish, raw, unroasted nuts & avocados, but have replaced EVCO for all other fats, including butter. A little EVCO on an english muffin with honey or jam tastes amazing! I have also eliminated soy from my diet.
Evening Primrose Oil
Posted by Lainey (New Paris, Ohio) on 09/25/2011
★★★★★
Hi, I've been using Evening Primerose Oil to prevent hot flashes!!! It does the job almost immediately! If by the second night you haven't found complete relief, up the dosage! You might try muscle testing to set the dosage... I've been using this for YEARS! Give a holler at me if you have any other questions regarding this.... Blessings!!!
Zinc
Posted by Chris (Troy, Mi) on 08/22/2011
★★★★★
Four months ago hot flashes started coming in very strongly for me. Based on intuition, I started taking a food based zinc supplement and in 2 days the hot flashes were down about 95%!! It's amazing!
Acupuncture
Posted by Kaluki (Victoria, Bc, Canada) on 07/29/2011
★★★★★
Acupuncture has been very helpful in treating my temperature fluctuations, as well as fatigue, aching bones, stomach pain, and moodiness. I go to the student clinics, which are less expensive, and I find the students gentler and more willing to listen than the fully credentialled acupuncture doctors I've seen. Although that was just my experience. Unlike Western allopaths, alternative practitioners take a much more inclusive history, so expect to spend more than 15 minutes. Caution: acupuncture is not an overnight cure; it is a healing journey. And yes, sometimes it hurts, so clear communication is vital between you and your practitioner.
I only wish I'd realized what an amazing effect acupuncture would have six months ago -- I could have gone back to work months ago! :) I've been going at least twice a week, where possible, and I believe that if a person is going to try it out, that s/he should probably commit to enough time/sessions to give it a fair trial.
Good luck to you!
Bach Flower Remedies
Posted by Kalki (Mumbai, India) on 07/19/2011
★★★★★
My friend was recommended Bach Flower Remedies for her hot flashes - at least 30 in the daytime, hardly 2-3 hrs of sleep due to hourly hot flashes - of very severe intensity. She was given Walnut, Rescue Remedy and White Chestnut initially. Within 3 days there was a difference in the number but not so much in the intensity. After 2 weeks, when she ran out of the remedy mixture, a review was taken and Oak given as it was indicated by her reaction to the hot flashes - that is, one should buck up and carry on and not be deterred by it all. She is a reliable person and gets more than her fair share at work and within the extended family. Scleranthus was also added as she went from cold to hot within seconds and had mood swings also.
It worked miracles. She is free of hot flashes for the first time in 4 years. It's been a month now and she has been advised to continue for at last 2 months before seeing if she can discontinue them. I've since looked it up in the Net and books and find Walnut on its own is usually good enough. But my friend also needed her character remedies.
Please don't go in for HRT or other therapy for want of an alternative. These remedies are supposed to be very gentle. I thought I would pass on this info on behalf of my friend.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda
Posted by Lorraine (Zolfo Springs, Fl) on 05/21/2011
I'm really interested in this!!!! What is the recipe for this? Thank you, Lorraine
Pine Bark
Posted by Moi (Redmond, Wa) on 05/17/2011
Hi Carol,
Did you notice if you were bloated with the pine bark? I have tried so many remedies and the ones that worked always caused me to be bloated which was just so depressing as I have already gained a ton of weight over the past few years. Thanks
Pine Bark
Posted by Carol (Rockledge, Florida) on 05/16/2011
★★★★☆
This is an update on the pine bark extract. It started working again and very well, but I noticed every three or four months that it would not work 100 %. The one really great think about pine bark extract is there are no known side effects and it is a strong antioxident. Anyways so every few months I would have about three weeks of mostly no hot flashes, just occasionly would get warm. After about a year I upped my intake to two pills per day. Worked wonderful for a good year at least. I am now going through actual menapause I believe, since I haven't had a period for about five months. Pine Bark still works amazingly well, but here and there I will get a hot flash. Decided to up it to three per day because I don't want to have them at all. I figure my body is going through the severe change right now. So three a day is working well, just having an occasional semi flash! Still swear by this stuff, since no side effects.
D3
Posted by Francisca (Michelbach-le-bas, Alsace, France) on 05/14/2011
Regarding the dangers of Vitamin D3 maybe you would like to read the book The Vitamin D Revolution, or any other on Vitamin D (I reviewed it in the book section). There is a lot of misinformation out there, it pays to be informed!
D3
Posted by Flower Grandma (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada) on 05/14/2011
★★★★★
I had night sweats for more than ten years and finally last summer they stopped completely, as well as my monthly period. I was very happy to move on with the next phase of my life, but earlier this year the hot flashes came back with a vengeance. I was undergoing a series of tragic circumstances in my life and I would have a never ending rolling wave of heat from the moment I put my head on the pillow until 6:00 the next morning. I thought that stress had caused them to come back and I tried ACV, iodine, vit E, GABA, borax, Dim Plus and every other cure I could find. When reading through the latest posts several days ago, someone mentioned about D3 and hot flashes and I finally made the connection.
Earlier this year I read an article about the dangers of too much D3 and I decided to cut out my supplementation which was at the same time all these events began. For the last couple of days I've been taking 5000iu morning and night and I've had only a couple of flashes in total. I'll be reducing that to one a day once the flashes are completely gone. Thanks to all the contributors to this wonderful site, you've helped me with many wonderful changes in my life.
B Vitamins
Posted by Sue (Liverpool, Uk) on 04/11/2011
I have suffered for a very long time with hot flashes and they are getting me down. I have just taken my my very first ACV so will let you know how I got on. Thank you to everyone for your useful information, hopefully no more flat hair days. Sue Liverpool UK.
Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking Soda
Posted by Kay (Jackson, Ms) on 03/31/2011
★★★★★
I have tried the apple cider vinegar and baking soda, believe me this really works. I have been using it for 2 days now and my hot flashes are almost gone. I will tell anyone that is suffering from night sweats and hot flashes to try this for yourself. It really works.
