Home Remedies For Hot Flashes

It is believed that up to 75% of women experience hot flashes during or after menopause. And for some women, they are infrequent and mild... nothing that interrupts daily life or comfort. Then for other women, they can be almost nauseating, and occur regularly. Some women have even reported experiencing hot flashes upwards of 12 - 15 times a day. Certain doctors use hormone replacement therapy to reduce the effects of hot flashes, and while this is a viable treatment, many medical communities have come to believe the dangers and side effects associated with hormone replacement therapy to be worse than the symptoms of menopause.

So with this much discomfort, and the negative side effects of hormone replacement therapy, many women turn toward alternative and natural home remedies for hot flashes. This begs the question...what are the top natural remedies for hot flashes?

Remedy #1 : Exercise to reduce hot flashes

That's right... exercise. Besides the massive benefits exercise has for nearly all facets of health, it has been proven to reduce hot flashes by up to 50%. The reason is exercise helps regulate body hormone levels, and releases endorphines, both of which are contributing factors in hot flashes. So grab those jogging shoes, and reduce your suffering.

Remedy #2 : Take Vitamin E

Yep, besides the antioxidant power and cardiovascular assistance that vitamin E provides, studies dating back to the 1940's have shown vitamin E to reduce hot flashes in over 50% of women who take it. The recommended daily amount is 400 UI per day. This won't work for everyone, but it's a safe, simple vitamin to try if you arn't already... the odds are in your favor it will help you out.

Remedy #3 : Flaxseed

Flaxseed has a number of benefits, just one of which is it has been proven in several preliminary studies to reduce hot flashes for menopausal and post menopausal women. The Mayo Clinic conducted a study that gave 29 postmenopausal women 40 grams of flaxseed a day for 6 weeks. At the end of the study, there was a 50% reduction in occurance of hot flashes, and 57% decrease in intensity of hot flashes. More studies are needed, but this is encouraging.

Additional Remedies for Hot Flashes:

These are 3 home remedies for hot flashes that have some studies behind them to back them up, but there are other natural remedies that can help reduce hot flashes, including:

Black Cohosh for hot flashes - this herb has some clinical proof behind it, but there have been some recent conflicting studies and side effects that are worth paying attention to.

Meditation: some studies have shown that women who meditate by slowly breathing in and out 6 -8 times a day for two minutes at a time had less frequent hot flashes than those using muscle relaxation techniques.

Anise, sarsaparilla, dong quoi, and fennel: These herbs have mild estrogen regulating capabilities, and may be able to reduce hot flashes as well. Most can be drunk as an herbal tea (not more than 2 cups a day), as for the Anise...real old fashioned licorice is the easiest way to go.