Newsweek on Menopausal Hot Flashes

Newsweek Magazine has an insightful article about menopausal "hot flashes"--a topic of importance to middle age women. Even though researchers have studied the physiology of hot flashes for more than 30 years, Newsweek tells us that we still don't know exactly how or why they occur.

We do know that hot flashes exaggerate how the body normally cools down. They come on rapidly and last from one to five minutes. Some women have just a few during a week; others get them day and night. They are common around menopause. Smoking and obesity increase the likelihood of hot flashes, for unknown reasons.

Even though the best medical treatment is estrogen, a simpler treatment is to do what you can to keep core body temperature as low as possible. For example:

"...drink cold drinks, use air conditioners (especially at night), carry a fan and dress in layers that you can shed."

"A good alternative is deep, controlled breathing: inhale and exhale slowly, allowing your abdomen to expand and contract, at a rate of six or seven full breaths per minute. You can often stop a hot flash with a few deep breaths."

More about managing menopausal symptoms from Harvard Health Publications.

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