Have you every walked into a business and the air conditions is set so low you think you are in the arctic circle. This happened to me today at the vets – all the staff were wearing heavy jackets except the female boss who was suffering from major hot flushes and her skin had all the signs of sensitive unhealthy skin. This common symptom affects up to 75% of menopausal women. The cause by a diminished level of estrogen but can also be affected by lifestyle and medications. The reduction of estrogen has a direct effect on the hypothalamus, the part of the brain responsible for controlling your appetite, sleep cycles, sex hormones, and body temperature hot flashes happen when the blood vessels near the skin’s surface dilate to cool and sometimes causing red sensitive, flushed face and sweating. All the signs shown by the Veterinarian today, she was suffering so badly from hot flushes she was freezing her staff and customers. Like when you over heat anything it gets cooked. The increase heat and sweat couple with the reduction of Estrogen causes the red flushes it also affects the health of the skin. Menopause can often trigger skin changes with many women also experience acne, thinning skin, wrinkles, sensitive, itchy, dry skin and pigment changes. Some woman can also develop abnormal touch sensations, such as numbness, tingling, prickling, and crawling, etc which is heighten when suffering hot flashes.
Prevention and Treatment- Reduce Hot Flushes and increase skin health
- Increase intake of omega-3 fatty acids found in foods such as salmon, walnuts, fortified eggs, sardines, flaxseed, and soy. Adequate vitamin B intake is also crucial to skin health and help with the hot flushes.
- Increase water intake. This will help to hydrate the skin from the inside out plus Drink a glass of cool water at the beginning of a hot flash as it lessen discomfort.
- Reduce sugar intake and not just in your coffee – read the labels on your all your food you will be amazed where food manufactures add sugar including in smoke salmon.
- Avoid drinking beverages that contain caffeine or alcohol, since these can make hot flashes more uncomfortable.
- Cut down on red wine, chocolate, and aged cheeses. They contain a chemical that can trigger hot flashes by affecting the brain’s temperature control center.
- Don’t smoke. Smoking can make hot flashes worse plus rob your skin essential nutrition and will add your skin problems and age your faster than the drop of estrogen.
- Regular vigorous exercise during which endorphins are produced may also decrease hot flashes. Exercise also helps pump blood to the skin and stimulate the skincells
- Avoid hot showers. Because hot water can be harsh and drying, experts advise taking shorter showers using warm water. Use gentle, non-irritating soaps and cleanser.
- Moisturize after showers. Use butters as the heat for a warm body from a shower will help the moisteriser to absorbe into the skin. Most butter’s are high in coconut oil, beeswax, olive oils.
- Estrogen is the most effective medication available to relieve hot flashes. Short-term use of low-dose estrogen may be prescribed, with or without progesterone.
- Alternative medications to help decrease the intensity of hot flashes include clonidine, gabapentin or antidepressants such as venlafaxin, paroxetine, prozac, and sertraline.
- Several nonprescription herbal remedies have been proposed as natural ways to prevent or treat hot flashes. Many of these treatments have not been studied in large clinical trials. Flaxseed Oil, Evening Primrose Oil, Chickweed Tincture, Red Clover, Other similar-acting plants include sarsaparilla, spearmint, licorice root, damiana, chasteberry, wild yams, motherwort, and red raspberry leaf, Sage, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Natural Progesterone Cream Although black cohosh has been previously promoted as a treatment for hot flashes, a study reported in the December 2006 Annals of Internal Medicine found that the root was no better than a placebo.
Menopause inflicts so much havoc on a woman (and the people around them) You do not need to suffer by simply implicating some of the above your skin will love it and you will not have to operate in an icebox.
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