Hot Flashes, Hormones, and Health

Dr. Cynthia Horner 

What’s a Woman to Do?

Yes. I hear myself saying “is it hot in here, or is it me?” Although symptoms may vary;  from foggy thinking, hot flashes and changes in  general health, if you are female, you will go through menopause. Once you check in, you can’t check out. If you are not there yet the best way to prepare for an easy passage is to be knowledgeable. It’s your body, it’s your life. Put all the information you can on the table and sort through, and pick out what make sense, what is good for you.

It’s hard to know what to believe these days. In 1960, the New England Journal of Medicine was recommending synthetic hormones replacement for (and I quote) “everyone with evidence of estrogen lack,” which is to say every woman over fifty. It caught on, for 45 million prescriptions were filled for Premarin and 22 Million for Prempro by 2001. Then – a study by the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) involving 160,000 women between the ages of 50 and 79, showed the risks of synthetic hormone replacement to far outweigh the benefits.

In women given synthetic hormones:

Heart disease   up 23%

Breast cancer   up 26%

Stroke              up 38%

Blood clots        up 100%

While we keep “running for the cure” fewer women will get breast cancer as this study has caused synthetic hormone replacement to come to a screeching halt.  Synthetic hormones are not biologically the same as hormones our bodies make.  Synthetic hormones are made of things nature never intended us to put in our bodies.

Homeopathy and Hot Flashes

There is no doubt that many women entering their peri-menopausal and menopausal years are searching for some sort of relief from the symptoms commonly associated with this time of life. Women should consider homeopathy as a first-line therapy before heading down the hormone path.

A study released in Homeopathy January 2008, reported on a multi-national, 99 physician study which studied the effectiveness of homeopathic treatment on hot flashes and quality of life. 438 patients with an average age of 55.  Homeopathic medicines were prescribed to all patients; 98% of the prescription lines were for homeopathic medicines. Lachesis mutus, Belladonna, Sepia officinalis, Sulphur and Sanguinaria canadensis were the most prescribed.  A  non-homeopathic treatment and/or food supplement prescribed for 5% of the patients.

Ninety percent of the women reported disappearance or lessening of their symptoms, these changes mostly taking place within 15 days of starting homeopathic treatment.

Homeopathy is an effective and safe treatment option of menopausal symptoms, but it is not always easy to decide on a remedy without the consult of a physician. Personally I recommend to start with Lachesis mutus. It can be taken as small pellets that melt under your tongue or a spray.

Knowledge is power.  Confidence is stirred, not shaken.  Stop giving in to fear. Take control.  Don’t let hot flashes control your life!

If you are a male reading this—stop and go fix something!  Or share it with a female in your life.

What my Patients have taught me: ” We really do know what is best for us if we listen to that small voice inside”