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.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Carly (Seattle, Wa, Usa) on 02/12/2013
★★★★★
I believe I am peri-meno, because of my age, and I do get night sweats at times and seem to be gaining weight in my middle. Isn't being a woman fun?!!!!! ;-)
Anyway, I have noticed that if I eat snacks after dinner I will get night sweats. It seems like the higher the calories, the worse it is.
The trick for me is not eating after dinner. sigh.
Good luck to you! :-)
Soy
Posted by Deborah (Rincon, Georgia) on 04/28/2008
★★★★★
Over a year ago I underwent surgery and had a total hysterectomy. I still have yet to have a hot flash, night sweat, etc. I believe my secret to this success has been to have alot of soy (soy milk, tofu, LUNA proteing bars which have soy) and my best ever salad dressing using Apple Cider Vinegar and Flax Seed Oil.(2 talbs. of each, mixed with garlic,oregano, pepper. I usually use 1/8 teaspoon of each spice). I do take multi vitamin along with other herbal and mineral supplements that are recommended in the book, Prescription for Natural Healing. Oh yeah..I exercise 2-3 times a week, garden.
Magnesium Citrate, Vitamin E
Posted by Christa (Vancouver, Canada) on 01/26/2008
★★★★★
I am so gratefull for this site. Thank you everyone for the time and effort it takes to do this. I went into menapause about 1.5 years ago. I developed an overgrowth of yeast that ended up breaking out all over my body in different rashes at different times. Nothing would make it go away. I tried silver. I tried creams . I went on 2 week cleanses and nothing worked untill I tried ACV. I read that this would kill yeast so I started to bathe in with a cup of it in my bathwater and i started to take 2 Tbs with 1/2 tbs, Baking soda with a little hot water and a dash of pure apple juice 3 times a day . Within a week, my rash's had cleared up. One more sore broke out the next week but I have been rash free for almost 3 weeks now and I am so gratefull. I then took Teds advise and took 250 ml of Magnesium Citrate, liquid for w 400 iu of Natural Vitamin E.Capsules and as he said, my body is cooling down. I barely have hot flashes anymore. All this incouraged me and I have totaly illiminated white floor & Sugar from my diet. I find myself giggleing now and feel so much lighter...Thank you so much...
Magnesium Citrate, Vitamin E
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) 391 posts
★★★★★
I feel so happy you were helped.
This remedy using vitamin E was actually thought up when my mother had menopause about 25 years ago (the suffering was quite severe!), after observing that vitamin E helps protects against glandular inflammation from vitamin E's antioxidant effects, I recommended my mother to try the innocuous vitamin E.
Hence if glandular functions are protected, menopause, which is actually a deficiency of progesterone, should begin to produce in an acceptable range without the need for HRT - hormone replacement therapy. Current practices are flawed since doctors prescribe estrogen, not progesterone to treat menopause.
The problem if anyone ever bother to take a peak at the medical diagnosis (doctor do a lot, but they don't seem to see the pattern), it is always the progesterone that is lowered whenever menopause sets in. Other menopause is greatly helped with reduction of sugar, sweets, but some update here is necessary. I now have to add white bread, white flour and starchy foods to the list. Avoiding hydrocarbons, kerosine, canned foods (high in estrogenic Bisphenol-A), aspartame, formaldehyde, and others. These newer list are the exact causes of glandular inflammation, which leads to hormonal imbalance.
As an addition Vegetables oils should not be used in cooking where high temperatures is used, the cause a lot of problems in disrupting some hormonal functions by creation of some free radicals as fatty acids in excess. Hence higher boiling temperatures of cooking oils are a lot safer and less toxic, such as plain old lard, coconut oil or maybe just butter. I like to use coconut oil. Menopause and other strange symptoms just goes away whenever vegetable oils are not used in high temperature cooking and are substituted with high boiling temperature cooking oils.
Soy
Posted by Rose (New Mexico) on 02/20/2006
★★★★★
It was getting to the point where I could not enjoy going out to eat or spend any time with my friend due to the sweats that left me wet from from my head, neck, arms and under my breast. It was so uncomfortable that I felt as if I was going to combust from the heat. Only a women can explain the feeling and how awful it makes you feel. A glass of soy milk a day stopped them, and if I did get one it was very, very mild.
General Feedback
Posted by Sunshine (Pdx) on 05/31/2017
My naturopathic doctor is a hormone top expert and apparently has people fly from outside the country to see her for hormone balancing. I was under her care she put me on plant based bio-identical hormones, and 75 mg progesterone that was dissolvable I took in the evening .
Also, it is worth noting that some menopausal women will have anxiety, uneasiness, which they have never had in the past, progesterone helps with that and increasing 5HTP which will increase serotonin levels. You can ask your doctor for neurotransmitter test, this helps shed light on what is going on. Also B-12 vitamin E and magnesium helps as well, and altering your diet eliminating sugar, gluten and caffeine. Alkalizing two to three times a day helps a lot. I chose the 20 hour fast with 4 hour window to eat strategy daily by Dr. Fung.
Progesterone
Posted by Lj (Tacoma, Wa) on 11/15/2013
★★★★★
Hi Elsa, Regarding the internal shaking - I get this on and off, and a few years ago I had it really bad, but what helped me the most was progesterone cream. I didn't need estrogen, that seemed to make it worse. I just started using 1/8 to 1/4 tsp. of progesterone cream on my inside wrists, and the shaking disappeared. I felt calmer, so much better.
Avoid Sugar
Posted by Tammy (Eugene, Or) on 02/11/2013
★★★★★
I have very few hot flashes and not intense when I stay away from sugar and simple carbs. This includes diet soda, artificial sweateners, alcohol, etc. Simple carbs turn to sugar in your body. It way take a few days to clean sugar out of your system but it works like a charm.
Lugol's Iodine
Posted by Kilgore (Jackson, Ms) on 12/06/2012
★★★★★
Please try lugol's iodine for menopause. Stops the symptoms cold. 20 drops of the 5% solution a day in coffee or milk.
Soy
Posted by John (New York, Ny) on 06/15/2012
★★★★★
My wife takes Isoflavones, and she says the results are miraculous. My brother-in-law, who has some background in biology and chemistry, says the isoflavones mimic hormones.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Blackstrap Molasses
Posted by Colleen (Illinois) on 01/22/2017
★★★★★
I have been in menopause for 2 years. I'm 45, and have been taking BSM and ACV with baking soda for two weeks. Also just got a period! But with lots of cramps :( I am going to try to keep going because I read that you feel like crap while your body re-adjusts. It was certainly unexpected!
Lugol's Iodine
Posted by Tammy (Pleasant Grove, Utah) on 06/07/2008
★★★★★
I have been having the hot flashes from Menopause the last year. I had been taking estroven or similar products, but found that Lugol's Iodine was more helpful and cheaper.
Oil Pulling
Posted by Catalina (Mexico) on 12/17/2006
★★★★★
Oil pulling cured keratosis pilaris, coated tongue, ear wax greatly diminished, softer skin, sounder sleep, white teeth, pinker gums and tongue, reduced menopause symptoms. I have been oil pulling for 4 1/2 months. I pull for 20 minutes with organic coconut oil. Keratosis Pilaris has no known medical cure. I will oil pull for the rest of my life.
Exercise
Posted by Diane (Palatka, FL)
★★★★★
I believe there must be a link between exercise and hot flashes. I was plagued by hot flashes day & night, then started riding my horse for 2-3 hours daily, 4-6 times per week, suddenly I noticed I was no longer having them, but then when I got too busy to ride, they immediately returned; started riding again,. . . hot flashes subsided again . . .
DHEA and Progesterone Pregnenolone
Posted by Timh (Ky, Usa) on 03/28/2014 2041 posts
Lauren: You should surely benefit from the correct amount of these hormones. Start w/ a low dose of either and slowly work your way to a maximum dose.
For DHEA 10mg - 50mg. Pregnenolone 10mg - 50mg.
For more info read the book Your Hormoneous Life by Calvin Ross.
Wild Yam
Posted by Maggie (Pittsburgh, PA) on 10/23/2008
★★★★★
I have found wild yam is an excellent cure for hot flashes/night sweats..Try it!
Psyllium
Posted by Sharon (Ann Arbor, MI) on 03/05/2008
★★★★★
Due to multiple food and gluten allergies, I've had a history of both constipation, and more recently chronic diarrhea. Psyllium capsules taken at night with a full glass of water, or between meals with a full glass of water has been a lifesaver. I find starting with 2 capsules a day of psyllium husk, then working up gradually by adding 1 or 2 capsules a day to a total of about 10 taken in divided doses of 2 or 3 at a time between meals with lots of water gives no symptoms of gas, bloating, or bad breath. After a week or two of this I usually back off to a small maintenaince dose of 3 capsules, which is about 2 grams of total additional fiber a day.
Unexpected side effects for me included the complete relief of menopausal type hormone flucuations and hot flashes because of the fact that the fiber binds to excess hormones like estrogen and escorts them safely out of the system before they can have side effects. For this reason I would recommend it to anyone who was suffering from hormone related cancers including prostate. It may also help in chemo therapy to bind to the toxins of the drugs that are used and to help remove dead cancer cells from the body. Also pysllium can be a lifesaver when a bout of food poisoning or flu occurs because it binds with the toxins that are the byproduct of the offending bad virus or bacterias. For ANY use of pysllium husks , make sure that after your body becomes healthy and regular, see if you can't wean down on the number of capsules you take by substituting high amounts of quality fruit and vegtables into your diet, then let your body have a complete pysllium break and see how you do. You may have fixed the problem. For some of us who are allergic to many grains we just can't get enough fiber into our normal diet and need to add a little extra. Another help has been to add additional enzymes like bromelain and papaya, to the diet to help properly break down foods and repair intestinal damage. It is important to note that pysllium is NOT a laxative and that your body does not develope a dependency on it, but it DOES bind to vitamins, minerals, and medicines so for that reason is best taken on an empty stomach at leaast 2 hours after food or medicine is ingested, and at least an hour before you eat again.
VERY IMPORTANT: Drink at least one extra 8 oz. glass of water for every 2 capsules taken!
Dietary Changes
Posted by Cynthia (Henderson, NV) on 07/29/2007
★★★★★
Responding to the emails posted, I think Valentina is closer to the "answers." After a vaginal hysterectomy (kept my ovaries) I started realizing a lot more hot flashes (from 1 or 2 a day to 5-10 hotflashes per day). Took black cohosh which minimized all, but got tired of using it and wanted to help out my liver. I got mad and headed for the organic food section...did a liver cleanse, put myself on 75-90% organic and several weeks later I realized I hadn't had a hot flash for a week, they fluctuate now between 1 a week to none. Now I am seriously studying the ph aspect of my body chemistry. Valentina's email was reinforcement and I am sure I am on the right path. I am now adjusting my grocery list to include a lot more Alkaline forming foods and fewer acid forming foods. Wish me luck. I am 53.
Black Cohosh
Posted by Renee (NC) on 01/15/2020
★★★★★
I was having hot flashes all night and, to a lesser extent, during the day for several weeks in a row. Black Cohosh 540 mg, taken twice a day with breakfast and dinner, decreased my hot flashes immediately by about 80%.
My hot flashes became "warm" flashes. But even the warm flashes were waking me up several times a night, and if I wasn't overheating, I was freezing.
So I added a generic menopause supplement twice a day containing Damiana, Black currant seed oil, Chasteberry, Dong Quai, Wild Yam, Black Cohosh and Ginkgo bilobba plus Evening Primrose Oil 80mg twice a day.
That's a lot, I know! But my body temperature completely corrected itself immediately. 100%. My body's thermostat is working properly again. I sleep better, although still waking up - just not due to body temperature any more.
Maca
Posted by Bethany (Upstate Ny) on 06/12/2018
★★★★★
I take maca to help menopause. After a few days, no more hot flashes and less hair loss. I am also losing a few pounds but that have made changes to my diet and am exercising more so I can't say if the maca is aiding weight loss. I will continue!
Psyllium
Posted by Holly (Cleveland, Oh) on 09/24/2017
★★★★★
I have suffered from terrible food sensitivities which manifest as acne all over my face since I was in my 20's. When menopause hit five years ago, I developed devasting hot flashes, as well. I have tried everything for the acne and the hot flashes. I did realize that phytoestrogens (often promoted for hot flashes) where making my hot flashes worse and caused extreme breakouts and boils on my face. To make a long story short, after trying EVERYTHING and I mean EVERYTHING plus buying an infrared sauna ($$$$), I added some psyllium to my routine because I had started milk thistle to attempt to clean my liver. After one or two doses of the psyllium, I noticed my skin feeling better and my hot flashes decreasing. I actually didn't know it was the psyllium at first, but deducted that it was the only completely new thing I had added (I had used milk thistle before which never helped that much and actually is a phytoestrogen itself). So, I started to experiment with the psyllium husk by adding it to my diet slowly but surely. My skin has not looked this good since I was probably 10 years old (I am 50). My allergies are decreasing and my hot flashes are almost non-existent. I have eaten very healthy for the past 25 years, never seeing a benefit to my skin even when I made/grew my own sprouts, kefir, kombucha, juices, etc. The psyllium is like a true miracle. My stomach began to bloat a bit as I have been in menopause (I just attributed it to that and getting older) but I am starting to see it flatten again. It has only been about 5 days, but I have never seen such a change in my system and my health issues. I have heard that fecal matter that is encrusted in your colon can prevent foods/vitamins etc. from being absorbed into your body and that the psyllium can scrub it away. I would get acne from every supplement, vitamin and food I ate (even vitamin D and C made me have eczema like skin eruptions), and I believe it was because my bowels have not been able to absorb them so they acted as toxins and came out through my skin. I believe psyllium may be the greatest health food that exists. I have spent years of my life looking for a cure and thousands and thousands of dollars. Psyllium seems to possibly be the answer to my problems and I hope others will take note, as it may be a simple cure for all our bodies.
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Anonymous (La, Ca) on 06/29/2013
★★★★★
Menopause may cause hair loss, tiredness, bloating, dry skin, skin changes , anxiety, mood changes, hot flashes, sweating, night heat, I think it just an overall feeling of being uncomforable... the next symptom is something that surprised me
inner shaking and trembling feeling is from low estrogen!
Two ND's and my chinese medicine doctor told me NO soy products, because it is not processed correctly in our country unless you located old style genuine organic tofu maker. Vitamin E (not soy based) magnesuim citrate and vitamins B and D I think for the skin the best product is taking 2 tablespoons flax seed oil a day for week then back dow to 1 tablespoon a day and buy the best quality primrose oil helps 1 tablespoon molasses daily relieves hot flashes!
