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A trip to Chinatown could help you keep your cool during menopause
Hot flashes. If you’re a woman, you’ve either already had them or you will eventually. I don’t mean to sound pessimistic. But about 90 percent of menopausal women get them.
I’ll admit, there’s a chance you’ll fall in that lucky 10 percent. My mom claims she did. When she was going through menopause, she said she never had hot flashes… only warm waves. My take? She had hot flashes. They just weren’t as bad as some women get them.
Some women get serious hot flashes. So serious they’re tempted to strip down to their skivvies in a busy Target. And when hot flashes get to that point, there’s no question — something must be done.
The question is… what?
Some women turn to hormone replacement therapy (HRT). But a lot of women don’t feel comfortable with the potential side effects, including a higher breast cancer risk. So, what else can you do?
Well, you can take a trip to Chinatown — or the closest traditional Chinese medicine practitioner —for some ancient herbal hot flash relief.
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Chinese herbs work like hormone replacement therapy… without side effects
Researchers from RMIT University in Australia recently reviewed the available research on traditional Chinese herbs and hot flashes. And guess what they found?
These herbs work in a similar way as hormone replacement therapy.
Researchers looked at nineteen randomized clinical trials that included 2,469 people. In these studies, Chinese herbs reduced hot flashes and related symptoms. They also lowered peripheral blood flow (blood flow in the arms and legs), which tends to get high during a hot flash.
All in all, these herbs seemed as effective as hormone replacement therapy. And people who took them rarely had adverse reactions, besides the occasional mild gastrointestinal tract reaction. But you know the interesting thing?
Even though these herbs had similar effects as hormone replacement therapy, they didn’t change hormone levels one iota.
Now, one caveat here…
Some of the studies (less than half) had a decent risk of bias for various reasons, including the fact that they were studying herbs supplied by the manufacturer. It was also hard to pin down the exact effects of these herbs because each study used a different formulation.
Dipping your toe in traditional Chinese medicine
If you’ve been riding the hot flash Ferris wheel for a while now, there’s a good chance you’ve tried some sort of alternative medicine for relief. About 80 percent of menopausal women do. And maybe traditional Chinese Medicine is something you’ve tried or want to try.
If you want to give TCM a go, I wouldn’t recommend DIY-ing it and purchasing Chinese herbs on your own. Find a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner near you who can give you the right combination of herbs and guide you on dosages. The National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine has a database you can search to provide a reputable practitioner near you. You may also want to find someone who practices acupuncture because research shows that it provides long-lasting relief from hot flashes too.
Sources:
By Jenny Smiechowski
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