The Reasons For Hot Flashes May Vary, But Some Hot Flash Cures Are Effective
by Patsy Hamilton
The actual reasons for hot flashes during menopause are largely unknown. Finding hot flash cures is difficult for the medical community for several reasons. Here we look at the possible reasons for hot flashes and the issues that make it difficult to find effective hot flash cures.
It is hard to find an effective treatment for a symptom, when the physiological causes of the symptom are unknown. The majority of the medical community believes that the reasons for hot flashes are reduced production of estrogen and other hormones, which occurs naturally as the ovaries shut down. The primary reason for this belief is that women who must have their ovaries surgically removed due to illness and women whose ovaries have been damaged typically experience the most severe hot flash symptoms. One would hope that hot flash cures that work for these women would work for all women, but this is not the case.
Hot flash cures that work for some women do not work for others. Even the most effective hot flash cures or treatments only relieve some of the symptoms, some of the time. According to scientific studies and clinical trials, some remedies are more effective than others. Researchers typically consider a treatment effective, if it is more effective than placebo.
Hot flashes respond to placebo, which are inactive substances that have no drug-like effects, but are used in laboratory studies to compare with the substances that are active. Most clinical studies show that a placebo is effective about 20% of the time for relieving hot flashes. This has caused some people to think that the reasons for hot flashes are psychosomatic, but it is more likely related to a woman�s high tolerance for pain and physical discomfort as well as her tendency to have a positive attitude towards treatment efforts.
Even though every woman will experience menopause at some point in their life, not all women experience hot flashes. This seems to negate the theory that decreased production of estrogen and other hormones are the primary reasons for hot flashes, since every woman�s ovaries will stop producing hormones at some point. However, there are other hormonal sources.
In women who do not experience hot flash symptoms, the adrenals and other body processes may be more effective in taking over hormone production as the ovaries stop producing them. This may be related to diet or other lifestyle habits. In general, the body produces what the body needs, adding synthetic estrogens and other hormones will only reduce the amount of hormones that a woman�s body naturally produces.
The severity of hot flash symptoms varies greatly among women who do experience them and researchers are only beginning to understand what causes this variation. The Seattle Midlife Women�s Health Study recently reported a possible link between genetics and severe hot flash symptoms. In other words, some women may be more likely to experience severe hot flash symptoms than others, simply because of their genes.
Certain substances seem to trigger hot flash symptoms in most women, but not in every woman. The most common triggers are stimulants, like caffeine and nicotine, but alcohol is relatively common, as well. Emotional triggers, such as anger and frustration affect some women. By using a symptoms diary, some women have been able to find their own personal triggers and by avoiding them, they have reduced the number and/or severity of their hot flash symptoms.
Although the medical reasons for hot flashes are unknown and may vary from woman to woman, there are effective hot flash cures. To learn more about them, please visit the Menopause and PMS Guide.
Patsy Hamilton was a health care professional for over twenty years before becoming a freelance writer. Currently she writes health related informational articles for the Menopause and PMS Guide. Read more at http://www.menopause-and-pms-guide.com.
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