You know the feeling, when you’re comfortable one minute and the next your face, neck, and chest feel like they’re ablaze? You might also get splotchy skin, chills, or even feel dizzy for a moment. This is a classic hot flash, a hallmark of menopause.
The only thing worse than a garden variety hot flash is one that comes in the summer, because the seasonal heat combines with your systemic heat to make you feel like a furnace that might blow.
Dr. Jacob Holdren and Dr. Steven Foley can deliver much-yearned-for relief from summer hot flashes, but there are also things you can do to up your comfort, and they go over these tips with you when you visit the Regenerative Health & Wellness Medical Center.
Help! I need relief from uncomfortable summer hot flashes
Because of our doctors’ years of experience working with so many women to relieve their menopausal symptoms, we’re able to share some of the best strategies on taming those hot-weather hot flashes promptly.
Ease up on spicy food and drink
That chili-infused burrito is a dietary choice you should probably skip right now, as it exacerbates your hot flashes or can trigger them. Ditto for caffeinated drinks and alcoholic beverages.
Opt instead for hydrating, cool foods and drinks, like a veggie platter with dip, crackers and cheese, or cucumber infused water.
Take it easy
Since hot flashes can make your heart beat rapidly and cause you to feel anxious, doing all you can to keep stress at bay can help lower the frequency of your hot flashes. Exercise, yoga, and cognitive behavioral therapy (better known as talk therapy) are all powerful tools for battling hot flashes all year round, not just the summer.
It’s the little things
Simple changes can really bring relief. For example, dress in layers so when a summer flash strikes, you can easily take off your tee and feel more comfortable in the tank top you put on under it.
Wearing natural fabrics like 100% cotton or linen makes a hot flash less likely than a wardrobe of pieces made with synthetic fabrics, which simply don’t breathe well.
Get a gadget
There are all kinds of reasonably priced products that can make you more comfortable if a hot flash comes on, whether you’re in your air-conditioned home or sitting at the pool.
Neck wraps and bandanas that you can put in the freezer and take out when you need them are a godsend, while portable mini-fans can get you through uncomfortable moments.
A neat invention called The Menopod is a small device that resembles a computer mouse; put it on the back of your neck, which is the location of your body’s temperature regulating center, and you’ll feel cooler quickly.
Get to a menopause specialist
There are hormone balancing treatments our doctors can provide that offer measurable, long-term relief from the misery of hot flashes. Hormones control so many of your body’s systems, and when they go through big shifts, like in adolescence, the postpartum period, and menopause, you can suffer from so many unpleasant symptoms.
The Regenerative Health & Wellness Center offers bioidentical hormone replacement therapy (BHRT), a treatment with hormones that are derived from plants, but biologically identical to the estrogen and testosterone that you produce much less of after menopause.
Another BHRT plus is that it doesn’t just address hot flashes, it helps with other menopausal symptoms, like mood swings, fatigue, and lowered libido.
After we take a blood sample and analyze it, we determine exactly how your hormones are imbalanced and prescribe a course of BHRT designed specifically for you. We insert a tiny pellet into your upper hip or buttocks that releases hormones over several months, and the results are typically excellent — and rapid.
We monitor you closely in case adjustments are needed or you have any questions.
Don’t postpone getting relief from summer — or any — hot flashes
You deserve to enjoy all the fun summer has to offer comfortably, without worrying about your next hellish hot flash. Call either of our offices today to schedule a consultation, or reach out to us on our website.