Because of our icy weather and emergency conditions in
Tennessee, I have been glued to the news, monitoring school closings and road
conditions. Headlines yesterday
posted “news” that many of my patients could have shared long ago: hot flashes last longer than the
medical community had previously acknowledged! Is this a news flash to anyone?
I am currently working with a patient who has been
experiencing hot flashes for years without relief, and her experience has
inspired this week’s post. For
those of you who have yet to experience a hot flash, just think of it as an
internal volcano. The eruption
begins, and progresses to a full explosion of discomfort that finds little
relief from an external source because it all happens inside the body. No one in the immediate vicinity
understands why the person beside them is suddenly panting for breath and
pulling at clothing in a futile effort for relief.
Although we do not yet have a perfect solution, there is a
scientific explanation. Each person
has a thermoneutral zone. In simplest
terms, this is the temperature tolerance range. Go too far one way and shivering occurs. Go too far the other way; sweating is
the result. In some postmenopausal
women, this zone is greatly reduced, which means that a slight temperature
variation can trigger flushing.
This slight temperature variation can also be tilted by stress because
the chemicals that the body releases during stress can cause changes in the
core body temperature and can be enough to initiate a hot flash. Therefore, the postmenopausal woman can
be supremely sensitive to physical and emotional changes in her surroundings
that others will never feel. Again, this is not news to my postmenopausal patients!
Having this information is useful because it helps us
realize that there are environmental changes (like wearing lighter, looser clothing) that we can make to help hot
flashes. Although medications like
gabapentin, clonidine and venlafaxine are being used for treatment, I would
always suggest environmental changes first as any medication can have side
effects.
Changes to make include stopping smoking! We have already covered this, but it will
always top the list. Losing weight
can help as the extra body fat works as insulation and can prolong the hot
flash. Wearing loose clothing and
having a cool drink (water) at hand is useful. Deep breathing and meditation exercises have been found to
be helpful, so this is the time to begin yoga and to recall the Lamaze
training. Fans and air
conditioning help, but initiating deep breathing at the onset of a hot flash
has been shown to be the most effective at reducing symptoms. The onset of a hot flash is like the
beginning of a panic attack, so it is important to practice breathing exercises
beforehand to be able to have any kind of good result. Layered, loose clothing can help reduce
the thermostat battle.
The theme continues to be balanced diet, exercise, and
stress reduction…..
Healthy for life with John Hollis Pharmacy!