Hot flashes are one of the most common complaints of menopause, but did you know that hot flashes are actually your body’s cry for help?  They indicate surging hormones trying to get a woman’s body back to it’s premenopausal functioning state.  Hot flashes are not good for you, here’s why:

They essentially squeeze your brain, and can produce damage from the blood vessels constricting during hot flashes.  Studies are finding that women who have hot flashes are probably more likely to have heart disease and possibly strokes.  Studies have been done using PET scans to see what happens to brains as women experience hot flashes and the results are scary.

I believe hot flashes should only be used as a monitor to evaluate the body’s need for estrogen.  If you are taking hormone replacement and still having hot flashes, you are not on a sufficient dose.  Estrogen receptors are all over a woman’s body and in menopause they are hungry.  Hot flashes mean the amount used is not enough.  The object of hormone therapy should not be to stop the hot flashes.  Some menopausal woman do not have them.

The purpose of hormone therapy should be to provide an adequate amount of estrogen for bones, brain, heart, blood vessels and genital/sexual function in addition to protecting your body during the menopausal phase.

Hormone therapy provides a better quality of life for woman as they age. In our office, we only use bio-identical, natural hormone solutions to simulate what your body would naturally produce. I have helped so many women move through the annoyances of menopause with comfort and hope.

Women, there is NO need to suffer, we are here to help. If you are experiencing hot flashes, please do not ignore them without propper treatment.

If you are wondering if hormone therapy is right for you, you may be interested in our newest book where I dispel common myths about menopause and how hormones can help protect your health.