With diminishing estrogen, or rather, the roller coaster of its erratic, fluctuating levels during perimenopause, anything can happen, and not just to the targeted female organs. Changing menstrual patterns and flows are expected, but the most common complaints are hot flashes, insomnia, vaginal dryness, and mood changes, the latter referring to depression (new, reappearance, or […]
THE RIGHT STUFF: Choosing Vaginal Lubricants & Moisturizers
Experiencing hot flashes during the menopause transition is bad enough, but coincidental vaginal dryness removes the spontaneity from sex, predisposes to urinary issues, causes vaginal itching, and, for some, makes it uncomfortable to sit on our fannies. As estrogen diminishes during perimenopause, the vaginal lining thins, and its walls lose their folds. These changes were […]
PUT OUT THE FIRE: Extinguishing Hot Flashes
Have you noticed certain foods seem to be linked to hot flashes? Of course, you have. Round up the usual suspects—red wine, liquor, spicy foods. Do you also wonder if there are foods that might tame those devilish hot flashes instead? There are, but it’s not common knowledge. While you avoid the above hot flash […]
Food Calories Are Not Treated Equally
What has puzzled me for years is how little some people claim to eat, yet they still gain weight. After all, the conventional wisdom is that if one consumes 3500 calories more than they “burn,” one will gain one pound and if someone eats 3500 calories fewer than their metabolic needs and activities demand, they […]
VITAMIN K2: The Vitamin You Don’t Know About, But Should
If there was a vitamin that could help you maintain bone strength, improve cardiovascular health, and perhaps protect brain function, wouldn’t you want to know about it? For many decades, vitamin K (K1) was thought to be required only for blood coagulation, but a separate form of vitamin K—K2—has roles in bone, heart, and perhaps, […]
CHILLING OUT HOT FLASHES WITH “COLD” FOODS
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), each food (and herb) has a unique flavor profile (salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and pungent/spicy) and a specific thermal energy (“hot”, “warm,” “neutral,” “cool,” or “cold”). These characteristics determine how each ingredient or herb might be used therapeutically or combined with others in cooking to produce a balanced dish. For […]
JEWELED RICE
The Hot Flash DietTM recipe for March 2025 is an easy-to-make, minimally spiced version of Persian wedding rice. For the purposes of keeping hot flashes at bay, the recipe omits the many “warm” or “hot” spices that are classically added. It also leaves out the complicated steps for a crunchy base which are time-consuming. Despite […]
COFFEE JUMPSTARTS YOUR DAY & YOUR HOT FLASHES
“I would rather suffer with coffee than be senseless.” ~Napoleon Bonaparte I call coffee the “elixir of life” since it reverses the zombiedom of my mornings. I love its taste, smell, and energy I receive. Yet for myself and many women, caffeine sensitivity can gradually develop over time with lesser amounts needed to energize us and make […]
COMFORTING BARLEY SIDE DISH
The Hot Flash DietTM for February is a hearty barley dish perfect for the dead of winter. It is a great side, but if you add a small amount of meat, cheese, or beans to the mixture, it could be a main dish. Besides the mirepoix mix of celery, onions, and carrots, add any extra […]