Memorial Day weekend is upon us, ushering in the summer season with trips to the beach and other summer haunts as well as gatherings with friends and family. For many this involves cookouts, big meals, and alcoholic beverages which can precipitate hot flashes and night sweats in perimenopausal women who partake in such fare. If […]
Chilling Out Your Hot Flashes with “Cold” Foods
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), each food (and herb) has a unique flavor profile and a specific thermal energy (“hot”, “warm,” “neutral,” “cool,” or “cold”) which determines how it might be used therapeutically or combined with others in cooking to produce a balanced dish. These descriptors do not refer to the temperature of the served […]
The Highly Sensitive Person & the Menopause Transition
With diminishing estrogen, or rather, the roller coaster of its fluctuating levels during perimenopause, anything can happen, and not just to the hormonally targeted female organs and tissues. While changing menstrual patterns and flows are predictable, the most common complaints are hot flashes, insomnia, vaginal dryness, and mood changes, the latter referring to depression (new, […]
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 the taste, the smell, and the energy I receive. Unfortunately, coffee has not always been a friend. For many women, caffeine sensitivity may gradually develop, making them […]
Hot Flashes? What Can I Eat? Citrus!
Hot flashes during the menopause transition occur year-round although you might find some respite in winter if you live in a temperate climate since it’s easier and cheaper to keep your home cooler in the winter. Winter is also citrus season which means there are lots of “cool” to “cold” options to eat which can […]
HOT STUFF! Foods to Avoid If You Have Hot Flashes
Provocative title if you’re thinking about the song, but edible “hot” stuff only provokes hot flashes. If you read my previous post, you became aware that each food has a thermal quality according to Chinese nutrition. We are not talking about what temperature the food is served at, but its innate thermal property as defined […]