My book-in-progress, The Hot Flash Diet, is based on Traditional Chinese Medicine concepts, focusing on the need to maintain balance between Yin (cold, moist, & calm) and Yang (hot, dry, & active), especially during the menopause transition. As I learned more about Yang Excess and/or Yin Deficiency as the basis for developing hot flashes and […]
“Heart Fire” & Perimenopause in Summer
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), health is maintained by a balance between Yin (female, cool, moist, calm) and Yang (male, hot, dry, active). During the menopause transition, generalized heat and hot flashes are due to Yang Excess (“full heat”) and night sweats are due to Yin Deficiency (“empty heat”). Both types of heat often flare […]
Hydration: “Cool” Choices
Staying hydrated is important, yet experts continue to debate whether a person needs the oft recommended “eight 8-ounce glasses of water” a day. Beauty consultants claim that skin benefits from drinking this amount. Massage therapists talk about muscles needing more fluids when working out to be able to “flush toxins away.” Yet, medical professionals declare […]
Grilling and Hot Flashes: Feeling the Heat
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, […]