Reducing Hot Flashes Naturally

If you have gone through menopause or just notice changes in your body, you know hot flashes can seriously disrupt your day when I begin noticing hot flashes. I was 49 years old I remember teaching at the front of my classroom. I teach high school English and feeling that warm wave come over me… Slowly becoming a fiery furnace as the sweat began to be on my face and drip down my back, I sold her and finish the lesson, but I felt as if I was on fire. I went back to my desk and put my head down and wondered what in the world is happening to me? 

This scene kept repeating itself: at work at home after dinner just standing in line at the grocery store… I mean there’s nothing more frustrating than taking a shower drying off putting on a fresh outfit and make up doing your hair and feeling yourself drenched in sweat just minutes later  The hot flashes were just one debilitating symptom of many I experienced during menopause, the extreme discomfort and sweating how I move through the world I would avoid going out or doing things I used to do all because of hot flashes I felt limited in my wardrobe choices, especially for work it’s tough to look professional knowing that at any moment I’d be sweating is if I had just run the Houston marathon – not that I’ve ever done that . 😂

I tried all the remedies, black cohosh evening Primrose eliminating spicy foods, eliminating alcohol, etc. nothing truly cured me. I am hesitant to take estrogen – even the bio identical stuff I took bioidentical progesterone for decades, but I decided to discontinue that based on my long-term health and longevity goals I just decided it wasn’t the right choice for me at the time… I basically sat with my face next to a fan for about two years. I’m not exaggerating at home at work… My students and family members always knew where they could find me – right next to that fan! Sadly limited my enthusiasm for going out and living life I had just turned 50 and felt like life was like the life was zapped out of me. Everyone else was out having a great time and I was stuck in front of the fan. It was during one of these “fan sessions” that I decided I had finally had it , I didn’t want to stop living life for the next 10 years. That’s how long menopause symptoms can last for some women my mind erased – I didn’t know if there was a solution, but I had to try to make my mission to find the solution if there was one.

 it was that day that I started searching the Internet for answers. I found a few sources that suggested intermittent fasting may help with menopause symptoms – Dr. Eric Berg and Dr. Mary Claire Haver both have websites and YouTube channels that teach women about dealing with menopause symptoms while I had experimented with intermittent fasting in my 40s I had only tried the 16 hour fast and I later learned that putting cream or MCT oil in my coffee was not a clean fast. I was doing it wrong  Once I learned that fasting clean and along with a 20 hour fast and a four hour window could help with hot flashes. I went all to try it the following day I knew it would be tough, but I just committed to one day knowing that I could eat at any time if things got unbearable , I’m not sure what I would’ve eaten as I did not pack my lunch for work or carried any snacks with me, but that was part of the strategy food out of sight food out of mind. I made it through that first day and ate my snack at 4 PM and dinner at 6 PM . I repeated this all over again on day two it was hard but I kept myself busy anytime. I felt hunger. I started working on a project to keep my mind and body occupied. I kept repeating this over and over day three day four day five I was concentrating so hard on just doing the 20 hour fast daily that I almost forgot about my hot flashes , in fact, after day three my hot flashes were gone. I started to think the intermittent fasting was working. I kept it up day after day after day. No hot flashes! No more sweating through my clothes! It’s been almost 3 years since I began this fasting journey, my heart flashes are gone, and I am back to living life again!  my menopause symptoms do not control me. I have gotten them under control and have regained health and vitality. I look better have less inflammation and I feel fantastic

Dear if you are experiencing debilitating symptoms of menopause such as hot flashes consider thinking outside the box could intermittent fasting help you? Do your own research listen to your body and do what makes sense for you. I pray you find success in your health journey. 

All the best,

Jennifer Kaye