Hot flash
691224
223903453
2008-07-06T12:44:10Z
Korazim
7318083
/* Treatment */ expansion of the natural supplements available for menopause treatment, brough together with scientific relevance
'''Hot flashes''' (also known as '''hot flushes,''' or '''night sweats''' if they happen at night) are a symptom of the changing [[hormone]] levels that are considered to be characteristic of [[menopause]].<Ref>http://www.night-sweats.net/menopause-symptom.html</ref><Ref>http://www.womenshealthcareforum.com/menopause.cfm</REF>
==Description==
Hot flashes, a common symptom of [[menopause]] and [[perimenopause]], are typically experienced as a feeling of intense heat with [[Perspiration|sweating]] and rapid [[Heart rate|heartbeat]], and may typically last from two to thirty minutes for each occurrence. The sensation of heat usually begins in the face or face and chest, although it may appear elsewhere such as the back of the neck, and it can spread throughout the whole body. Some women pass out if the effects are strong enough. In addition to being an internal sensation, the surface of the skin, especially on the face, becomes hot to the touch. This is the origin of the alternative term "hot flush," since the sensation of heat is often accompanied by visible reddening of the face. Excessive flushing can lead to [[rosacea]]<ref>[http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/womenshealth/wome3263.html Hot Flashes: Health Topics: University of Iowa Health Care<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
The hot-flash event may be repeated a few times each week or constantly throughout the day, with the frequency reducing over time. Hot flashes may begin to appear several years before menopause starts and last for years afterwards. Some women undergoing menopause never have hot flashes. Others have mild or infrequent flashes. The worst sufferers experience dozens of hot flashes each day. In addition, hot flashes are often more frequent and more intense during hot weather or in an overheated room, the surrounding heat apparently making the hot flashes themselves both more probable and more severe.
Severe hot flashes can make it difficult to get a full night's sleep (often characterized as [[insomnia]]), which in turn can affect mood, impair concentration, and cause other physical problems. When hot flashes occur at night, they are called "night sweats." As [[estrogen]] is typically lowest at night, some women get night sweats without having any hot flashes during the daytime.<REF>http://www.gla.ac.uk/news/headline_50212_en.html</REF>
==Types of hot flashes==
Some menopausal women may experience both standard hot flashes and a second type sometimes referred to as "slow hot flashes" or "ember flashes." The standard hot flash comes on rapidly, sometimes reaching maximum intensity in as little as a minute. It lasts at full intensity for only a few minutes before gradually fading.
Slow "ember" flashes appear almost as quickly but are less intense and last for around half an hour. Women who experience them may undergo them year-round, rather than primarily in the summer, and ember flashes may linger for years after the more intense hot flashes have passed.
==In younger women==
Younger women who are [[menstruation|menstruating]] or expecting to menstruate soon (the premenstrual period typically lasts one week) may encounter hot and/or cold flashes. These episodes do not usually last long, with feelings of cold and heat alternating over the course of as short as a minute. Hot and cold flashes for younger women tend to occur only during times of menstruation or premenstruation (when estrogen is typically lowest). If they occur at other times in a young woman's menstrual cycle, then it might be a symptom of a problem with her [[pituitary gland]]; seeing a doctor is highly recommended.
In younger women who are surgically menopausal, hot flashes are generally more intense than in older women, and they may last until natural age at menopause.<ref>[http://adam.about.com/reports/Menopause.htm?once=true& Menopause<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Treatment==
[[Hormone replacement therapy]] (HRT) may relieve many of the symptoms of menopause. However, HRT may increase the risk of breast cancer, stroke, and dementia and has other potentially serious short-term and long-term risks<ref>[http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2004/NEW01022.html FDA Updates Hormone Therapy Information for Post Menopausal Women<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><ref>[http://www.center4research.org/hrt072002.html Hormone Therapy: The Risks & Benefits<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
The U.S. FDA and women's health advocates recommend that women who experience troublesome hot flashes try alternatives to hormonal therapies as the first line of treatment. If a woman chooses hormones, they suggest she take the lowest dose that alleviates her symptoms for as short a time as possible.
In addition to traditional hormone replacement therapies, there are other strategies and natural supplements available to try. A recent treatment, [[Femarelle (DT56a)]], has been shown to work as a novel [Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM)]<ref>{{cite journal |author=Somjen D, Katzburg S, Knoll E, ''et al'' |title=DT56a (Femarelle): a natural selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM) |journal=J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol. |volume=104 |issue=3-5 |pages=252–8 |year=2007 |month=May |pmid=17428655 |doi=10.1016/j.jsbmb.2007.03.004 |url=}}</ref>. As such, Femarelle works through the same mechanism as HRT, through the estrogen recepters, however the difference lies in its selective mechanism of action within the body, decreasing menopausal symptoms and increasing [[bone mineral density]], without affecting the breast<ref>{{cite journal |author=Yoles I, Lilling G |title=Pharmacological doses of the natural phyto-SERM DT56a (Femarelle) have no effect on MCF-7 human breast cancer cell-line |journal=Eur. J. Obstet. Gynecol. Reprod. Biol. |volume=130 |issue=1 |pages=140–1 |year=2007 |month=January |pmid=16580119 |doi=10.1016/j.ejogrb.2006.02.010 |url=}}</ref> and uterus<ref>{{cite journal |author=Somjen D, Yoles I |title=DT56a (Tofupill/Femarelle) selectively stimulates creatine kinase specific activity in skeletal tissues of rats but not in the uterus |journal=J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol. |volume=86 |issue=1 |pages=93–8 |year=2003 |month=July |pmid=12943748 |doi= |url=http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0960076003002528}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |author=Oropeza MV, Orozco S, Ponce H, Campos MG |title=Tofupill lacks peripheral estrogen-like actions in the rat reproductive tract |journal=Reprod. Toxicol. |volume=20 |issue=2 |pages=261–6 |year=2005 |pmid=15878261 |doi=10.1016/j.reprotox.2005.02.007 |url=}}</ref>. Thereby Femarelle reduces the safety risks involved with HRT while maintaining its efficacy.
It is believed that dietary changes that include a higher consumption of [[phytoestrogens]] such as [[soy]], [[red clover]], [[black cohosh]] and [[yam]] may relieve hot flashes. Other dietary changes might also have a positive effect in relieving hot flashes. These include avoiding caffeine, hot drinks, chocolate, spicy or hot foods and alcohol.<REF>http://www.power-surge.com/educate/whatsinahotflash.htm</REF> Certain herbs are also believed to help.<ref>[http://www.power-surge.com/headlines/hotflash.htm Hot flashes, Night Sweats: What Can I Do About Hot Flashes and Night Sweats? Power Surge<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
==Other==
It has been speculated that hot flashes are considerably less common among Asian women, possibly due to their soy rich diets <ref>http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=ArticleURL&_udi=B6T6K-48H21CH-C&_user=10&_rdoc=1&_fmt=&_orig=search&_sort=d&view=c&_acct=C000050221&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=10&md5=6e9fa8369a30833f9fb3df9dc54987fe Effect of soy-derived isoflavones on hot flushes, endometrial thickness, and the pulsatility index of the uterine and cerebral arteries</ref><ref>[http://www.power-surge.com/educate/whatsinahotflash.htm Hot Flash, Hot Flashes - Menopause and What's a Hot Flash?<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.
Hot flashes in men could be a possible sign of low testosterone.<ref>http://abcnews.go.com/Health/ActiveAging/story?id=3247773.htm</ref> Men who are [[castrated]] can also get hot flashes.<ref>[http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/10/041019085808.htm Hot Flashes In Men - Mayo Clinic Researchers Describe A Treatment<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref><REF>http://jmh.sagepub.com/cgi/content/refs/1/1/8</ref><ref>[http://news.softpedia.com/news/Men-Can-Experience-Hot-Flashes-Like-Menopause-Women-52030.shtml Men Can Experience Hot Flashes, Just Like Women in Menopause - This was detected in castrated men - Softpedia<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> Men with [[prostate cancer]] who are undergoing hormone therapy with [[antiandrogens]], also known as androgen antagonists, which reduce testosterone to castrate levels, can have hot flashes as the most common side effect.<ref>http://www.prostate.com/lupron/expect</ref>
==References==
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[[Category:Menopause]]
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