Cure For Hot Flashes

     Within the last 4 months, my body has been gradually going into a menopausal state - that is, I've been getting the dreaded hot flashes by day and miserable sweats at night. As I am still undergoing Acupuncture treatments to shrink my fibroids, I wondered if there was a connection:

Could the Acupuncture treatments be 'forcing' my body into menopause? Or, was this just the time for it to happen?

        I'm  45 yrs. old, and when looking at my Mother and Grandmother's time of 'life change', it was too soon. As I am still trying to research if there is a connection, I had to find an immediate remedy to the hot flashes. They were making me feel as though I was losing my mind! They would just come over me in a swell. At work, everyone knew I when I had one because I announced it like an alarm. The men I worked with just looked at me in wonder as I would burst out into a sweat during a conversation. The ladies basically said 'Welcome to the Club'. At night, I would get up three or four times to change sheets and night shirts.  I wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, stay up for hours and read or look at a movie, then try to get a nap in before it was actually time for me to wake up. For several weeks I went through this, talking to various women about their experiences with the hot flashes, and how they found relief.  I began eating ice whenever I felt a flash come on. That helped, but it took a few minutes for my body temperature to even out. I also took a few seconds to stand in the walk-in freezer in the kitchen at work, but was always afraid that I would cause myself a cold due to the extreme cold and my intensely hot, sweating body - not a good mix. So, I stopped doing that and just resorted to the ice therapy.

       My Mother (and Father) suggested that I do Hormone Replacement Therapy,
as it had worked successfully for both of them. I had a bit of fear with using a patch, and I wanted to explore some other, more natural alternatives for relief. Looking at the root cause of hot flashes, I found that there is an imbalance in the hypothalamus caused when there is a decrease in the production of estrogen. As the hypothalamus is what regulates body temperature, the imbalance causes blood vessels to constrict and expand at such a rate that one feels a 'flush' or 'flash'. I also did some research with regards to the thyroid gland, because I was experiencing chills sporadically. With more research into these two body parts, I came upon an interesting video by Dr. David Brownstein who spoke extensively about the thyroid gland, how he cured his own Father by helping him correct his thyroid function, and his integrative approach to healing.  From my own research and practice, I used Iodine along with my herbal teas and molasses 'routine' in an effort to shrink my fibroids before beginning Acupuncture
to support my uterus. Although it had been some time since I had taken any Iodine (Liquid Kelp), after seeing the video I didn't think it could hurt. I plucked about 5 drops of the Liquid Kelp under my tongue, and resumed life.  That night, I slept without having a night sweat, but was so tired when I did go to bed, I hadn't noticed until a few days later. Also, at work I wasn't making my intermittent announcements of 'hot flash coming on!' I was feeling fine. A co-worker asked me how were my flashes coming along, as she had suggested a product she used that seemed to help. My response was that I was feeling good, not  noticeably sweating as I had been, and the "eureka!" moment when I told her...."I've been able to sleep through the night". When I said this, I realized something I must have done differently had caused this reversion to normalcy. But, what was it? What did I do? I just figured it out right before making this post:


The Iodine (liquid kelp) is what cured my hot flashes!


I just finished some pre-lim surfing on the Internet regarding the effects of Iodine on hot flashes. Based on studies that have been done, what has been offered as testimonials by other women, and what I've experienced, I can say with confidence that after taking Iodine one time, my hot flashes and night sweats have disappeared! I take 5 sub-lingual drop every two three days, and have not had a re-occurrence of hot flashes since - its been three weeks.

I'll post a follow-up of continued or changed effects at the end of June. Stay tuned, and see what happens. In the mean time, if you decide to employ Iodine (Liquid Kelp) as a nutritional supplement,
to help you with hot flashes, check with your physician first. You may not need Iodine, but an over-abundance can cause a serious problem, just as a deficiency.


Update: (7/14)  Read follow-up here