hotflashes

I know caffeine, spices, etc ( which I avoid like the plague ) makes it worse, but what can ease it?
I've been peri-menopause for about 7 years now, and it's only getting worse. The anxiety has died down ( only because I now know what it is I'm going through ) but the flashes are getting worse...followed by extreme chills and sweating.
I can't sleep ( even if my two y/o would let me sleep through the night lol ) and I drag my butt around all day.
I told the doctor that I refuse to take the hormone therapy and anti-depressants...too many bad side effects...and my body seems to be super sensitive to ALL medications. They tried me on the lowest dose available ( anti-depressants ) 6 years ago, and it made things so much worse. Cutting the pills in half was still too much for me,
hence the reason I am now very hesitant when it comes to taking anything the doctor offers me.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[gymdandee]

Estriol therapy 2 milligrams of estriol is the most commonly prescribed amount. However,from what I read don't take it every day, but instead copy Nature’s pattern with a monthly pause. An important study, this one performed in Israel, investigated how estriol might work to prevent cancer. The researchers found that estriol interferes with the pro-carcinogenic effects of estradiol by covering as many of the body’s estrogen receptors as possible, so that not as much estradiol can be absorbed. Speak to your doctor about
Estriol therapy.

[Red_Star]

My mother read an article on how Japanese women rarely suffer menopausal symptoms (in fact there is no Japanese word for "hot flashes"!) due to the high amount of soy in their diet.  Soy is a phytoestrogen which mimics the action of estrogen in the body.  Based on this article, my mother decided to try out a product called Phytolife by Blackmores (contains soy phytoestrogens).  Within 3 months of taking this product her menopausal symptoms were gone.  After 3 years she found she didn't need to take Phytolife anymore.  Menopausal symptoms can last from 2 to 10 years.  Phytoestrogens include Soy, Black Cohosh, Ginseng, Red Clover and **** Quai.

[tschock]

Sounds like something to bring back the "romance" too. lol
I'll try almost anything right now...except the the hormone replacement pills from the doctor that is.

[tschock]

If it can fight off cancer, it may be worth a try. I have already had one bout of cervical cancer, and every woman on my mom's side of the family ( except for a few younger cousins and myself ) have all had hysterectomies due to cancer/menopause.
Thanks to both of you for your suggestions.

[gymdandee]

I have to say no to Soy! and I Respect Red_Star's opinion!
Asians eat a lot of soy in their diet. Soy formula is a good choice for infants,
Soy-containing foods help prevent osteoporosis, Soy is a healthy food for adults, Soy helps improve libido in men.
The answer to all of the above statements is false.
Those who eat large amounts of soy, especially non-fermented soy, have
severe hormonal imbalances that are very difficult or impossible to correct without eliminating or drastically reducing soy in the diet. Soy is contained in almost 60 percent of grocerystore food. It is in vegetable burgers and hot dogs and is a hidden ingredient in many other foods. And don’t forget soy milk. I've seen it even added to tea!
I'm going to send you a private message because the report I have is to large and and it's in a PDF format. med/help won't permit that.

[Paxiled]

As usual, I have a responsibility to contradict Gymdandee on the soy issue.  While some are allergic to soy, the evidence of soy's harmful effects are theoretical and confined to those of western European ancestry.  The concerns were originated by the meat industry, with government backing ironically, to counter the increase in vegetable protein consumption in the US.  There is absolutely no evidence whatsoever that the consumption of soy in Asia has had any deleterious effects on anyone, and their large populations would seem to put the lie to the concern of estrogen affecting men.  And most of the soy eaten in most countries is tofu and roasted soy beans, not fermented soy.  Only in Indonesia is most soy consumption fermented, because they prefer tempeh to tofu.  Think of all the products made with soy eaten by those in the Far East -- their main cooking oil is soy oil, their staple protein is tofu, their main seasonings are miso and soy sauce and natto (these are fermented), they use soy fiber (okara) in cooking -- they're practically made of soy beans and they don't have any of these problems.  There are soy products to avoid, however, such as TVP, and highly processed isolated soy proteins of certain types, and if you have certain thyroid conditions soy isn't so good.  But again, you don't need to do soy to get the isoflavones that are estrogenic (and they're only estrogenic, as is Black Cohosh, if your body needs estrogen, otherwise the body won't use the estrogen and will flush it out of the body as it does any other nutrient it doesn't need and that doesn't store in fatty tissue).  Red clover sprouts are more estrogenic than soy.  And there's black cohosh and other herbs.  And you can do creams made from slightly altered derivatives of the Mexican Wild Yam.  Or you can just surround yourself with petroleum products, which unfortunately do store in the fatty tissue and are estrogenic and are responsible for most of the problems blamed on soy.  But keep in mind that most women in the West don't have an estrogen problem, they have a progesterone problem.  Most formulas for hormonal balance will have a combination of herbs that work on both estrogen and progesterone, as balance is what's aimed for.  Chastetree berry (Vitex), for example, is progesteronic.  However, the person who posted this sounds like she may have a thyroid problem, which also affects menses and creates many of the same symptoms of sexual hormone imbalances.  Hopefully you've eliminated this as a problem, but the cold and hot and the anxiety are big signs of thyroid problems.  

[tschock]

My thyroid is checked on a regular basis, as a doctor I saw many years ago suspected a thyroid problem ( which runs in my family ) but so far the tests have all come back " on the high side of normal" so nothing has been done for it.
I keep thinking that the doctors are "off" by a bit...they told me years ago that I was .5 away from having arthritis ( even thought my knuckles were getting bigger and more painful every day ) and they said that I was .5 away from having Celiac as well ( even though I get severe diarrhea after eating ).
The arthritis is now "full blown" according to the doctors, and the Celiac has not been tested for years.
So this really makes me wonder if the thyroid being only " high on the normal side" isn't a problem. One doctor told me that I have all the signs...however the "blood work" says I have to wait until it goes up by .5 in order to have a problem? How stupid is that ?
My younger brother is on pills for his thyroid problem...same symptoms...he gets help...I get put on hold. Ugh.

[gymdandee]

More than 25 percent of the population has a genetic variation that increases susceptibility to gluten, a protein found in wheat, which is in just about everything. And one percent of the population has full-blown celiac disease, which should be suspected in anyone with chronic diarrhea, chronic fatigue, unexplained weight loss, or anemia. Gluten intolerance leads to chronic, low-grade inflammation, damaging tissue in the intestine. Fairly reliable blood tests that many doctors are now knowledgeable about and will order are tissue transglutaminase, anti-gliaden and antiendomysial, and total IgA antibodies. Even low, normal values with symptoms can signal the disease. The cure is a gluten-free diet for life.

[tschock]

Thanks for that knowledge!

I guess that would explain so much...I DO have all those things you listed above. Have had anemic issues since birth...so it's possible that the doctors have overlooked things?  I don't have major weight loss ( per see...except for this past summer when I lost 10 lbs, which was unexplained ) but I have never ( outside of pregnancy ) been able to gain weight.
As for the other problems...they keep telling me that it "sounds like" IBS/GERD, etc.
I have NEVER been tested for IBS or GERD...they just told me that I had them ( 20 + years ago ) because of the "symptoms" that I described.

I had my teeth pulled in September...I was unable to eat anything but soup ( homemade) for the first 3 months. I felt better than I had in YEARS!

I started eating pasta, potatoes, and other soft foods during the fourth month...started to feel " not quite right."

Had Chinese last week ( soft stuff) got sick within minutes of eating!

I added meat and salad to my diet 2 nights ago ( new teeth came in )...feel AWFUL!
Started getting palpitations on and off when I added semi-solids...today it's really bad...as well as anxiety and cramps.
My stomach has been "talking to me" for 2 days now...non-stop. Very noisy. lol
Guess I'll just have to watch what I eat, as being .5 away from "really being sick" seems to be my fate. lol

[Paxiled]

Thyroid can't be diagnosed by a regular doc, but they do it anyway.  I've never been able to talk my primary doc into testing for T3 and T4, they just test for TSH and if it's normal they ignore you.  An endocrinologist can test for more sophisticated analysis, as can a holistic nutritionist.  Often, for low thyroid, iodine (as in seaweed) is enough, but that won't work for hyperthyroid.  As for your stomach problems, doesn't sound like ciliac if potatoes bothered you.  Ciliac is a gluten problem, the protein in certain grains such as wheat, rye, oats, spelt, kamut, barley, and such.  But allergies can be to anything if the system gets overburdened somewhere along the way, which can be just the toxins in the air and water and food or just your parents having been smokers or the overuse of antibiotics.  You basically did an elimination diet, but without testing what foods you added gave you the problems.  You do that by adding them back in one by one, and if you get a problem, you don't eat it.  As for IBS and GERD, these are just names for symptoms, they can't be tested for really, they're not diseases.  They have an underlying cause, often overuse of antibiotics and the ensuing die off of probiotics that goes unreplenished for long periods of time.  Might be time to see a holistic nutritionist and see if it helps.  Good luck.  

[tschock]

I'll have to look into trying to track down a holistic nutritionist...you can't get in to see endocrinologists, or any other specialist unless you have a doctor's referral around these parts...and the only way to get that far is if your doctor actually believes that you have a problem...and if blood work and the like comes back "normal looking" than you can forget it. Ugh!
It's true that they only check the TSH around here...which is still odd, as I saw a geneticist during my last pregnancy and he was concerned about my TSH levels at that time...however nothing was done, and I was not checked again after the birth.
I have little faith in the doctors in my area...I almost died from blood loss during that birth. The ob/gyn called me into her office 6 weeks AFTER the birth to tell me that they had found that my iron levels were extremely low...and those tests had been done during my second trimester. Must have been one busy lab they used.
As I stated above, I have always been on the anemic side...so you would think that this would have set off a red flag to begin with. The ob/gyn knew my history...she knew of the complications of my previous pregnancies...but still.
The over use of antibiotics could be the reason. I was always sick as a child...had adenoids (adenoids) removed at 7, tonsillitis, bronchitis ( twice a year every year), ( which turned out to be asthma in reality, but took 38 years to diagnose ) measles, chicken pox, mumps, etc....I can no longer take penicillin, sulfa drugs, and many others. I quit breathing, swelling of throat/tongue, hives, etc...so I am down to taking the one antibiotic that has the nastiest side effect possibilities...and can cause stomach issues.
The only antibiotic I can now take seems to be Clindamycin ...and I get sick every time I use it...hence the coming to this forum. lol
Thanks for all the help!

[Paxiled]

Again, I don't know if you're hyperthyroid, but try taking some kelp tablets.  If you get hyper, stop taking them, but it will supply both iodine and seaweed, good for both your anemia and your thyroid if it's hypo, unless it's an autoimmune problem, but that would show up in TSH.  Worth a try -- you just stop taking them if they bother you.

[tschock]

Tablets sound good to me....can't stomach the sushi like my kids can. lol

Thanks for that bit of info. I'll give it a try and see what happens.
My brother  has hypo...my dad had hypo...and so did my dad's one sister.
Mom's side has one case of hyper...so your guess is as good as mine whether or not I would have one or the other.

A doctor once told my mom that because of this hyper/hypo thing, that neither my brother or I should ever get either. To be fair, that was back in the 60's...maybe things have changed since then? lol