A Simple Solution to Extinquish Hot Flashes

It was a complete shock when, three months ago, I started having hot flashes several times a day and night. I am 47 years old and should not have been surprised, but I just never imagined getting to this point in my life so quickly.

These flashes did not drench me in sweat, as some women have described, but they were slightly uncomfortable and I was a bit embarrassed if I was near anyone. My face already turns red all too easily.

But the real issue for me was that these flashes were waking me up during the night, and that is one thing I will not tolerate. I have to have my full 8 hours of sleep. When my babies were little I thought they were sleeping through the night, only to find out later my husband was getting up in the middle of the night. He understands what happens if I don't I get my sleep.

So, knowing that the foods we eat affect us greatly, I started to research as much as I could for possible solutions on the internet. I looked specifically for studies on Google Scholar -- a wonderful resource that lists scientific studies published by mostly reputable organizations. Although most of these studies are not free, the publishers usually show the summary (abstract) of each study.

I knew I did not want to try HRT or any kind of hormone medication. Unfortunately I could not find any information that gave an obvious or easy answer to eliminate hot flashes, and many of the studies contradicted each other.

But one possible solution that interested me was vitamin E. I found some supporting evidence showing that vitamin E reduced hot flashes. Many of these studies were based on consumption of 400 IU per day. Since my goal was elimination, not reduction, I wanted to try a higher dose. I read a few studies that concluded 1,000 IU per day appeared to be safe, as long as there were no other health concerns. I believe the biggest health concern is that vitamin E thins the blood.

I looked up the amount of vitamin E in foods, but it is difficult to get this level of the vitamin in the foods we eat every day. I went to my doctor to get her opinion, and she agreed that it was safe for me to take one 1,000 IU vitamin E pill each day.

I bought pills at GNC and started taking one pill a day each morning. I still got the hot flashes for a few days, then voila -- the flashes were gone! They completely disappeared.

A week later I forgot to take vitamin E for two days, and I noticed a slight warm sensation every so often. I then took the pill and the next day it disappeared. Experimenting, I found I can skip a day about once or twice a week and not get any hot flashes. (Okay, it is more that I forget to take the pill every so often.)

So far, I have not had a single hot flash for three months. Pretty good results for very little effort, if you ask me.