“You asked for anything that other women had used for hot-flashes. Well, a friend of mine told me”
This sort of opening was typical of the many responses I received from last week’s e-Alert (“One Makes the Cut” 12/11/02) about a research project that reviewed 29 independent studies on alternative treatments for symptoms of menopause – in particular, the problem of hot flashes. Researchers concluded that, except for black cohosh, no other natural treatments are effective.
But I wasn’t buying it. It just didn’t add up. In October, for instance, I told you about a study that found red clover extract to be effective for some women – not ALL women – but the trial demonstrated the simple fact: for some, it worked.
So with the idea that sometimes you have to just move the studies aside and get a view from the human level, I asked for stories from women who had found success with natural treatments for hot flashes. And just as I suspected, the human level revealed details, advice and insights that you rarely find in the formal language of a clinical trial.
First, to continue with the e-mail that I partially quoted above, an HSI member named Donna wrote, “a friend of mine told me she was using a cream called yam cream. I of course thought she was a little nuts, but what did I have to lose but the hot flashes if it worked? Guess what? It worked great! I rarely had a hot flash from then on. I also started to add yams to my diet, and I felt great. Since it worked for me, and we like to share what has worked for us, I told other people about this cream, and I have been told they don’t understand how it worked, but they loved it. Anything scientific about this?”
Actually there is something “scientific” about it – or rather something that can be logically explained anyway. In a Members Alert we sent you a few years ago, we told you that HSI Panelist, Martin Milner, M.D., often prescribes natural estrogen derived from yam when estrogen replacement therapy is called for. This is because yam contains phyto-hormones that closely resemble hormones found in humans. When a woman’s body is struggling to manufacture hormones, the phyto-hormones in yam may provide exactly the boost it needs to regain hormonal balance.
As I mentioned last week, the term “hot flash” sounds like something brief and warm – almost nurturing. But for many women, there’s nothing brief about hot flashes, and certainly nothing at all nourishing. That’s demonstrated in this message from a member named Jeanne:
“I suffered from hot flashes for years (at least one per hour, many times more) while trying everything in the book including every herb, every OTC preparation, even HRT. Nothing worked, but the HRT did a better job than the other stuff. But I got off the HRT for good reason, and was really having the hot flashes after that, like 1-2 per hour! I had hot flashes all night long which kept me from sleeping well. Even during days I couldn’t concentrate, face was flushed, had the nausea and mood swings, makeup was a mess, hair dripping wet, etc. Finally, I found something that worked 100%. I didn’t think it would help, but when I read the description of how it normalized hormonal function, I had to try it. Indium, the element indium as indium sulfate. It also gave me more energy, brought my concentration back, stopped the anxiety, etc. Indium proved to be an absolute miracle for me. Then just to test, I stopped taking it for a few days and the hot flashes returned with a vengeance.”
Indium is a trace mineral that is also not new to HSI members. In a Members Alert some years ago, we first told you about the remarkable benefits reported with the use of indium sulfate supplements. One doctor has used it with success for cancer patients, a dentist reports increased gum health, another practitioner finds that it benefits chronic fatigue patients – the only substance he’s ever found to help. But apparently the indium itself doesn’t have a direct effect on any specific bodily system. Henry A. Schroeder, M.D., an expert in trace minerals, believed that an increase of indium triggers the body’s uptake of “good” metals: copper, chromium, manganese, and zinc. The enhanced action of these metals is apparently what brings about all the benefits, including a reduction of hot flashes for some women.
In upcoming e-Alerts I’ll cover additional member comments about hot flashes, but to finish up today I’ll leave you with information about something simple – but quite effective – from a member named Glo, who writes:
“For my hot flashes I have been using Vit C 2000 mg and Vit E 400 IU each day. This has taken me from around 10 a day to 1 first thing in the morning. Occasionally I will have one during the night, whereas before I was awakened 4 and 5 times a night with them.”
If you’d like to read further comments and advice about the natural treatment of menopausal symptoms, visit the HSI Forum where you’ll find active threads on this topic and a variety of other women’s health issues.
To Your Good Health,
Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute
