Maca Root for hot flashes?

[CrabGrassAcres]

I was reading about this for hot flashes. I have the hot flashes from h e double hockey sticks and a half! I tried Chaste Tree Berry after it was recommended by my sister. I took about 1/4th of one dose and felt like I was poisoned. I tried wild yam and ended up pacing the floor and crying because it made my nerves so bad. I cannot do HRT because I have severe nausea and migraines with it. I'm afraid to try anything else but I NEED some relief here!

[Virginia]

Good luck, I am 63 and still having them. Took the HRT until the bad news came out, and I really did not want to take a drug for the rest of my life. I have taken Remefinin (SP?) over the counter and it helped me some. Got tired of taking it, too.

[Mother]

Trish, I still have hot flashes and night sweats (9 years after my hysterectomy) and I've tried a lot of different things for it. Like you, I react adversely to most of them and am afraid to try something new. The most help and least reaction I found was from evening primrose oil and dong quai. You might try them to see if they help some.

 

They can be used during PMS also but dong quai will tend to enhance bleeding in some people so be careful of the timing.

 

[Virginia]

BTW, forgot to say Remifinin is really black cohash.

[CrabGrassAcres]

Thank you, ladies.

[Pioneer Woman]

Try ground flaxseeds (flaxseed meal)--you can grind flaxseeds in the blender (a small amount at a time) and store them in a covered container in the freezer or frige. They can be sprinkled over cooked foods or added to muffins, etc.

 

Flaxseed Reduces Hot Flashes Almost 60%

Researchers recruited 29 postmenopausal women who had suffered from at least 14 hot flushes each week for at least one month, but would not take estrogen because of a perceived increased risk of breast cancer. After taking 40 grams (1.4 ounces) of crushed flaxseed each day for six weeks, the frequency of hot flashes decreased 50%, and the overall hot flash score decreased an average 57% for the 21 women who completed the trial. J Soc Integr Oncol. 2007 Summer;5(3):106-12.

 

Here is an excellent article for all the good things that flax does: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=81

[CrabGrassAcres]

I might have some in the pantry. I give it to daughter when she is constipated. Thanks.

[Jeepers]

((((((Trish)))))

 

I'm going through it too. I take the lowest dose of HRT every other day. Just that little boost helps me so much. Sorry it won't work for you though. Everyone is so different. What works for one is useless for someone else. One of my cousins had a hysterectomy about 5 years ago and has had 2 hot flashes. Me, I had a partial and have been having hot flashes for about 8 years. It can be pretty tough in the summer. I have a small fan that sits on a table beside my chair year around. That helps a lot.

 

One thing that I tried in the beginning was Estroven Extra Strength. It did help a little bit. Who knows, it might help you. http://www.drugs.com/drp/estroven-caplets.html

[Virginia]

Please move if this is in the wrong place.

 

After 2 rounds of yeast infections for this old lady (thought those were for younger women), I am wondering if there is anything natural for that. I want something in my preps because this can be miserable, and I think stress adds to the condition.

[Jeepers]

I've heard plain yogurt is good for yeast infections. Applied, not eaten. Something about trading bad bacteria for good bacteria. And no 'summers eve' products if you know what I mean. If I'm not clear, PM me and I'll explain it better.

[Virginia]

I eat yogurt regularly (not the homemade like most of you). I always wondered if you ate it or what. Never use the summers eve stuff.

[Jeepers]

Originally Posted By: Virginia

I eat yogurt regularly (not the homemade like most of you). Any store brand will do.

I always wondered if you ate it or what. Or what.

Never use the summers eve stuff.

[Virginia]

Thanks, and you know "what"

[Mother]

I'm chuckling at your "whats". I believe that it would not be inappropriate to mention things like this outright. Some may not have caught that the yogurt is applied vaginally as WELL as eaten. Working from inside and outside for yeast infections is important.

 

Another tip is to watch how much sugar and sugary products you ingest. Though there is much controversy whether sugars and starches feed the yeast or not, your body has a harder time healing when it has to deal with an influx of sugar also. A healthy BALANCED diet is usually the best for most illnesses though there are some, like yeast, that need to be modified.

 

Thanks for the smile though And thanks for the good thread

 

[Virginia]

OK, you got me. Too much sugar I know. Might help my weight too if I could give some of it up, at least.

[Jeepers]

Thanks Mother. I know I was dancing all around the issues.

I wasn't sure how much I should say even though it's a natural and common problem.

[theyd]

for the hot flashes a doc. said to take vit e i don't remember how much now.

 

I had to have a surgery when i was 25 and went through the hot flash thing, i went off hte med after 6 mos. and went to vit e lots better for me. then when i got into my 40's those pesky things hit me again. so more vit e.

 

as for yeast infections... well never had to deal with them. so glad as i hear its a pain. but have hear that yogart is the best to use. and this ole bod has never seen a summers eve or any other kind of eve.

[Michelle_3kds]

For yeast infections: Boric Acid!! I used to have recurrent yeast infections, I didn't want to keep using antibiotics, I tried garlic, tea tree oil and yogurt. None of these worked for me. Then I read about boric acid and voila! The original way to use it was to fill a large gel cap and insert at night for about 3 nights. I didn't have any, so I used an applicator from a yeast antibiotic cream, tamped it down into the jar and used it that way. Reusable, inexpensive and completely unmessy! It also worked much faster.

[PureCajunSunshine]

BEANS!!!!! Lotsa beans kills hot flashes dead!

 

I discovered this happy accident when I had to dip heavily into my beans and rice preps to survive a series of particularly difficult financial hardships. I didn't want to dip into the freeze dried stuff and other expensive preps just yet...and I thought cheap beans every day won't kill me...

 

At the time, I was also going through some really hot flashes and other menopausal stuff.

 

I thought, oh great, now that I'm eating beans nearly every day, I'll really be miserable...this suddenly new diet of beans, beans, beans...well, you can imagine suffering the effects of the musical fruit along with hot flashes...

 

Interesting.

 

The more beans I ate, the fewer and less intense the hot flashes were!

 

Times got better, and I didn't eat beans every day, just once or twice a week. The hot flashes came back with fury and began to make up for lost time...Oh, no! This was horrible! So, guess what? I started to eat beans almost every day again, and the hot flashes went away!

 

Later, after tiring of eating beans so often, I slacked off again, and the hot flashes returned. Several more rounds of the 'beans/no hot flashes' vs 'no beans/beaucoup hot flashes' stuff convinced ME that this was not a coincidence. The Japanese were right about isoflavonones reducing menopausal symptoms! (Fortunately, isoflavonones is found in other beans besides soybeans, 'cause I am not too fond of soybeans.)

 

So, now, I try to eat beans almost every day, and I am doing the happy dance! At first every dance step was accompained by farty little putt-putts...every step I took.

 

You've probably heard this jocular saying: "If I eat onions and beans, will I have tear gas?"

 

Well, it got to to the point, I jokingly wondered if I ate too many beans and had too many hot flashes, will I explode?

 

Well, I (and everyone else) survived the intial blasts. Although they were pretty fluorescent at first, now it's not like that anymore because it's true: the more beans you eat, the less you fart! Something about the human body creating it's own natural enzymes that process the sugars that are peculiar to beans...The homemade version of Beano, I guess.

 

Nowadays, I try to eat beans at least 5 times a week. As a result, I am not flashing, or exploding or even putt-putting to speak of...

 

Doing a happy dance, f'real...

 

 

 

 

 

 

[CrabGrassAcres]

I've been taking the Maca root for about a month now. I 'think' the hot flashes are better. Sometimes they ease off though then come back with a vengeance, so the jury is still out.

 

Sunshine, I will TRY beans, I'm not fond of them tho. Not sure I can get them down five times a week. I wonder if garden peas would do the same?

[PureCajunSunshine]

LOL, Trish...5 small portions out of 21 meals isn't too rough...I probably could get by, lowering it to 4 times a week though. (I always tend to overdo things.)

 

The menopausal symptoms were so bad, that I am still amazed that they were 100% eliminated just with beans.

 

I'm glad, because beans are usually one of the staples that most preppers rely on, and there's a gazillion ways to serve beans... even smashed and 'hidden' as a thickener in stuff like soups and stews. I've even heard of bean flours used along with other flours in making breads...There's just no end of the ways you can use many kinds of beans.

 

Peas? I'm not sure if they contain lots of isoflavonones or not, but I happen to enjoy lots of peas, as well!

 

I'm hot flash free, and loving it!

[CrabGrassAcres]

After you posted that I remembered that my grandmother said she never had hot flashes. I know for a fact that she ate beans (usually field peas) nearly every day of her life.

 

I found this today:

http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/phytoestrogen.php

 

I also clean forgot about the flax seed, so I need to get that out. I have some red clover tea and I am going to try to get some of that down. Maybe if I do one or the other of several different things each day it would work.

 

I do have beans here. About 200 pounds and more coming this month. Daughter loves them.

 

 

Sunshine, how big a serving do you eat of the beans and which beans?

[PureCajunSunshine]

Well, Trish, some days I eat bean portions like a normal person, other days I eat like a starving Cajun!

 

(That didn't tell ya much, huh?) Well, what I mean is that some days, the beans I eat don't amount to much more than a half cup cooked, other days...LOOKOUT! Mondays are traditionally Red Beans and Rice day for any self-respecting New Orleanian like myself. On those days, I can eat my weight in Creole Red Beans (see my blog for the recipe, and see why! 'tis wonderful, and I've even made the homely Pinto Bean taste like Creole with that recipe.) Pinto beans is what I use most often lately, because I have so much of it! Lima beans are another favorite...

 

Here ya go...Part One is "Red Beans and Rice, Old Time Creole Style: A Story and a Recipe", http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/2007...ime-creole.html . Part Three is "PureCajunSunshine's Red Beans and Rice Recipe", and includes a quick 30 minute version. http://purecajunsunshine.blogspot.com/2007...s-and-rice.html

 

Part two is "Wash Day on the Bayou"(no recipe)

 

Overall, I think that some experimentation may be needed, for our hormone levels may be very different. I will say that it will probably be a few weeks/months (?) before you see anything like a 100% reduction in menopausal symptoms.

 

For me, it was only a few weeks. But then, my diet already included some beans (but not to this extent)...

 

Something else I noticed...my mood! I can honestly call beans "my personality pills"! My 'nerves' seemed to be steadier also...There are so many other health benefits to a bean-rich diet that books have been written about them!

 

I'd hafta say it's a cheap, easy and healthy fix for a hellaciously wicked problem!

 

[CrabGrassAcres]

Thanks for the recipes! Enjoyed the washday story. Mama and Granny used to wash like that before Mama got the wringer washer. Then "I" did the wash!

 

I'm going to try the lentil snacks for my daughter. I think she would enjoy them since she cannot have popcorn.