And the winner is….”Chillows!”

I paused in front of Rachel Ray’s TV program this morning on my way to the kitchen to refill my coffee cup.  Found myself watching a discussion about “Hot Flashes.”  Okay, that got my attention, I’m familiar with those.  Dr. Christine Northrup was on the program and some ladies had tested various possible solutions.  This is the kind of thing I like to share with you over our coffee and chat!

The program website is:  http://rachelrayshow.com/show/segments/view/human-lab-hot-flashes/

Here’s the copied synopsis:

Millions of women get hot flashes, but is there anything you can do to stop them from happening to you? “Anything you do to improve your diet will help,” says The Wisdom of Menopause author Dr. Christiane Northrup. “You have hot flashes during the process of going up to the last menstrual period, usually,” she says, noting that while all women go through menopause not all will experience these instant bursts of heat. “It’s changes in a hormone level from high to low quickly, and then that causes dilation of the blood vessels under your skin and then the sweats and so on. It’s a dis-regulation of your temperature. Men can get them too when they’re on some kinds of hormonal treatments.”There are a few things you can do to decrease them, according to Dr. Northrup, and she offers her best tips:

 

Eat fewer refined foods:

 

Vitamins and supplements:

 

Meditate:

There are also loads of products out there to help women beat the heat – so we’re asking three viewers test some out!

• Pam, 51, tries Flash-EEZ, which claims to relieve hot flashes within seconds after applying finger bands.

• Rosalie, 50, tries Restore: Instant Hot Flash Aid, which claims to stop the heat directly on contact.

• Debbie, 51, tries the Chillow, which is a pillow that claims to cradle your hair and keep you cool without electricity. 

Dr. Northrup says meditation will help 90 percent of the time. “Forty percent of the time if you take fish oil it will decreases hot flashes or eliminate them. Vitamin D – all women should have optimal levels of Vitamin D – that’s 15 anagrams for ML in your blood, and then there’s a bunch of herbs that have been used forever for women: Black Cohosh, Dong Quai. Thai Kudzu is relatively new to the United States market, there’s one brand that I have used with great success with many women – it’s Solgar’s PM Phytogen Complex.” “Blood sugar that’s high increases stress hormones, those interact with your hormone levels and change them and make more hot flashes,” she explains. “Red wine, coffee, sometimes will trigger hot flashes.”

 

 Restore: Instant Hot Flash Aid, which claims to stop the heat directly on contact.

Chillow, which is a pillow that claims to cradle your hair and keep you cool without electricity.

Flash-EEZ, which claims to relieve hot flashes within seconds after applying finger bands.

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Personal Note:  Interesting show, and excellent article. HOWEVER, I’d like to add my comments. As a two time breast cancer survivor, I don’t recommend Black Cohash! I took it once and had a very negative reaction to it…actually feel that the ingredient is what “turned on” my initial tumors. The medication I’m on now also triggers flashes. I agree with Meditation, that can’t hurt anybody, and has been shown to help 90% of the time. Carrying a little spray bottle of water might be a valuable idea. I am most impressed with the Chillows! There is a link in the article to view and purchase those, (no, I’m not selling them) and I also found them on Ebay. There is even a style for dogs.

Maybe someday we will have evolved to the point we don’t have hot flashes any more, but meanwhile, toss me a Chillow, please!