Posts Tagged "hot flash"

What’s your chill factor?

Posted by Liz on Aug 24, 2009 in hot flash, nightsweats | 1 comment

Brrrr…it’s getting cold in here. No, it’s hot, no, it’s cold. Sound familiar? Maybe the ChiliPad™ is for you. This new technology, brought to you from ChiliTechnology, is like a sleep number for the menopausal set.

The ChiliPad cools and heats the entire surface of the bed to a desired temperature to promote a more restful sleep without bothersome hot flashes or night sweats. Got a partner? The dual remote control allows him/her to stay warm while you chill yourself to the bone.

A few months ago I wrote about the Bedfan, a tongue-in-cheek, futuristic wish list item for hot flashes. Who knew that someone had actually taken it one step further to create an entire chill experience for your nighttime pleasure?

My question, however, is this: if you are chill all night long, what happens when the flash stops and you need some warmth? Short of snuggling up to your partner, do you instead, spend the entire night messing with the wireless remote? Hmm, doesn’t sound very restful, does it?

So… what’s your chill factor?

Wednesday Bubble: just the facts, Jack.

Posted by Liz on Jul 29, 2009 in hot flash, mind-body therapy | 0 comments

Today’s Bubble carries a warning that we all need to heed: results of one study cannot be applied to another.

Repeat after me: results of one study cannot be applied to another.

Last year, I wrote about an interesting study out of Baylor University showing that hypnotic therapy was effective for decreasing the frequency and severity of hot flashes among women with breast cancer. Because the results were so favourable, researchers received a sizable grant from the National Institutes of Health for a much broader study to examine the potential role of hypnosis in post-menopausal women experiencing hot flashes, but in comparison to another mind-body intervention.

Now mind you, there is evidence that hypnosis is a promising intervention among non-breast cancer patients but the studies that have been conducted have been small and have not specifically examined its therapeutic role in women entering menopause naturally.

Let’s look at the facts, shall we?

The Baylor study enrolled 51 breast cancer survivors, 25 of whom received hypnosis for their hot flashes and 26 who did not. Women receiving treatment experienced an impressive 68% reduction in a hot flashes while women receiving no treatment did not experience any relief. Expectations of relief, better known as a placebo effect, cannot be ruled out in terms of skewing the results, which is why the larger study is comparing treatments. Again, this study showed that women who experienced chemotherapy-induced menopause experienced some relief from hot flashes by undergoing hypnosis.

That brings me to the extrapolation part.

The Hot Flash Relief program is an audio program that theoretically relieves hot flashes; all that you have to do is listen to a 20 minute audio CD for 21 days. It claims to based on results of the Baylor study, and tested under questionable study conditions. Hot Flash Relief bills itself as an amazing breakthrough to help you get relief from hot flashes and night sweats without pills, hormones or risk. If you are not entirely satisfied, Hot Flash Relief will refund your money.

I’d like to point a few things out:

• The Baylor study was conducted under controlled conditions
• The Baylor study was not carried out among women who had undergone natural menopause
• Hypnosis was carried out in person and under the guidance of a trained professional
• The efficacy of hypnosis looks good but further study is required

Let’s look at Hot Flash Relief:

• Hot Flash Relief claims that it can help any woman with hot flashes
• Hot Flash Relief bases its effectiveness on a “study” in which women were sent the CD and then asked to report back on it via testimonials
• Hot Flash Relief was developed by a top US hypnotist, Tom Nicoli, whose voice you will hear on the audio CD. Although he is certified and is reputable in the weight loss field, research is not his game
• Audio hypnosis has not proven as effective as self-hypnosis for women with menopause

I want to believe, I really do. But the folks at Hot Flash Relief may be considerably more out of their minds than most of us menopausal midlifers. Before you drink kool aid, on this or any other strategy, just take a look at the facts. Money guarantee or not, you will be glad that you did!

Wednesday Bubble: weathering your hot flashes

Posted by Liz on Jul 1, 2009 in hot flash | 2 comments

Hey Ladies! This week’s bubble comes to you c/o my Twitter friend Gloria Bell, who asked an interesting question: does climate affect hot flashes?

Apparently it does. Although there are not a lot of studies that have been conducted specifically on this topic, an extensive analysis of data from 54 studies suggests that climate may indeed, influence the frequency of hot flashes. Investigators focused the mechanisms underlying hot flashes ( i.e., small elevations in core body temperature within a temperature range where a woman would not normally shiver or sweat –also called the thermoneutral zone), hypothesizing that these zones might actually be climate-specific.

The study:

• Researchers examined information on the frequency of hot flashes from 54 studies and evaluated the correlations between hot flash frequency and geographical latitude, elevation and annual temperatures. Additional analyses were conducted on data derived from studies that included women no older than age 60.

What they learned:

• Among women up to age 60, the average temperature of the coldest month could actually predict how frequently women experienced hot flashes almost a third of the time.
• Among all women, the difference between the hottest climates and the coldest climates significantly predicted hot flash frequency about 26% of the time.
• A climate’s mean annual temperature also predicted hot flash frequency.

Overall, women who lived in warmer temperatures tended to report fewer hot flashes than those in the coldest regions. Hot flashes also tended to increase in areas where there were more seasonal fluctuations.

Although climate plays a role, other factors, such as hormonal imbalance, smoking and diet have also been shown to influence hot flash severity and frequency. Still, it is interesting to learn that where we live may influence the challenges we may face when weathering the menopause storm!

News Flash: Hot hot hot

Posted by Liz on Jun 19, 2009 in hot flash, HRT | 0 comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrhf_zgtmAg]

Think that hormone replacement therapy is going to get rid of those hot flashes forever? Think again. Indeed, researchers have discovered that the majority women who start hormone therapy because of hot flashes and then stop, may experience a recurrence of symptoms!

In this study, which appears in the Ahead of Print edition of Menopause, 1,733 women between the ages of 53 and 54 completed a validated questionnaire looking at menopause, hormone therapy and  vasomotor symptoms. Among the women who submitted completed surveys (~73%), 242 had previously used hormones and 69% indicated that they had vasomotor symptoms before starting therapy. Regardless of how long hormone therapy was used, symptoms returned in 87% women who stopped, even if they had completed menopause (although hot flashes were reportedly less frequent and bothersome).

The bottom line: Research has shown that disease risks, e.g. breast cancer, increase when hormone therapy is used more than five years. So clearly, remaining on hormones to address returning symptoms is not a wise option. Rather, safer and equally effective alternatives are needed to address return of symptoms as well as aid in disease prevention.

Wednesday Bubble: something for da guyz

Posted by Liz on Jun 3, 2009 in menopause | 4 comments

Men! Male menopause? I think not! The closest thing to it? I believe so.

New York Times writer Dana Jennings, wrote a poignant piece in yesterday’s paper about his personal experience with hot flashes — not only as a husband/partner to a menopausal woman — but also as an advanced prostate cancer patient taking Lupron for his condition.  Entitled “My Brief Life as a Woman,” (a title, which by the way, I want to rebel against) Jennings explores the effect that hormone therapy had on his body (night sweats, weight gain), his emotions (fits of crying), energy (fatigue) and overall quality of life (frequent headaches).

What resonates? His admission that “even though I only got to spend a brief time on the outer precincts of menopause, it did confirm my lifelong sense that the world of women is hormonal and mysterious, and that we men don’t have the semblance of a clue.”

I applaud Jennings for his candor, his sensitivity and his humour.

Men – the next time your wife/partner/girlfriend/friend is on the “Good Ship Menopause,” as Jennings so aptly describes it, embrace and offer to carry her “physical baggage.” Although it’s not a trip you’re necessarily prepared for, the journey may help you understand what she is going through a bit more thoroughly. Another helpful resource: Dick Roth’s “No, It’s Not Hot in Here,” a husband’s guide to understanding menopause.

A little understanding, a little support, and someone to sit with during bad chick flicks. Is that too much to ask?!

(Thanks to Steve Woodruff for pointing me to this piece in the NYT)