Cure for Hot Flushes?

[badpiglet]

I've been taking milled Flaxseed now for 3 months and my severe hot flushes have stopped completely, not a single flush or sweat for 3 whole months!

I'm not sure if I care too much if it's a placebo effect or not, it's just so wonderful to feel human again.

If anyone else wants to try it, I'm taking Linwood's ready-milled Flaxseed which is available in Sainsbury's, Waitrose, possibly Holland & Barratt. It comes in a packet, like coffee, but in some supermarkets, they don't know where to put it so you may have to hunt it down. You'd think it would be by the cereals or possibly in the baking isle but don't be surprised if you find it shoved in a dark corner somewhere. You can also buy it online.

I think dosage does matter as I know some who only have a sprinkle on their morning cereal and that doesn't seen to be enough to stop the flushes. I take a big heaped tablespoon daily, which probably equals 45 grams approx.

It's slightly nutty in taste and is great on chopped fruit with yoghurt or milk. It does need to be milled or ground to get the benefit but Linwood's comes ready milled. A lot of flaxseed/linseed that is sold unbranded is NOT milled. Warning - it does soak up milk/liquid quickly.

Note it has an effect on your digestion which can be quite alarming! But this does settle down after a week. It is a good idea to make sure your liquid consumption is good, otherwise blockages can occur (felt obliged to warn about that but I'm a tea addict so not an issue for me).

The theory behind taking it is that it acts as an plant oestrogen. There seems to be less trouble with flushes and other menopause symptoms in countries that naturally eat plant oestrogens in their diet. In Japan apparently they don't even have a word for menopause and they consume a lot of soya (please correct me if I'm wrong on that). I found I just couldn't eat soya, not to any real extent (tried soya milk in tea anyone?! YUK!) so Flaxseed seemed worth a try. But I am touching a lot of wood that it's not just in my mind.

Here's a link with some general info on flaxseed:

webmd.com/vitamins-suppleme...

[badpiglet]

PS It took about a week to 10 days before it worked.

[Hidden]

Hello badpiglet.

Well I have been buying this and also milled linseed for the past few years. I tend to put a heaped teaspoon in instant porridge or if I am baking some cakes.

I can't say for sure if it does work or now. I started going through the menopause just short of 3 years now where my cycle started to space out. This year it has spaced out even further (I am 51 by the way) and I don't really seem to have much trouble at all except for not knowing just when the cycle will start! I know some women can become much heavier going through this time in their lives but for me I have been pretty much same so far. I have encountered a few of the hot flushes or hot flashes and though I can't say I like them I've not really had very many of those as yet either.

If you check out your Lidl or Aldi you will find they sell these milled in various varieties (one has goji berries) and they are two thirds less in price as that is where I was buying mine. Noticed the price difference in Sainsburys, Tesco and even Holland & Barratt. I know in Tesco they tend to be hanging around the gluten-free dried products section, not sure in Sainsburys but last time I saw (ours had a big change-around recently) they were with all the baking ingredients. Aldi and Lidl seem to put their in amongst the breakfast cereals which to me makes far more sense.

[Bookworm7]

Hi Badpiglet, thank you for this info, I am plagued with hot flushes at the moment and am definitely going to give the Flaxseed a go. I will let you know the outcome in due course.

This is the reason I love this site, so helpful in many ways, I know what works for one person doesn't always work for everyone but to hear each other's experiences is truly wonderful.

[jrobertson1]

Will definitely try this. Thanks for the tip.

[liver-bird]

A few years back and before I knew I had Pbc, I went on a low glycaemic index diet to lose weight for my daughters wedding. This included lots of fresh fruit and veg and I lost almost 2 stones.

Another benefit of this diet I noticed was that my hot flushes steadily reduced and then stopped completely. Unfortunately the weight went back on and the flushes returned. Unclear whether it was the type of food I was eating or the fact that I was carrying less weight that reduced the flushes.