As your childbearing years come to a close your body may struggle to regulate your temperature. Precisely defined, you reach menopause when you have gone exactly 12 months without a menstrual period. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists reports that hot flashes, or hot flushes as they are sometimes called, are the most common symptom of women approaching menopause. MayoClinic.com explains that you might sweat continually, both night and day, if you have hot flashes.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C supplements come in a variety of forms. You may decrease your hot flashes by taking vitamin C with bioflavonoids. Flavonoids improve and increase the effects of vitamin C and aid your body's ability to take it in. Bioflavonoids come from different parts of the flesh and peel of citrus fruits. Good food sources of vitamin C include asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cantaloupe, citrus fruits, collard greens, fresh dark green leafy vegetables, fresh peas, green bell peppers, guava, kale, kiwi, lettuce, strawberries and other red berries, parsley, potatoes, red bell peppers, red chili peppers, tomatoes and turnip greens.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E supplementation provides relief from hot flashes for some women. In Amanda McQuade Crawford's "The Natural Menopause Handbook," she suggests taking 133 to 200 IU of vitamin E three times a day. Crawford writes that it will help your body to make use of the vitamin E if you take 1 g of vitamin C with each of your three daily doses. The following foods are rich in vitamin E: asparagus, avocado, carrot tops, collard greens, dandelion, dry roasted almonds, egg yolk, green leafy vegetables, kiwi fruit, liver, margarine, nuts, raw mango, safflower oil, shortening made from vegetable oils, whole wheat products, turnip greens, wheat germ, wheat germ oil, whole grains and butter.
Vitamin B6
In her book "Menopause Matters" certified menopause clinician and Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Dr. Julia Schlam Edelman writes that vitamin B6 may mitigate hot flash symptoms. Dr. Edelman recommends daily oral doses of 50 mg of B6, also known as pyroxidine. Dr. Edelman cautions that taking more than 100 mg of B6 each day is ill advised as it may result in permanent injury to your nerves. According to Dr. Robert A. Schulman, author of "Solve it With Supplements," seven out of 10 men and nine out of 10 women lack sufficient quantities of pyroxidine in their diet. Good sources of vitamin B6 include avocados, baked potato with skin, bananas, brewer's yeast, buckwheat flour, cabbage, cauliflower, dried beans, egg yolk, fish, garbanzo beans, lentils, lima beans, organ meats and other meats, peanuts, potatoes, poultry, prunes, soybeans, sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, walnuts, whole grain breads and whole grain cereals.
References
- "The All-Natural Menopause Diet"; Theresa Cheung and Dr. Adam Balen; 2008
- MayoClinic.com: Hot Flashes
- "Menopause Matters"; Julia Schlam Edelman, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.; 2010
- American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists: Midlife Transitions
- "Solve it With Supplements"; Robert A. Schulman, M.D.; 2007
