YOU feel your face flushed in a warm unpleasant glow. Beads of sweat line your forehead and within moments you are desperately fanning yourself with
closest available file or magazine. Your clothes stick uncomfortably to you and you wish you had a pool to jump into. One of most uncomfortable physical symptoms of menopause is definitely hot flashes. While some episodes are barely noticeable, others can be debilitating. A hot flash can be embarrassing, uncomfortable, and often coming at inappropriate times such as during an emotionally-charged situation.
Described as a sudden warmth in face and neck area, and sometimes spreading to chest, a hot flash can last from a few seconds to a half hour. Some women will have several a day, some only once a week, and a lucky few none at all. You may experience a vague awareness precipitating it. You can be dizzy, have a headache, or be emotional. After a while, you may begin to feel tired, irritable, and have trouble concentrating and sleeping. A hot flash that happens at night is known as a "night sweat".
In a warm country like Malaysia, perhaps menopausal women may experience this distressing symptom more often than their peers in countries with cooler climates.
But, there is hope yet. Women have successfully used herbs and vitamins for hundreds of years to ease hot flashes during this natural transition. Research shows that 70 per cent of Chinese doctors still turn to herbal treatments, and up until 1920s, herbs were regularly used in Western medicine.
