Alternatives to hrt: hot flushes


        ALTERNATIVES TO HRT: HOT FLUSHES
Training in biofeedback and relaxation can play a valuable role in increasing a woman's ability to control her hot flushes. Biofeedback techniques teach people to manipulate particular body functions once thought to be independent of conscious control, for example heart rate, muscle tension, and the degree to which blood vessels in the skin open and close. In a typical biofeedback training program, a person who suffers severe headaches has an electronic instrument capable of measuring muscle tension attached to his or her forehead. The machine transforms this state into a beep or flashing light so that awareness grows of tensing up. With time and practice, the ability to self-monitor and control muscle tension increases.
Marie was one of a small number of women with debilitating flushes who took part in a biofeedback training program for a total of eight hours over a four-week period. Her experience was of a marked drop in hot flush activity and associated discomfort. For the first time she felt able to 'short-circuit' at least some of her hot flushes by putting her biofeedback training into action at the first sign of a flush.
Relaxation training, yoga, regular acupuncture and meditation also seem capable of reducing hot flush frequency, especially when combined with other coping strategies, like wearing clothes in layers, choosing fabrics that 'breathe', and steering clear of neck-hugging dresses and blouses.
Non-hormonal prescription — as distinct from alternative — medications studied as treatments for hot flushes include propanolol (a treatment for angina and abnormal heartbeat, trade name Inderal), clonidine (a blood pressure medication, trade name Dixarit) and naproxen (a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, trade name Naprosyn). These suffer from the disadvantage of not being as consistently effective in reducing flush activity as hormonal therapies and, like most medications, they have undesirable side effects in some women. Sedatives and tranquillisers are sometimes prescribed for hot flushes and anxiety, but these may worsen other menopausal symptoms like lack of energy, and increase the likelihood of falls and fractures.
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Hormonal
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