Hot Flushes (or Flashes) and the Menopause
Hot flushes, or hot flashes, are a common symptom of the menopause: According to the NHS three out of every four menopausal women experience them. They are felt as a sudden feeling of heat which seems to come from nowhere and spreads through your body. Typically, sweating, red flushing, and palpitations are felt, with severity varying between women. They may also be a side-effect of women undergoing breast cancer treatment, as well as the menopause.
The National Hypnotherapy Society – Hypnosis and Hot Flushes
The following article appeared in the National Hypnotherapy Directory Newsletter April 2012 – looking at hypnosis and hot flushes:
“Doctors who treated a group of women with the condition with sessions of hypnotism say that the frequency and severity of the flushes were significantly reduced. The length of time that each attack lasted was also cut. All the women in the group were treated with four sessions over a month to see what effect it had. They recorded the frequency, duration and severity of their hot flushes in a diary, and at the end of the trial doctors analysed the results. As well as a reduction in hot flushes, there was an overall improvement of the women’s quality of life. They enjoyed better sleep and less fatigue. ‘We conclude that hypnosis appears to be a feasible and promising treatment for hot flushes, with a potential to improve quality of life and insomnia,’ reported the doctors from the London Regional Cancer Centre, Ontario.
Researchers say we devote more time to worrying about a problem than thinking about the solution. It’s suggested that in some cases, people imagine their hot flushes as a problem that won’t go away, and that as a result symptoms get worse.
Hypnosis induces relaxation, and it is thought that hypnotherapy works by getting the patient to associate stronger feelings with the goal of getting rid of the hot flushes, rather than focusing on the negative side of the problem.
It is estimated that around one in four pre-menopausal women have hot flushes, and symptoms can include a sensation of heat, sweating, flushing, dizziness, palpitations, irritability, anxiety and panic.
Some studies estimate that about 50 per cent of breast cancer survivors list hot flushes as their main complaint.
How long a woman is affected varies widely. Women usually suffer for between six months and five years, but they can continue over 15 years.
It’s not known for sure what causes them, but the changing levels of oestrogen are thought to be involved. ”
How I use hypnotherapy to help
I have worked with women suffering hot flushes / blushing / – using powerful suggestions to cool down and control hot flushes, and to relax and reduce anxiety that may accompany them.
Examples of using Hypnotherapy for Hot Flushes
- An article in “The Huffington Post”, 07/02/2014 entitled “5 Science-Backed Health Benefits Of Hypnosis” the topics include Hot Flushes, as well as Sleep, IBS, Pain , and Anxiety. see: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/02/hypnosis-health-benefits_n_5523210.html
- A USA study “Clinical Hypnosis in the Treatment of Post-Menopausal Hot Flashes: A Randomized Controlled Trial” was published in March 2013.
The study involved 187 post-menopausal women, who reported a minimum of seven hot flashes per day, or at least 50 hot flashes a week.
It found that hypnosis resulted in significant reductions in self-reported and physiologically measured hot flashes in post-menopausal women. In addition, it was also found that there was a substantial improvement in the quality of sleep for these women. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3556367/
- “Hypnotism for Hot Flushes” Daily Mail http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-187702/Hypnotism-hot-flushes.html
