What actually causes hot flushes?
Their sudden occurrence is an outward sign of a natural process women pass through in their late forties. The end of menstrual periods and increased sensitivity to extremes of heat and cold can cause the entire body to become hot and flushed. This experience can last for quite some time and, especially during the night, these flushes can be quite extreme.

It is not unusual to hear a woman claim that she feels bathed in sweat. It is rarely possible to counteract this feeling with a dip in the sea. Most women consider themselves lucky if they have the opportunity of a cool shower.

Fortunately, these awkward symptoms do not persist for too long. Women are often embarrassed if it happens in company, as it is a visible sign of getting older. Sometimes women live in dread of hot flushes, in which case they may be inviting trouble as the body sometimes reacts to one’s thoughts.

If a woman is subject to hot flushes, she should avoid hotly- spiced meals, alcohol, nicotine and excessive heat. It is sensible to choose cooler surroundings. It is also important to try to avoid stressful and emotional influences and to keep the brain occupied with something worthwhile.

A certain area in the brain regulates the body temperature, keeping it within 36 to 37 degrees Celsius and this thermostat in the brain is dependant upon the hormonal balance in the pituitary gland and the ovaries.

Diet is important and certain forms of medication and the contraceptive pill can be decisive factors in the frequency and intensity of hot flushes.

Some women choose to take an oestrogen supplement such as HRT to bring the problem under control quickly, but the bad news is that the hot flushes will return with more severity as soon as that drug is discontinued.

Nature has provided us with a simple remedy to help hot flushes. Sage is well known as a culinary herb. However, used as a medicine, it has been shown in clinical trials to reduce hot flushes by over 50%.

It is one of the finest remedies for hot flushes. In its natural habitat, the leaves of Sage or Salvia officinalis will ‘perspire’. Just as women get hot and bothered during the menopause, so this plant gets hot and bothered in the full sun. The little specks of perspiration almost shout out the message that it is nature’s gift to enable us to counteract hot flushes.