Imagine ... An Annoying Symptom Like a Hot Flash Sent Me Researching In a Whole Different Direction!Yes, that's right ... a Hot Flash! As I mentioned earlier, I have been researching this weight loss program for over 4 years now. I am a strong believer in the idea that everything in this life happens for a purpose and at the time that is exactly right for us. I can’t tell you how many times in my own life that a book would turn up at the exact time that I needed to read the information in it. I have a strong faith and belief in a higher power that is all-loving and is helping us to live this life as best we can and will provide us the guidance we need when we ask for it. I have spent many years doing soul-searching about many issues in my life, including my weight problem. What I have noticed is that each time I go through this process, I uncover one more layer of the issue, somewhat like peeling an onion. Each time I think I have solved the problem and found the core issue, but later have realised that it was just one more layer. But I have always persevered and refused to give up. Time and again, I would come back to the problem and uncover one more layer until I finally reached the core of the issue … the actual "core cause" of the whole issue that I could then work on healing. Well I definitely think that this has happened to me where my weight problem is concerned. All the research I have done has uncovered many layers to my weight problem. I kept thinking that all the conditions that I uncovered were the cause of my weight gain, but I now think that they were actually symptoms themselves and not causes. These conditions included...
I also had an Essential Fatty Acid Deficiency that is an "off-shoot" symptom that was caused by following low fat diets.) I looked at all these conditions and could see that they were inter-connected to the others, but I couldn’t see one main condition that was the main cause – the core issue – that all the other conditions branched off of. And until I found that "core cause", I knew my journey wasn’t over ... that even if I succeeded at weight loss, until I knew the core cause of what was causing the weight gain in the first place, I would continually lose weight and then gain it back (yo-yo diet). I knew I had to search further until I found that last link in the chain, the key link that holds the whole chain together. I had to find the core cause to my weight problems. And what was the clue that sent me researching in a totally different direction...
The Infamous Hot
flash!
I am in my mid forties and have just started to exhibit all the classic early menopause or perimenopause symptoms, including hot flash. Interestingly enough, I should be very grateful to hot flashes, because I also had most of the other common perimenopause symptoms, but I thought they were caused by the conditions I mentioned above, because many different conditions have similar symptoms. But a hot flash is one symptom that is universally known as a menopause or perimenopause symptom. If I had never developed this symptom, I might never have started researching into the menopause arena. In fact, I probably would have resisted this as long as I could because who wants to admit they are getting older! I certainly didn’t like the thought that I could be experiencing menopause or perimenopause symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats at my age! Once I started researching into this area, a light went off in my head and I got my "Aha" moment! Everything just seemed to click into place and it all made sense to me. I exhibited all the classic symptoms of Estrogen Dominance and low levels of progesterone. As a matter of fact, if I go back in time, I can see how this condition probably had its beginnings in my early thirties, if not late twenties! At that time in my life, I certainly would never have dreamed that I could be developing early menopause or perimenopause symptoms! I had all the classic causes that can trigger a drop in progesterone levels (Section 7 of the "Diet Free ... At Last!" Weight Loss Program goes into great detail about the most common causes of Estrogen Dominance ... in my case I think taking birth control pills was a contributing factor). Of course with all that working against me, it is not surprising that back in my mid-twenties I had originally gained 30 pounds. And of course, I then started my never-ending yo-yo cycle by following low fat diets and continued to lose and gain weight over the next almost twenty years until my weight capped at not 30 pounds over my original weight, but over 75 pounds on top of my original weight!
Here are some of the most common questions women ask about a Hot Flash:
1. What is a Hot Flash? A Hot Flash has been described in different ways, but the most common description is an increase in heat, often like a flush that rises from the chest area into the face. A Hot Flash can be comparatively mild to uncomfortably hot and often triggers sweating, sometimes profusely. 2. What causes a Hot Flash? An imbalance in the sex hormones Estrogen and Progesterone has been implicated in the most probable cause of the Hot Flash. 3. What are night sweats? Night sweats are really just a hot flash during the night while you are sleeping. The problem with night sweats is that they can be very uncomfortable and you can spend the night throwing off blankets, and then getting cold and pulling them back on. Some women get night sweats so bad that they have to get up and change their night clothes or even the sheets. This continual interruption of sleep is very annoying and can leave you feeling very fatigued the next day. 4. Is it mainly Estrogen that causes a Hot Flash? What about Progesterone? Although it is mainly thought that a decrease in Estrogen at menopause is the most probably cause of a hot flash, in actual fact more often than not, it is an imbalance between Estrogen and Progesterone that is causing the problem. 5. Is a Hot Flash caused more by the actual amount of Estrogen or is it more affected by the proportion of Estrogen / Progesterone (as in Estrogen Dominance)? Yes, it is more often caused by Estrogen Dominance, which is where the proportion of Estrogen is higher than Progesterone. This doesn't just happen to women who are in their forties and fifties, but can even happen to women as young as in their thirties or even late twenties! (Although it is true that in most cases, women with Estrogen Dominance will start to experience their first case of a Hot Flash in their forties.) 6. What role does Progesterone play in controlling a Hot Flash? If you increase your levels of Progesterone by taking Natural Progesterone, in most cases you will find that you will decrease or eliminate Hot Flashes totally! 7. Can taking too much Progesterone affect whether or not you will get a Hot Flash attack? Yes, if you take too much Progesterone, even Natural Progesterone, your body will be in an imbalance and you will find that you will probably go back to experiencing many menopause symptoms, including the Hot Flash! 8. What about Synthetic Hormone Replacement Therapy? Does that increase the probability of getting a Hot Flash? Yes, Synthetic Hormone Replacement Therapy is very different from Natural Progesterone and your body knows it! It reacts to the presence of what it considers to be foreign substances by triggering many negative symptoms, including (you guessed it!) the infamous Hot Flash!
Now my story gets even more interesting! ...Once I realised that I probably had low levels of progesterone, I went to a doctor to get tested. When I told him of my medical history and all the symptoms I was suffering from, he said he thought he knew what’s been causing my weight problems and vicious cycles I’ve been trapped in. I was expecting him to tell me that it was my low levels of progesterone, but he said hormonal imbalances were only one part of the problem. He said the root of my problems stemmed from a condition called "Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome" (often called PCOS) which is a condition that involves a number of things, but mainly the triggers are Insulin Resistance, high levels of testosterone, low levels of progesterone and may or may not include many small cysts on the ovaries. And all the conditions and symptoms I listed above are off-shoots of this syndrome. (See Section 8 of the "Diet Free ... At Last!" Weight Loss Program for more information on Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS) I remember sitting in the doctor’s office and thinking, "Is this good news or not?" On the one hand I was happy to finally know that I had a specific medical condition that was causing all my problems, including weight gain, and that I wasn’t going crazy! But on the other hand, I was a bit depressed at the thought that there is no cure for this condition. BUT… At least it can be managed. And how is it managed? Glad you asked! The "Diet Free ... At Last!" Weight Loss Program teaches you everything you need to know to manage Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), and much, much more!So now that I have finally uncovered my "core cause" or "core issue", I feel very encouraged that I now have the information I need to manage the Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome / PCOS, bring the Insulin Resistance under control, balance my hormones and finally bring my life and health back into balance again! (See Section 8 of the "Diet Free ... At Last!" Weight Loss Program for more information on Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome / PCOS) So now it’s your turn! Does any of what I’ve described sound familiar to you? If you think that you may also have problems with Insulin Resistance, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome / PCOS or low levels of progesterone, then I’m sure this Insulin Resistance diet will help you. Even if you don’t have the same problems I do, this Insulin Resistance diet will probably still help you. Why do I believe so strongly that it will work? Because it is not a fad diet and doesn't rely on gimmicks … it is based on good, sound, nutritional advice and is designed to teach you which healthy lifestyle choices can bring you back to good health and vitality… And you will improve your health in the process. And that’s what it is all about, isn’t it?
There are many different ways to manage and
control menopause and perimenopause symptoms (especially hot flashes), ranging
from following a healthy diet program rich in phytonutrients to taking natural
hormones, herbs, vitamins, and supplements. House of Nutrition carries the
full range of menopause remedies ... just click on this link and type
menopause or hot flash in the search box...
House of Nutrition - Hot Flash Remedies
  Want more information about how PCOS can be a trigger for a Hot Flash attack? Click here.  
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