🥵 Hot flushes 🔥
Hands up if you want a solution.... This study popped up and is kinda interesting. It links two areas of health that we're pretty passionate about here at New Leaf - Hormone Health AND Gut health with a sprinkling of a high qual poop testing and whole-food eating.
So, the results aren't super magical - but there WAS a reduction in the hot flushes by eating ½ cup of cooked soybeans every day (hello phytoestrogens), and there WAS some changes in the gut microbiome, which may or may not have contributed...more science needs to be done but we love that people are looking at hormone health holistically.
What we do know is that there are a few things that help:
👉 Managing stress is a HUGE factor in reducing these flushes
👉 Herbal medicine can take the edge off like nothing else!
👉 Some research shows reflexology & aromatherapy can help
👉 Getting adequate sleep!
👉 Reduction in alcohol
👉 Phytoestrogens in your food (and herbal tonics)
The exact cause is unknown but likely influenced by various factors:
âž¡ It is believed to involve changes in the hypothalamus, a part of the brain that regulates body temperature.
âž¡ Low oestrogen levels, especially after menopause, contribute to these changes.
âž¡ The temperature regulation set point in the hypothalamus is thought to be altered.
âž¡ This alteration is linked to low oestrogen levels.
âž¡ A small increase in core body temperature may be a key trigger.
âž¡ Neurons in the brain, which undergo hypertrophy after menopause, play a role in this thermoregulatory dysfunction.
âž¡ Neurons cause increased signalling to heat dissipation effectors in the central nervous system (CNS).
âž¡ Signals also affect gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) neurons related to reproductive hormones.
âž¡ Oestrogen interacts with neurotransmitters like norepinephrine, endogenous opioids, and serotonin.
This interaction is considered part of the mechanism leading to hot flashes and night sweats.
Hope this helps!
