Flashes Gone in a Whisper!
Flashes Gone in a Whisper!
One of the biggest complaints that women have when they reach menopause are hot flashes. One natural healing method that has been researched is deep breathing. It is cheap, painless, drug-free, self-healing, and safe. Inner healing can occur if you try this first. Flashes Gone in a Whisper!
That's what the headlines should read. As millions of baby boomers reach menopause hot flashes tend to be the first sign that a change is coming. You can be very embarrassing. Your head and chest heat up and turned bright red. You can be covered in sweat. Your pulse races. They can wake you up in the middle of the night and generally make your life miserable. On a recently Women in Western cultures have very few alternative except hormone therapy. However a promising treatment taken from yoga called paced breathing effectively helps 50% of women suffering from hot flashes. "Our studies show that slow, deep breathing can reduce the frequency of hot flashes by about 50 percent," says psychologist Robert Freedman, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. "Women who've been trained to use this technique as soon as they feel a flush coming on are often able to abort the flash or at least reduce its severity.” "The average breathing rate is 15 to 16 cycles (inhaling and exhaling) per minute," he notes. "But with training, women can slow their breathing down to seven or eight cycles per minute, which can significantly reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flashes." The best way to learn this technique is through a yoga instructor. Or have the woman laid down on her back into and her stomach outward while taking in a huge breath through her nose. No one knows why this works. Stress reduction could be one reason. Who cares as long as it does? Another way to cool hot flashes is through regular aerobic exercise. "I've had countless patients tell me that they walked their way through menopause," says physician Sadja Greenwood, an assistant clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of California at San Francisco. Runner's World magazine said running has made a difference in the way they've experienced menopause. More than 30 percent said it improved their mood, nearly 25 percent said it decreased their symptoms and about 12 percent said running helped them "feel better in general." Get off the couch, and tie on your shoes. Or better yet pick up your yoga mats.
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