DEAR DR. GOTT: I read your letter from the 57-year-old lady with hot flashes. I also was bothered with the problem until someone told me to take bee pollen. I took 550 milligrams twice daily and haven't had any flashes for years. I hope you can pass this on.
DEAR READER: Hot flashes occur when a portion of the brain known as the hypothalamus gets mixed signals and cannot determine whether the body is hot or cold. The action causes blood vessels to expand and contract in an irregular pattern. An increased flow of blood triggers a feeling of heat, with flushing of the face, neck and chest. This is often followed by chills, or a cooling down as the blood vessels contract.
Flashes can last from 15 seconds to an hour and can be mild to severe in intensity. During a flash, a woman might experience weakness, palpitations, dizziness, fatigue, loss of sleep and/or headache.
Hot flashes can be triggered by sugar, stress, hot weather, spicy foods, drinks containing alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use and more. A woman experiencing hot flashes often knows what is likely to trigger an attack and should avoid the stimulant.
Flashes deplete the body of B vitamins, potassium, magnesium and vitamin C. Supplements to counteract those depletions and deter flashes are available in the form of vitamin E in dosages between 400 and 800 IU daily; bioflavonoids in dosages of 250 milligrams five to six times daily; evening primrose oil; chickweed tincture; ginseng; bee pollen in doses of 500 milligrams taken three times a day; and more. Progesterone creams are absorbed directly through the skin. Some women even obtain relief through acupuncture.
If the bee pollen works for you, stick with it. For others who want to try supplements, you might give bee pollen a try. Please let me know of its success or failure so I can report back.
DEAR DR. GOTT: Please have your readers write in about home remedies for hypoglycemia.
DEAR READER: Hypoglycemia is an abnormally low sugar level in the blood. The foods we eat, stress and tobacco play a role in the condition. Recommendations for control include eliminating sugar, white flour, caffeine and excessive alcohol from the diet. Plan to eat six small, healthful meals daily, and consume appropriate snacks between meals. This does not translate to overeating, but to a normal diet consumed in smaller amounts throughout the day. Begin the day with a high-protein breakfast, as protein is broken down more slowly than sugar. Include nuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds in your diet.
Supplements include calcium, vitamin B complex, garlic, hawthorne, horseradish and juniper berries, alfalfa, cayenne, dandelion and 200 milligrams chromium picolinate daily.
Be sure to inform your physician before starting any treatment regimen, because hypoglycemia can be dangerous if the blood sugar drops too low. Readers, if you have a tried-and-true means of controlling hypoglycemia, please write in to let me know your remedy. I will pass the information on.
To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report "Hypoglycemia." Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped, No. 10 envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P. O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.
DEAR READER: Hot flashes occur when a portion of the brain known as the hypothalamus gets mixed signals and cannot determine whether the body is hot or cold. The action causes blood vessels to expand and contract in an irregular pattern. An increased flow of blood triggers a feeling of heat, with flushing of the face, neck and chest. This is often followed by chills, or a cooling down as the blood vessels contract.
Flashes can last from 15 seconds to an hour and can be mild to severe in intensity. During a flash, a woman might experience weakness, palpitations, dizziness, fatigue, loss of sleep and/or headache.
Hot flashes can be triggered by sugar, stress, hot weather, spicy foods, drinks containing alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use and more. A woman experiencing hot flashes often knows what is likely to trigger an attack and should avoid the stimulant.
Flashes deplete the body of B vitamins, potassium, magnesium and vitamin C. Supplements to counteract those depletions and deter flashes are available in the form of vitamin E in dosages between 400 and 800 IU daily; bioflavonoids in dosages of 250 milligrams five to six times daily; evening primrose oil; chickweed tincture; ginseng; bee pollen in doses of 500 milligrams taken three times a day; and more. Progesterone creams are absorbed directly through the skin. Some women even obtain relief through acupuncture.
If the bee pollen works for you, stick with it. For others who want to try supplements, you might give bee pollen a try. Please let me know of its success or failure so I can report back.
DEAR DR. GOTT: Please have your readers write in about home remedies for hypoglycemia.
DEAR READER: Hypoglycemia is an abnormally low sugar level in the blood. The foods we eat, stress and tobacco play a role in the condition. Recommendations for control include eliminating sugar, white flour, caffeine and excessive alcohol from the diet. Plan to eat six small, healthful meals daily, and consume appropriate snacks between meals. This does not translate to overeating, but to a normal diet consumed in smaller amounts throughout the day. Begin the day with a high-protein breakfast, as protein is broken down more slowly than sugar. Include nuts, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds in your diet.
Supplements include calcium, vitamin B complex, garlic, hawthorne, horseradish and juniper berries, alfalfa, cayenne, dandelion and 200 milligrams chromium picolinate daily.
Be sure to inform your physician before starting any treatment regimen, because hypoglycemia can be dangerous if the blood sugar drops too low. Readers, if you have a tried-and-true means of controlling hypoglycemia, please write in to let me know your remedy. I will pass the information on.
To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report "Hypoglycemia." Other readers who would like a copy should send a self-addressed, stamped, No. 10 envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P. O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.