Say the word "menopause" and two words - "hot flashes" - immediately come to mind. Hot flashes, and their evening cousin night sweats, are common menopause symptoms, affecting more than 60 percent of menopausal women. Hot flashes are highly individual.

Hot flashes can be as mild as a warm, brief flush or intense enough to pull you out of a deep sleep in sweat-soaked sheets. The fortunate minority of women sail through menopause with minimal hot flashes. Other women experience hot flashes as infrequently as once a month. Then there are the flushed-faced women who carry a fan with them wherever they go...

Hot flashes can last a few seconds or 30 minutes or longer. Hot flashes usually last three to five minutes. For about 80 percent of women experiencing hot flashes, this menopause symptom only lasts one or two years. The minority of menopausal women experiencing hot flashes will have hot flashes for five or more years. Hot flashes continue to plague a very small percentage of women for more than five years after the onset of menopause.

Hot flashes are often the first sign that menopause is just around the corner. Women in menopause typically examine the causes of hot flashes and effective control of hot flashes before they address any other issue of menopause. Not only are hot flashes uncomfortable, controlling them  is important, because they may cause embarrassing problems, especially for those women in the workforce.

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Causes - Reasons for Hot Flashes:

Fluctuating estrogen levels are blamed for the causes of hot flashes. As the estrogen hormone drops, the body attempts to compensate by releasing other hormones. The body's attempt at hormonal balance causes the body's temperature to fluctuate when the brain reacts to the internal stimuli by dilating blood vessels to arms, legs and head dilate. The body chills when the blood vessels constrict to cool the body.

Hot flashes often begin with a prickly, "skin crawling" sensation, sometimes accompanied by rapid heartbeat, headache or a feeling of pressure in the head. The onset of a hot flash can feel like a panic attack. As the heat spreads from your chest and head, your skin begins to flush or redden. As the flush decreases in intensity the headache, rapid heartbeat or anxiety will also subside. Cold chills follow the hot flashes as body temperature readjusts. Women often feel faint or dizzy as hot flashes subside.

Night sweats are typically more intense than the daytime version of hot flashes. Night sweats disturb sleep, which causes irritability, fatigue and increased anxiousness. If this occurs over an extended period of time, these symptoms can trigger depression and feelings of being overwhelmed.

Thin women tend to suffer more often from hot flashes since they have less fat to insulate against the sudden internal temperature changes. Women who had their ovaries surgically removed also tend to experience more intense hot flashes.

In addressing the causes of hot flashes to gain control of hot flashes, women often resorted to synthetic hormones to stabilize hormonal levels. This is not the case any more, as women today are increasingly better educated about the harmful effects of hormone replacement therapy. New studies showing significantly increased health risks related to hormone replacement therapy spurred a renewed interest in seeking out natural and healthy ways to address the causes of hot flashes and for the control of hot flashes and other menopause symptoms.

Control of Hot Flashes and Cure for Hot Flashes: What's a Woman to Do?

For control of hot flashes, many women swear by black cohosh and for good reason. It works! Studies suggest that black cohosh, an herb widely hailed for "female problems," effectively prevents hormonal surges and fluctuation causes of hot flashes.

The effectiveness rate of black cohosh in the causes of hot flashes and cure for hot flashes does vary between studies. While one study found that 86 percent of women taking black cohosh for over six weeks found control of hot flashes, a German study placed that number at about 80 percent within eight weeks of routinely taking black cohosh. Even using the smaller research number, black cohosh still emerges as a strong alternative for the control of hot flashes by buffering the causes of hot flashes.

Black cohosh also effectively provides relief of other symptoms of menopause including mood swings, heart palpitations, anxiety and depression.

The Preserve formula blends black cohosh with dong quai and sage, along with a number of other ingredients to provide relief of menopause symptoms. This combination provides more complete coverage of menopause symptoms than soy protein, another widely used alternative for the control of hot flashes and other menopause symptoms. The Preserve formula is part of a comprehensive menopause solution package called the Women's Strategy Pac.

Other women swear by progesterone cream. Natural progesterone research found that 83 percent of a study group reported less hot flashes. That study was conducted by doctors at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Pathology at St. Luke's Hospital in Bethlehem, PA. They studied 102 menopausal women who were divided into two groups. One group used 1/4 tsp. of natural progesterone cream on their skin daily. The other group used a placebo. After one year both groups were compared. The researchers found that 83 percent of the group that used the progesterone cream reported less hot flashes. Only 19 percent of the placebo group reported any benefit.

These practical hot flashes hints and tips will also help.

• Dress in layers. Remove and replace layers of clothing as needed.

• Wear cotton clothing or clothing made of other natural fibers. Natural fibers allow the skin to breathe better than synthetic fibers.

• At the first sign of hot flashes, drink a glass of cold water. If you happen to be in the kitchen when hot flashes hit, stick your head in the freezer!

• Keep a thermos of ice water and a fan by the bed at night if prone to night sweats. It also helps to lower the bedroom temperature at night.

• Use layers of cotton sheets and blankets on the bed as well. If experiencing night sweats, shed a layer or two.

• Allergen barrier products on beds will help when night sweats and sleeplessness are complicated by allergies and respiratory problems.

• Exercise - at least 30 minutes four times weekly. Women who exercise regularly and maintain a balanced diet suffer less from hot flashes. Always consult with your doctor before starting an exercise program.

• Include sex in your exercise regime. Studies have linked an active sex life to the decrease in hot flashes.

• Watch the spicy foods. They can increase the internal body temperature and women with hot flashes do not need any more of that.

• Alcohol, caffeine and hot drinks can also trigger hot flashes. Keep these to a minimum or eliminate them completely from the diet.

• Use relaxation techniques. Breathe deep and relax at the first sign of hot flashes, knowing the hot flash will pass better with a calmed body.