You know what though? I'd so much rather be in menopause and avoid cancer, than the alternative! (for those of you who are fighting the good fight, your chances of beating this are so much greater if you've had a hysterectomy, or at least a bilateral salpingo oopherectomy)
So what do we all know about menopause? HOTFLASHES of course! I am an expert on them now.
If you are new to hotflashes, you may wonder how you can stay cool during the summer months...
- Drink ice water.
- Aviod caffeine (caffeine can trigger hot flashes)
- Avoid spicy foods (can also trigger hot flashes)
- Have cold meals instead of hot food (trade the soups in for cold bisques and the hot pasta in for pasta salads! Have your herbal tea iced this summer, it's refreshing)
- Crank that A/C!
- Swim (it's great exercise AND it will cool you to the core!)
- Portable fan
- Use a bed sheet instead of a heavy quilt at night
- Run your errands early before it gets hot, or at night after the sun goes down
- Utilize that automatic start for the car! It's not just for the winter! Cool off your vehicle before you even get in!
- Wear your hair up and avoid wearing hats. (Heat escapes through your head and feet.. Wear sandals and avoid headgear that can add to the blazing inferno that is now your body)
- Cold Showers
- Eat popsicles! (they have less calories than ice cream!)
- If your stressed and frazzled, stop, take five minutes to cool down and take deep breathes.. This one is key! If you're going a mile a minute like us girls tend to do, the stress of it all can cause a hot flash and make it even MORE stressful!
- Eat ice (don't tell your dentist I told you to do this!)
- Sit in front of a fan. (lol This is ow I ate my dinner tonight!)
