If you are a post menopausal woman looking for an estrogen alternative to reduce hot flashes, flaxseed may just be your answer. (The operative word here being "may".)
An interesting pilot study conducted at the Mayo Clinic examined the possible relationship between eating ground flaxseed and a reduction in hot flash frequency. Reported on in this summer's issue of the Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology, the researchers emphasize that these results, though promising, are only preliminary.
In their work, 29 women were given 40 grams of ground flaxseed every day for 6 weeks. The 21 who completed the study reported a 57% decrease in the frequency of hot flashes.
Even though follow up studies are needed to prove this relationship, it sure wouldn't hurt to try flaxseed to see if it makes a difference for you. Flaxseed is safe to take, and has added health benefits such as alleviating constipation (its high in fiber), reducing inflammation in arthritis-sufferers, and reducing the risk of developing heart disease by improving blood lipid levels.
One word of caution. Check with your doctor before taking flaxseed if you are on blood thinning medications, have diabetes, are planning on surgery in the near future, or have a history of breast, uterine or ovarian cancer.
If you decide to try your own little experiment with taking flaxseed, let us know what happens...do you have less hot flashes?
An interesting pilot study conducted at the Mayo Clinic examined the possible relationship between eating ground flaxseed and a reduction in hot flash frequency. Reported on in this summer's issue of the Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology, the researchers emphasize that these results, though promising, are only preliminary.
In their work, 29 women were given 40 grams of ground flaxseed every day for 6 weeks. The 21 who completed the study reported a 57% decrease in the frequency of hot flashes.
Even though follow up studies are needed to prove this relationship, it sure wouldn't hurt to try flaxseed to see if it makes a difference for you. Flaxseed is safe to take, and has added health benefits such as alleviating constipation (its high in fiber), reducing inflammation in arthritis-sufferers, and reducing the risk of developing heart disease by improving blood lipid levels.
One word of caution. Check with your doctor before taking flaxseed if you are on blood thinning medications, have diabetes, are planning on surgery in the near future, or have a history of breast, uterine or ovarian cancer.
If you decide to try your own little experiment with taking flaxseed, let us know what happens...do you have less hot flashes?