Hot flashes

Hot flashes or flushes are a disturbing symptom that can occur in men or women. They are generally experience as a wave of warmth and redness that often occurs in upper body, neck and face. Hot flashes can be accompanied by sweating. Classically, this is a symptom of women going through menopause, but this can actually occur in men or in non-menopausal women, too. The cause of hot flashes is unclear but they seem to be associated with dropping estrogen levels and also a rise in hormones called LH and FSH. In men, hot flashes can be associated with low testosterone.

The typical conventional approach to hot flashes used to be to give synthetic female hormones to alleviate this symptom. When those synthetic hormones were discovered to be dangerous, doctors began to avoid the use of female hormones altogether. Instead antidepressants and anti-seizure medications are used.

Dr. Doyle's approach to hot flashes starts with history, physical examination and appropriate testing aimed at identifying and verifying the causes of hot flashes . It is important to remember that there are other conditions beside low sex hormone levels that can cause similar symptoms. For example, many patients with adrenal insufficiency experience similar feelings of body heat, especially at night. When hormonal deficiency is determined to be the major cause, Dr. Doyle starts by replacing the missing hormones. For women he usually uses bio-identical estrogen combined with progesterone. Testosterone deficiency in men is typically treated with bio-identical testosterone. Testosterone is often used (at much lower doses) in women, too, in order to maintain the healthiest hormonal balance. Many other treatments are available including herbs such as black cohosh, healthy exercise and relaxation techniques.

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