Many women in their menopause experience hot flashes (in the US, it's about 85%), and it can be extremely uncomfortable. It's an intensely hot, sudden feeling in your upper body and your face, that often is accompanied by extreme sweating, rapid heartbeat and sometimes feelings of dizziness, weakness and headache. A hot flash can usually last from 2 to 30 minutes. Oftentimes the face is also blushing at the same time. Hot flashes appear most often between 6am and 8 am, and 6 pm and 10 pm.

Hot flashes can actually be quiet frightening, and some women who haven't been warned about them actually are afraid that they might be suffering from a heart attack.

The causes of hot flashes are well-known: hormonal changes that take place in your body. When your body produces less estrogen, then your hypothalamus has to "adjust" itself to that lower hormone level first. And it's the hypothalamus that is responsible for your body temperature. A common advice for women who suffer from hot flashes is to do some kind of hormone therapy, most often estrogen replacement therapy. It is important to realize that some studies suggest that hormone replacement therapy can increase the risk of developing breast cancer, dementia and strokes though. It's also not a "cure", but rather something that helps to temporarily avoid hot flashes. Other common treatments for hot flashes include Tamoxifen and SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors).

A popular alternative treatment for hot flashes and other menopausal syndromes is ginseng. Ginseng has been used for centuries in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) reduce hot flashes. However, it is important that you don't just take some random ginseng tea or extract, but rather find a qualified practitioner of Chinese medicine who is able to provide you with the best possible Ginseng treatment option for you.

To reduce hot flahses it's best to also avoid caffeine, diet pills, spicy and hot foods, hot showers, hot tubs and saunas, hot rooms and hot beds, smoking and alcohol.

Also, make notes what you did immediately before a hot flush occured. Chances are, that you will find patterns. For many women, stress can be a trigger of hot flushes. For example, an argument with the partner or work-related stress often occurs directly before a hot flash.

Another coping strategy for hot flashes is wearing layered clothing, so that you can quickly get rid of some clothing when you experience a hot flash to make it more bearable.

There are also many herbal treatments for hot flashes, like fennel, motherwort, black cohosh, a Chinese herb called dong quai, haste barry, yam, sarsaparilla and others.