Hot Flashes: Open a Window or I'll Scream

As you may have already guessed, as you enter midlife and menopause and begin that natural progression from Reproductive Goddess to, well, simply Goddess, you're going to undergo a virtual constellation of symptoms that, in some instances, can affect you bodywide.

None however, has captured more attention than the veritable "hot flash." As the golden badge of advancing womanhood, it is, in fact, the one symptom that has bonded even the worst of enemies, as shoulder-to-shoulder we stand in the ladies room trying to figure out how to get our entire body under one tiny faucet of ice-cold running water.

Doctors label hot flashes a vasomotor symptom -- a series of biochemical events that unfold when your temperature controlling mechanism goes slightly awry. The result: Your body thinks you're overheated, even when you're not. That, in turn, directs your blood vessels to quickly discharge what it perceives as excess heat, which for you usually means a sensation something akin to standing naked on the edge of a barbecue pit that is filled to the brim with hot burning coals.

The whole "event," as doctors like to call it, is mediated by the peaks and valleys of fluctuating estrogen levels, that little hormonal dance your body does as your last egg gets ready to leave your nest, signaling a close to your reproductive years.

And while the National Institute on Aging estimates that 60% of all women approaching menopause have hot flashes, as any one who has passed through this time of life can tell you, the "real" number has to be closer to 99%. Honestly, I don't know a single gal who has reached age 50 without at least one uncontrollable urge to walk in the rain in her lingerie, as she asks "Is it hot in here?"

But while hot flashes may be our rite of passage, getting through those hot burning days and nights can be more than a little disconcerting. For decades, most women banked on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for help. Unfortunately, the now infamous Women's Health Initiative study of 2002 cast a huge shadow on this form of treatment. So, at least for a while, most of us are left to our own devices to cope.

The good news is there is more than one way to cool a flash. From anecdotal remedies to some brand-new research, it's possible to stop a flush blush in its tracks -- no hormones required.

To help get you started, here are six approaches to try on your own, plus a few your doctor can prescribe. Don't forget walking in the rain in your lingerie, though. It works -- just do it at night when nobody's looking.

Beating a Hot Flash: What Can Help Right Now

1. Watch what you're wearing.

It's not just the heavy sweaters and suit jackets that can make you feel warm. Even loose, comfortable clothes can cause a problem if they are made from certain fabrics. Those to avoid include nylon, spandex, and some close-knit polyesters, all of which can hold in body heat and make it harder for you to cool down. To avoid night sweats, which are really hot flashes that occur in your sleep, skip nylon nighties or PJs, and avoid satin or all polyester sheets.