PLease help with Hot flashes

Marie,

I don't have hotflashes due to chemopause (didn't have chemo) but had an ooph in Aug. Hot flashes are getting a little debilitating. Right now I am trying acupuncture, had one session last week, another tomorrow. If you are interested PM me and I will let you know how it is going.

I was also going to try the vit E, but see you have done that already. Also in regards to Yazmin suggestion and I am trying to phrase this more as a question as I have read things Yazmin has said and I know she is much more knowledgeable than I am in this regard. If you are ER/PR +, are you not supposed to stay away from Evening Primrose , Black Cohash and similar supplements? My gyne told me that. Yazmin I would be very interested on your take on this.

P 

pk0199: I have been staying away from Black Cohosh, indeed, but was not aware that we have to be careful with Evening Primrose Oil as well. I am certainly going to research this issue and post if I find anything...

A small fan or piece of folded paper work wonders.

And it's proven to work.

Dear Marie,

My daughter was dx with TNBC...triple negative breast cancer, in June of 2007. She did the ACT chemo regimen all 3 every 3 weeks for 6 TX's, and then 28 rads. Suffice it to say all the TX's did a number on her body, physically, mentally and emotionally. In the Spring of this year she started researching, and changed her diet dramatically, implementing the Anticancer diet by David Servan-Shreiber, and then researched BHRT...biodentcal hormone replacement therapy. She started taking the BHRT in June and finally has her life back.

Many conventional doctors will tell you that you cannot take hormones after a dx of BC. Well, they are dead wrong! You have to seek out an antiaging specialist who prescribes the BHRT and is wiling to work with you after your dx and TX's. They are out there Marie, and most insurances will cover the tests, but not the consultations. My daughter's BHRT is mixed by a compounding pharmacist, and there are times when she and her doctor have to "tweak" them for maximum effect, but she no longer has chemo brain, has gotten her libido back, feels wonderful, no more neuropathy...on and on. She is now 47 years old, and feels like she did when she was in her thirties.

Two years before dx she had Shingles, and then in the Spring she got them again. She feels that had she not gotten the BHRT that she would have been dx with mets by now

Her immune system was extremely compromised, and her DHEA and Cortisol levels were the highest of the over 3000 patients they had seen. Her adrenal glands were almost burned out. Her vitamin D3 levels were only 44 then and now they are 82.6, and she is not taking as much D3 now as she was before. It was the hormones, well actually the hormone imbalance, and her body could not absorb the D3. We all need hormones to live, and when they are not balanced, we develop many diseases. Do some research Marie, and if you want links, I can give them to you. It is time for alternative treatments...not more drugs.

Nan

There is so much confusion about medicine and supplements alike that it is hard to know what is what. According to this Medical News article, Evening Primrose oil fights breast cancer:

http://www.news-medical.net/news/2005/11/03/14257.aspx

And Sloan-Kettering seems to agree, with a word of caution (in bold):

Clinical Summary

Derived from the plant Oenothera biennis, evening primrose oil (EPO) is used for rheumatoid arthritis, premenstrual syndrome, eczema, fatigue, diabetic neuropathy and mastalgia. EPO contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA), a primary fixed oil that is converted to dihomo-gamma-linolenic-acid, a prostaglandin precursor ⁽²⁾⁽³⁾. In vitro studies indicate that EPO may inhibit platelet aggregation ⁽⁶⁾⁽⁷⁾. Clinical efficacy data are inconsistent, although one study showed GLA to be an effective adjunctive therapy for breast cancer ⁽⁴⁾. Conclusions from a meta analysis indicate that EPO is ineffective in treating mastalgia ⁽¹⁾. GLA may prevent weight regain in individuals who recently experienced major weight loss ⁽⁵⁾.
Adverse reactions include headache and GI disturbances. EPO should not be taken during pregnancy ⁽⁸⁾.
One study reported a reduced seizure threshold when EPO was combined with phenothiazine antipsychotics ⁽⁹⁾.
Although EPO does not have intrinsic estrogenic properties, several manufacturers do combine EPO with phytoestrogens, and product labels should be carefully reviewed.

My Onc recommended a natural supplement for hot flashes called tincture of rhubarb.  He said studies done in Germany show it to be very effective.  He also told me that the only way to find it was probably going to be online.  I was ready to order it, but then the hot flashes just started to die down, so I never got to try it.

Well it has been 4 days since my last acupuncture treatment. I do think I notice a difference in the severity and number of hotflashes. They are by no means gone, but seem much more tolerable.

Penny 

Barbeqrn,

Am I permitted to post links for antiaging specialists here? It depends are where you live, and in California antiaging specialists are everywhere. The progressive state? lol!! Lori's doctor is in Pittsburgh, and he was more than willing to work with her even though she was dx with TNBC. It is just not right for a doctor to tell women who were dx with bc, and having gone through what conventional doctors prescribe for tx's, to then tell women that "this is the new normal", and they just have to deal with it...or...take more drugs.

Suzanne Somers' new book Knockout has so much information and I would suggest you buy it. No matter what you may think of Somers, she has done her research and the doctors that she interviews are the best in the field of Alternative medicine. One doctor prescribes BHRT for his patients whle they are taking chemo, and I am sure there are many more. Since learning of BHRT, I have thought this should be prescribed for everyone during chemo, and then I read of this doctor doing just that. Makes perfect sense.

If you are not taking Melatonin, you might want to read about that also. It is a cancer fighter, and of course a hormone just like Vitamin D3. I can also provide links for these if permissable?

Please write back to me about posting the links. I post on the TNBC site, and I limit postings of alternative or complimentary meds to just the alternative thread.

Nan

Like Spar, the Chillow was a great relief. I keep 2 in rotation and use them nightly. Highly recommend them.

My hot flashes were AWEFUL, debilitating and depressing. I take cymbalta and I have NO flashes at all now. It is a true relief.

Hi all,

Just wanted to check in and let you know how the acupuncture is going for the hot flashes. I am actually amazed at how well it has worked. My acupuncturist/chinese medicine/Dr from China also put me on vit e, vit B6 and VitD and has also altered my diet a bit (no sugar-not following that one as close as I should-I am a sugar hound, but have cut back significantly) any way the combo with the acupuncture has dramatically decreased the flashes by number and severity. I have not had to sit down and "cool off" because I felt sick for at least a week. Alcohol still brings on a flash, good thing I don't drink a lot. Anyway if anyone is contemplating trying acupuncture, I would encourage you to try. It is just one less pill to have to take.

Penny 

ps just thought I would add that I was very skeptical going into this, thought it was a bunch of hooey. 

When I was about 45, the flashes started. Nothing stopped them except birth control pills. Then at 47 I was dx so bye bye pills, welcome back flashes. While on chemo they were unbearable. They offered accupuncture at the chemo center and it really made a difference. And it was very relaxing! Its been 8 months since the accupuncture ended. The flashes are back, many all day and night, but I do not sweat nearly as bad as I did. I just get very hot and red. I take 75 mg of Effexor and am scared to stop because I don't want them to get worse. I would love to try the bio's.

HI RUTHY,

I ALSO HAVE READ DR. LEE'S BOOK.  I AM CANCER FREE FOR 4 YEARS, HAD NOT CHEMO OR RAD BUT THE TAMOXIFEN IS ABOUT TO DRIVE ME TO LUNACY.  THE HOT FLASHES ARE HORRIFIC AND THE FOGGY BRAIN IS BAD.  I HAVE DONE NOTHING EXCEPT THE NORMAL AMA PROTOCOL BUT WOULD LIKE TO INVESTIGATE FURTHER.  I BOUGHT THE PROGESTERONE CREAM AFTER READING THE BOOK AND IT IS STILL IN THE DRAWER.  DO YOU HAVE ANY LINKS I COULD FOLLOW?

DD