“You are walking down a cool mountain pathway…”

Wondering what that title has to do with medical care?!  I’ll give you a hint: hot flashes…

I recently came across a new study about a very different approach to menopausal hot flashes that I thought was very interesting. For those women that get them, hot flashes can be an uncomfortable and frustrating problem.  I’ve had many conversations with women who want to lessen their hot flashes, but don’t really want to take medication.  Unfortunately the treatment options that fit that description are not always as efficacious.

However there may be a new option on the horizon: hypnosis.  At last month’s meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, a study was presented that showed a dramatic 70-80% drop in hot flash frequency and severity!  (For those people interested it was a randomized, controlled study.)  There also seemed to be beneficial effects on sleep and depression.

Hopefully more study will occur to confirm it, but these findings seem promising, and there isn’t much of a downside to trying it.  I’ll keep you posted as I learn more.