Broken thermostats and hot flashes
Lately, I have been having trouble with the air conditioning system in my store. I set the thermostat at 76 degrees when I am working, which is a pleasant temperature for just about every one. But recently, for no apparent reason the heat kicks on and it gets stifling hot. It only lasts a few minutes, thankfully, but I rush to turn the unit down to a cooler temperature so my customers are not uncomfortable. Within seconds the store again cools and I return the setting to 76.

I could imagine a shocking electric bill so I called the landlord. He told me to call my service company, and they told me that I'm nuts. Well, not with those harsh words but they explained that it is impossible. "It is happening," I said, huffing a little. "Please come out and check."

They did and again reassured me that the system is working fine.

My menopause story

Since we're telling heat stories, I went all the way through menopause without having hot flashes. I have no explanation for it, even boasting that my diet is quite good. I had a few other symptoms: mild depression, foggy thinking, and so on. But no hot flashes.

Well, the other day, I was standing in the store, waiting on a customer, when the furnace came on again. "Darn!" I said to myself as I made my way back to the thermostat. "Doesn't it feel hot in here? So sorry!" I apologized to my customer. Suddenly, I stopped. A hot flash. It dawned on me that the sudden bursts of heat were not a malfunctioning thermostat, but my own thermostat. Did my face turn red.

This brings us back to the topic of hot flashes and menopause. It seems that some problems of menopause, like hot flashes, are associated with stress. Many women find relief by nutritionally supporting their adrenal gland with herbs like rhodiola, Siberian ginseng, or even glandulars (for those times of great stress). Some hot flash formulas contain extracts of soy or chaste tree berries. I encourage women to experiment to see which formula seems to work best for them. And give it a good three months' try before deciding. It can take a little while to reset your personal thermostat.

- Carol Simontacchi is the owner of the Island Nutrition Center on Sanibel. She can be reached at 472-4499 or on the Web at www.islandnutritioncenter.meta-ehealth.com .