Many women are perhaps skeptical about using conventional hormone replacement therapy (HRT) drugs to combat the symptoms of menopause. This skepticism is largely attributed to the adverse effects of these treatments, which include vaginal bleeding, nausea and headaches. To further compound the problem of conventional HRT drugs is the likely prospect that they may make women more susceptible to breast cancer and blood clots.

It is believed that natural extracts from plants containing substances similar to estrogen and progesterone produced by the ovaries is the better alternative to alleviate menopausal symptoms. This is the case because these extracts have a positive effect on the body's hormone level.

Hot flashes tend to be one of the most troubling symptoms of menopause and studies have shown that there are a variety of natural treatments that can provide relief.

Menopausal symptoms arise due to the fluctuation or imbalance of the estrogen and/or progesterone level. With that said, I think it is imperative to categorize treatments in these two groups. For estrogen treatments, there is the option for soy-related food such as soybeans, soymilk or any food with soy extract. It is believed that soy has the ability to lessen the effects of hot flashes due to its high potency in phytoestrogens. Also under this category are herbs containing phytoestrogens such as "red clover". There is also 'black cohosh', which is a plant indigenous to North America and also believed to be rich in phytoestrogens.

Moving on the second category, which is progesterone treatment. The progesterone cream falls under this category and contains extracts similar to progesterone produced by the body. This cream is usually applied to areas of the body that allows for easier absorption to circulate through the body such as the breasts and inner thighs, just to name a few. There is also the chaste tree berry that is known to stimulate progesterone level that inadvertently alleviate many symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes.

It is not surprising that more women are opting for natural remedies or herbal drugs to lessen or eliminate the symptoms of menopause in general and hot flashes specifically. Due to the various health risks associated with conventional HRT, as mentioned earlier, this a major deterrent to using this treatment option.

However, due to the relative safety in using natural remedies, women need to be cognizant of the dosage level taken as moderation in everything is essential.