Breathe your way out of a hot flash

What if you could alleviate hot flashes with a simple breathing technique? Sounds promising, since most of the treatments for hot flashes involve pills.

Not too long ago, I read two research studies looking at a slow, paced breathing technique known as "paced respiration."

Women who practiced this paced respiration had a 50 percent drop in the frequency of their hot flashes compared to women who didn't.

Paced respiration is easy to learn. For those of you who have taken a yoga class, I can almost guarantee you already know how to do it because it is taught as "diaphragmatic breathing" or "yogic breaths."

You do this for 15 minutes and see results, at least based on the research mentioned above. If you haven't taken a yoga class, or you don't remember it very well, don't worry. I have included some simple instructions below.

So what's the theory behind it? Well, to be honest, we don't fully understand all the mechanisms around hot flashes, and why some people get them while others don't.

Some research suggests that women with hot flashes may have a higher level of the chemical norepinephrine (which is related to adrenaline) in their brains. Higher norepinephrine levels may make these women more sensitive to small changes in body temperature. If that is the case, it seems that paced respiration could help by "cooling down" the nervous system, and decreasing levels of norepinephrine. But that is just a theory — at this point, we don't really know for sure.

If you want to try paced respiration for hot flashes, I recommend practicing this slow, deep breathing technique for 15 minutes two times a day on a regular basis for at least one month.

I also recommend it when you feel a hot flash coming on, and continue until the flash dissipates. The nice thing about this method is that, unlike pills, it isn't likely to interfere with any medications you take, and it is easy to do.

Paced respiration

• Sit in a comfortable, quiet place.

• Inhale for 5-8 seconds, pushing your stomach muscles out.

• Exhale for 5-8 seconds, pulling your stomach muscles in and up.

• Repeat until time is up, or you feel better.

Dr. Astrid Pujari is a Seattle M.D. with an additional degree as a medical herbalist; she practices at the Pujari Center and teaches as part of the residency programs at Virginia Mason and Swedish/Cherry Hill hospitals. Send questions to apujari@seattletimes.com for possible use in future columns. All information is intended for education and not a substitute for medical advice. Consult your doctor before following any suggestions given here.