Beat the heat of a hot flush

Change your eating habits

Make food rich in phyto-oestrogens (POs) part of your daily diet. There's evidence that they can lessen hot flushes and sweats and may also help maintain bone density. Soya products, chick peas, lentils, mung and aduki beans are rich in POs called isoflavones. Menopause expert Marilyn Glenville recommends 40mg isoflavones daily. 250ml soya milk contains 20mg isoflavones, a soya yogurt 12mg. But don't overdo it as too much can reduce the effectiveness of certain vitamins and reduce iron levels.

Our readers from the menopause discussion boards say:  'I took soya isoflavones and also soya milk on my daily porrridge. This did help a lot but you do need to take it consistently' - Balmy.