Hot Enough for You?

Of course, there's no comprehensive research on this triumvirate -- where would they find 50-ish, female test subjects willing to give up coffee, chocolate and wine for any sustained period of time? What we do know is that smokers get more hot flashes than nonsmokers (you should give that up already) and that hot, spicy foods and drinks that raise the core body temperature may bring on hot flashes. Cold, bland foods at midlife. Yum.

Lose weight and exercise, blah, blah, blah. We know that sedentary women get more hot flashes than women who exercise regularly, and fat women get more hot flashes in pre- and peri-menopausal years than thinner ones. Will exercise and weight loss reduce hot flashes? It hasn't been studied. (Hey, there's also a correlation between low socioeconomic status and increased risk for hot flashes. Will marrying rich help?)

Relax. In looking at all nonprescription ways to handle hot flashes, Santoro said, "the best medical evidence" exists for "paced breathing." Which is what, exactly? "Meditation without the oms, breathing with counting, chanting a word to yourself or not, yoga breathing" -- all of the above. "It's the slowing, mind/body awareness that seems to make a difference," Santoro said.

According to the Menopause Society report, three clinical trials showed that paced breathing at the start of hot flashes "lowered hot flash frequency by approximately 50 percent more than the controls."

There's no research tying emotional stress to hot flashes, but much anecdotal evidence that nontraditional activities and treatments -- including acupuncture, massage, meditation, and yoga -- may help some women.

Laugh it off. Inspired by a hot flash and a bottle of wine, Jennie Linders wrote "Menopause: The Musical," now playing in Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles. She tells people it's for women "between 'Sex in the City' and 'Golden Girls.' " The old songs have new lyrics, from "Staying Alive" ("Staying Awake") to "The Lion Sleeps Tonight." ("In the guest room or on the sofa, my husband sleeps tonight.") I haven't seen it, but for the right audience I'm sure it's hilarious.

Another option for yucksters: Throw a party with goofy door prizes. You'll find a great selection at Our Lady of Menopause (www.ourladyofmenopause.com), including coffee mugs, candles, memorial plates and a prayer ("Moist and Lovely Queen of Steam, guide me to all available remedies . . . so that the world may be spared overheated eruptions of ill temper and unregulated torrents of sweat . . .").

And it seems that writing silly books helps heaps of female readers and writers. Search amazon.com for "menopause" and "humor" and you get 4,043 books (most of which are not funny). My favorite titles: "Honey, They Shrunk My Hormones" (Howard Publishing, 2003), "MenOpop: A Menopause Pop-Up & Activity Book" (Fill 'er Up Productions, 2002) and "Living Somewhere Between Estrogen and Death" (W. Publishing Group, 1997).

A final warning: No one has yet studied the impact of laughing on body temperature.•

A regular contributor to Health, Stefanie Weiss works at Experience Corps, a national service program for Americans over 55.