If her diet is based on more yin vegetable quality foods which counteract the effects of strong yang, then she can more easily pass through menopause without symptoms. A review of the common symptoms of menopause suggests they are part of an overall syndrome resulting primarily from an overly yang or contracted condition. At least three-quarters of American women experience hot flashes during menopause. During a hot flash, heat and energy are discharged. In some cases, hot flashes interrupt sleep, producing symptoms of sleep deprivation such as mood swings, fatigue, and chronic irritation.
Hot flashes occur when excess energy builds up inside the body.
This excess gathers toward the center of the body and is then discharged outward toward the periphery. The most common dietary sources of this excess are foods such as chicken, cheese, eggs, meat, and high-fat fish such as tuna and salmon. Estrogen is a more yin hormone. At puberty, it stimulates the development of soft fatty tissue in the female body. During the menstrual cycle, estrogen causes the endometrium, or lining of the uterus, to become swollen and engorged with blood.