Being overweight and wearing tight-fitting clothes may make the problem worse

Being overweight and wearing tight-fitting clothes may make the problem worse. If you smoke, you must stop, because smoking makes acid reflux worse. The medication that you have been taking is designed to reduce the amount of acid that the stomach produces Usually it is a very effective treatment There are several other things that you can do to help. If the acid gets as far as the throat, it can irritate the back of the throat and the voice box (the larynx) This is called laryngopharyngeal reflux. The commonest is heartburn, which results from acid irritation of the lining of the oesophagus (the tube that leads from the throat to the stomach).

When the acid manages to escape out of the stomach and move upwards, it can cause several types of symptoms. I have been taking Losec (also known as omeprazole) for several months, but it has hardly made any difference.There is supposed to be acid in your stomach, in order to dissolve and digest food. They both say that acid from my stomach is getting into my throat I don’t have any other acid symptoms, such as heartburn. I have seen two specialists and had two endoscopic looks into my stomach and throat. If the cause of your flushing turns out to be a late effect of the menopause, you would probably find relief by taking hormone replacement therapy, although you would need to weigh up the pros and cons of starting a long-term medication.A lump in my throatDo you have any advice for the control and management of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease? I suffer from hoarseness, a feeling of a lump in the throat and choking sensations I frequently have to “clear my throat”.

The commonest are some blood-pressure medications and a drug that is used to treat raised blood lipids, called nicotinic acid. There are also a few drugs that cause flushing, and you need to check that you are not taking any of these. The build-up of certain chemicals in the bloodstream causes flushing to occur. Some people, especially those of Asian descent, experience flushing after drinking alcohol because they are unable to chemically break down alcohol. But there could be another cause for the flushes and it is therefore important to discuss the problem with your GP or an endocrinologist. It may be that your ovaries have been producing small amounts of oestrogen over all these years, even though your menopause was many years ago. But your complaint of flushes starting for the first time many years after the menopause is less common.

One study of Swedish women found that about 15 per cent of them were still getting hot flushes 16 years after their last period. Is this normal for someone my age – I am 64.It is not unusual for women to get menopausal symptoms for many years after their periods stop. However, I have noticed recently that I get hot flushes once or twice a day for no apparent reason (as well as directly after a single sip of wine) The flushing extends from my face to my finger tips. Why do i get hot flushes?

Why do i get hot flushes?
About 10 years ago, I went through the menopause with no symptoms at all – no hot flushes, no mood swings, etc. Anyone who says that couldn’t happen might do well to remember that Manchester football derby of 1992.A longer version of this article appears in the June edition of the monthly newsletter ‘Medicine Today’ ( ).