- With Mayo Clinic internist
Sandhya Pruthi, M.D.
read biographyclose windowBiography of
Sandhya Pruthi, M.D.
Sandhya Pruthi, M.D.
Dr. Sandhya Pruthi, certified by the American Board of Family Practice, has been practicing medicine at Mayo Clinic since 1995 with special interests in breast diseases and women's health.
She is a consultant in the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, and the Breast Diagnostic Clinic. She is an assistant professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minn.
The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native stresses education and patient-related research and has been active in both areas since joining Mayo Clinic. She is the primary investigator at Mayo Clinic of several clinical trials evaluating new agents for the prevention of breast cancer and identification of biomarkers for early detection of breast cancer. Her other research and clinical interests include managing the health of women who are at increased risk of breast cancer, breast pain and hot flashes, and developing patient education decision-making tools for breast-related concerns. She is director of the Breast Diagnostic Clinic and is a member of the Women's Health Executive Committee. Dr. Pruthi has been newly elected as a member to the board of directors for the American Society of Breast Disease. She has assisted with a variety of articles for MayoClinic.com.
"Having an opportunity to share information with my patients in the way that will help them to understand and be able to make educated decisions about their own health is very important to me," she says.
"The Web has become a major information site for people, and I want them to get the best and accurate information to be able to make informed choices for themselves, their family members and friends."
Symptoms (1)
- Bleeding after menopause: Is it normal?
Treatments and drugs (3)
- Bioidentical hormones: Are they safer?
- Hormone replacement therapy: Can it cause vaginal bleeding?
- Testosterone therapy in women: Does it boost sex drive?
Alternative medicine (1)
- Flaxseed: Can it relieve hot flashes?
Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Question
Flaxseed: Can it relieve hot flashes?
I received an e-mail stating that a pilot study has found that flaxseed reduces hot flashes in menopausal women. Can you tell me if this legitimate?
Answer
from Sandhya Pruthi, M.D.
Yes, it is. Some preliminary research suggests that flaxseed may reduce hot flashes in menopausal women. However, a larger study is needed to confirm these findings.
Mayo Clinic researchers studied 29 women who had at least 14 hot flashes a week for at least one month. In this preliminary study, researchers excluded participants with a history of diabetes or bowel or bleeding disorders. Study participants consumed 40 grams (about 4 tablespoons) of ground or crushed flaxseed a day for six weeks. At the end of six weeks, participants reported a 50 percent reduction in hot flashes. Although these results are promising, it should be noted that participants reported troublesome side effects — including bloating, diarrhea and gas — due to the high-fiber content of flaxseed.
If you have bothersome hot flashes and you want to try flaxseed, talk to your doctor first. Consider taking flaxseed for a trial period to see what, if any, effects it has on your menopausal symptoms and note any side effects. To minimize gastrointestinal side effects, start with 2 tablespoons of flaxseed sprinkled on cereal, yogurt or fruit once a day for about three weeks. Then, increase to 2 tablespoons twice a day. Also, be sure to drink plenty of water or other fluids every day.
Next question
