I've been on bio-identical hormones for many years, which have kept hot flashes at bay. Early in the purge phase, I started to experience them, and they are continuing. Is something going on with my inner thermostat that's part of the healing process?

Additional Details: I'll complete Phase 3 in a couple of days. The hot flashes are more accurately described as a quick heat up of the body, and conversely, I can sometimes feel cool and need to put a sweater on. In an early Gut Thrive live call, I believe Jack said something precautionary about hormones, particularly about estrogen. Perhaps what was said didn't pertain to bioidentical hormones. Would love to hear about the pros/cons of this. My functional Dr. said French studies are available until age 65, and my gynecologist feels the benefits far outweigh any risks and feels they can be used indefinitely.

It's all a matter of philosophy. We like to use bioidenticals as a band-aid to mitigate symptoms while the body is healing and to instead strengthen the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenals, so that the "gas tank" is full, and the body can therefore create those sex hormones from a full tank. You may notice as your health improves that the doses of bioidenticals might need to decrease, because you are making more of your own hormones now. A lab test is the very best way to determine this. It's a personal choice for everyone based upon what works for them. If you'd like to do it the other way, you'll need a saliva test and should look at cortisol at 4 points throughout the day as well as DHEA and melatonin and the rest of sex hormones to determine if DHEA/Pregnenalone are a good approach for you.