By Bita Jaworski
Natural Support for Changing Hormone Levels
As a mother of two, I decided early on to raise my kids on healthy natural diets, remembering to make sure I maximized their outdoor time throughout their childhood. My husband was keen on pushing for their creative development, while I instinctively knew that once they developed a taste for greens and fresh produce, I wouldn’t have too many worries about their health.
Now the kids are adults and my worries for their health and safety are not my main preoccupation. Now I’m beginning to be concerned about myself… I hear many women my age complaining about difficulties with their menopausal symptoms, but I hear just as many of them worrying about the (mostly unadvertised) side effects of Hormone Replacement Therapies (HRT’s)!
In hormone therapies, synthetic versions of our own natural estrogens, progesterone or other hormones are administered to compensate for our body's own inability to produce them anymore.
As an advocate of wholesome lifestyles, I diverted early on from the heavily promoted HRT trend, not feeling right about consuming hormone pills to stifle the undesired effects of a natural hormonal shift. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve had my fair share of night sweats, hot flashes, mood swings, insomnia, joint stiffness and all that womanly jazziness, but the token difficulties still didn’t motivate me to hop on the hormone therapy train, especially knowing that HRT’s carry severe health risks, including high blood pressure, blood clots, and increased risks of breast and uterine cancers. Somehow the short-term reliefs didn’t add up to be worth the health risks for me.
Some days my husband would avoid me altogether, not knowing in which direction my mood would fluctuate and not wanting to risk a rift between us. I must admit I took a harder blow than a majority of the women around me, but I’d resolved to let my body run its course.
About half a year into the menopausal changes I came across maca, the Peruvian plant root and medicinal herb. A health-conscious friend of mine informed me of its traditional usages for treating menopausal symptoms. Maca is widely recognized by the people of Peru as an herbal remedy for all sorts of hormonal imbalances. The maca root is a potent superfood containing carbohydrates, dietary fiber, fats, essential minerals such as selenium, calcium, magnesium and iron, amino acids, and fatty acids (including the linolenic, palmitic, and oleic types).
I quickly learned that in the world of herbal treatments, maca helps reduce menopausal symptoms by balancing the body’s fluctuating chemistry, and it does this through prompting the adrenal glands to stabilize the diminishing hormones of the thyroid and pancreas. The adrenal, pituitary and thyroid glands are all connected and being rich in organ-supporting minerals, maca seems to greatly benefit menopausal women.
With this knowledge I was excited beyond belief about the prospect of effective herbal remedy, and looking deeper into the uses of maca, I realized that more and more women are skipping chemical hormone treatments and opting for maca powder as an alternative to artificial measures. In the growing trend of climacteric women who look for natural and non-animal remedies (preferably as a food source) to various bodily ailments, this holistic Andean natural supplement seems to soothe our concerns.
Now that I’ve incorporated maca into my daily diet I use less of my energy in self-rejecting dismay, and focus more on embracing the fluctuations. Thankfully, nature provides its own ingenious solutions to the entirety of the living system, and my patience has paid off in many ways.
Because maca affects the body on a cellular level and gives it a chance to readjust, it’s important to take enough, take regularly and to be patient in allowing the body to revitalize at its own rate. Some women notice maca’s beneficial nutritional effects within two weeks, for others it might take a little longer, perhaps even up to 3 months. A measurement to start with is 1/2 teaspoon daily, increasing to 2 tablespoons daily, depending on personal preference. Mix the powder with juice or use in smoothies, oatmeal, organic yogurt or herbal teas.
Source: http://www.beonliving.com/lifestyle/author/32
Benefits of Maca Root: Find More Energy and Hormonal Balance
Thursday, December 24, 2009 by: Kim Evans, citizen journalist
(NaturalNews) Find yourself depending on coffee for a boost in the morning? Why not try maca instead? Maca is a root from Peru; it's a tuber, like a potato, and offers an amazing energy boost for those with low energy. Maca however, unlike coffee, offers energy in a non-caffeinated way that supports the body.
Maca is a nutritionally dense super-food that contains high amounts of minerals, vitamins, enzymes and all of the essential amino acids. Maca root is rich in B-vitamins, which are the energy vitamins, and maca is a vegetarian source of B-12. To boot, maca has high levels of bioavailable calcium and magnesium and is great for remineralization.
Maca root helps balance our hormones and due to an over abundance of environmental estrogens, most people's hormones are a bit out of whack. Maca stimulates and nourishes the hypothalamus and pituitary glands which are the "master glands" of the body. These glands actually regulate the other glands, so when in balance they can bring balance to the adrenal, thyroid, pancreas, ovarian and testicular glands.
Instead of providing hormones to the body, maca works as an adaptogen which means that it responds to different bodies' needs individually. If you're producing too much of a particular hormone, maca will regulate the production downward. However, if you're producing too little, it'll regulate the production upward.
Hormones regulate many things including mood, growth, sexual development, and tissue function. Hormones also play a role in many diseases, like cancer and depression.
Maca root has been shown to be beneficial for all sorts of hormonal problems including PMS, menopause, and hot flashes. Maca's also a fertility enhancer and is best known for improving libido and sexual function, especially in men. For this reason, it's earned the nickname "nature's Viagra."
Enjoy the Benefits of Maca as Food
Maca has a light, nutty flavor and some easy, delicious ways to consume maca powder as a food are to: Stir a teaspoon of maca in a bowl of vegetable and lentil soup before serving; sea salt and maca root are a wonderful soup flavoring. Add a teaspoon to any herbal tea. Pour maca powder over organic, non-microwaved popcorn and flavor with coconut oil and sea salt. If you're not watching your sugar intake, mix a bit of maca powder with enough grade B maple syrup or honey to produce a wet paste, and enjoy with a spoon. It's a delicious dessert-like treat, and it's great on bananas too. If you're one who "needs" a sweet fix, this is delicious and healthy way to do it.
It's recommended to start with a 1/2 teaspoon a day, and work up to a teaspoon or two a day over the course of a few weeks. If you're taking it daily, it's best to take a day off each week.
Maca is a food staple in Peru and there are no known effects of toxicity. However, occasionally some people experience adverse effects when they start taking maca, and these symptoms may actually be detoxification symptoms. This is because when a body more accustomed to consuming processed and cooked foods starts taking in such a nutritionally dense supplement, the body will absorb the superior nutrients it needs and "throw off" the old junk it doesn't need for elimination. If this happens, you might feel badly but it generally lasts just a few days. You may also want to consider doing colon and liver cleansing before or while taking maca to quickly remove some of the waste your body is trying to eliminate. Doing so will help with many adverse symptoms.
More:
Maca: Adaptogen and Hormonal Regulator, Beth Ley, Ph.D.
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