Maca root is more successful at treating symptoms of menopause than hormone replacement therapy

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For some women, menopause means hot flashes, mood swings and memory changes and greatly affects your quality of life.  Although, not all women share in these menopausal symptoms.  One study found that 80 percent of women experience no change in their quality of life and 62 percent of women felt positive about menopause.  Ten percent of women in the study reported that they were irritable, fatigued and felt despair during this transition.(1)

Eighty percent of women experience no change in their quality of life associated with menopause!

Another study found that 75 percent of women don’t feel less attractive due to this transition and find sexual intimacy more enjoyable.  (1)

For some women, the symptoms associated with menopause lead them to their physician.  Many physicians will recommend hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to help manage these symptoms.  However, this style of therapy is not without risk.  HRT increases the risk of urinary incontinence, dementia, stroke, blood clots, heart attack and even breast cancer. (2)

Hormone replacement therapy may help with menopausal symptoms but increases risk of urinary  incontinence, dementia, stroke, blood clots, heart attack and breast cancer!

If you desire a healthier and more natural option to help manage menopausal symptoms with minimal risk, consider maca.  Maca is a cruciferous root vegetable that resembles a turnip.  It grows in the Andes Mountains and has been used for food and medicinal purposes for thousands of years.(3)

Maca has been found to successfully balance hormones, stabilize menstrual irregularities, improve fertility and control menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, vaginal dryness, loss of energy, libido and depression.(3)

Research has shown that maca contains no plant hormones and relies instead on plant sterols when trigger the body to produce higher levels of hormones appropriate to the age and gender of the person taking the maca.  (3)

Studies show that maca stimulates estradiol levels, suppresses follicle stimulating hormone, increases HDL, reduces frequency and severity of hot flashes and night sweats and reduces anxiety, depression and sexual dysfunction associated with menopause!

Research has also found that maca stimulates estradiol levels, suppresses follicle stimulating hormone and increases HDL.  Maca also reduces the frequency and severity of hot flashes and night sweats.  The studies on maca also show a significant reduction in psychological symptoms such as anxiety, depression and sexual dysfunction.  (4)

Physicians are finding maca combined with nutritional supplements to be effective in transitioning women off of HRT and managing their menopausal symptoms. (3)

If you are currently on HRT or considering HRT, consider minimizing the risks and talk to a qualified practitioner about maca.

Sources included:

(1) http://www.healthline.com/health/menopause/facts-statistics-infographic#3

(2) http://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/hormones/mht-fact-sheet

(3) http://www.womenlivingnaturally.com/articlepage.php?id=120

(4) https://womeninbalance.org/2012/10/26/discovering-the-health-benefits-of-maca/

Lynn Griffith
Lynn is a licensed therapist who enjoys cooking, creativity and enjoys helping other's learn how to care for their minds and bodies through healthy eating.  Lynn has wrote for The Raw Food World News and is currently in the process of building her own website focused on managing mental health through nutrition and wellness.