You guys know that I try to stay as PRIMITIVE as I can with EVERY aspect of my life...so, when I started experiencing a slight "hormonal fluctuation" ~ (Did that sound all pretty and pink, haha) Actually its been more feeling like a crazed woman, trying to finish a book project with a gazillion other demands. And my body has been giving me a few signals that something is a "bit" out of balance on the hormone scene. I appreciate the empowerment of being in touch with my body enough to recognize this but still question; Is it the life demands causing the stress or is it the hormones causing the stress sensitivity to lifes demands OR is it just a few signs of that much dreaded....Peri-menopause?(DEFINITION: this is the transitional period of time that precedes menopause, as in “pre-menopause,” that is often symptomatic of hormonal imbalances and fluctuations in a woman’s body 15-20 years before Menopause) Now armed with extreme dedication to following my Primitive Diva lifestyle (Nutrition, Fitness and Sleep) I have decided to add a new chapter to my book (yes, MORE work) but its one of the most critical for a healthy foundation. This means a whole chapter devoted to ancient, primitive and healing SUPERFOODS!
Please NOTE: It may be reassuring to remember that a woman’s body, mind, and spirit are always in flux, always changing — especially in the years that surround puberty and perimenopause. Just as you can be “pubescent” as you enter womanhood, you can be “perimenopausal” as you advance into the second half of your life. But these two words are simply labels, not a rigid definition of who you are, what your body is capable of, or who you are going to be.It is a natural as breathing......but,news to any other diva's who may be slightly older that 30 (just slightly~wink!) and experiencing the joyous symptoms of hormone "rebalancing".... you don't have to give in to it just yet!Oh and by the way....Men, AKA Primitive Dudes out there- This little Superfood helps with male hormone levels too, read on!
One of the most primitive alternatives to Hormone Replacement Therapy is available in a Whole food form.....another Farmaceutical that I want to share with you~ Maca Root!
Maca root has been used by indigenous societies as a source of healing and nourishment for thousands of years and is considered by top researchers to be a true stress fighting ADAPTOGEN- and aggressively touted as a "superfood by many natural health practitioners. And notably, the Maca plant one of the most powerful medicinal plants on earth with the ability to nourish the endocrine system. Working in tandem with the body's natural rhythms, Maca root helps rebuild weak immune systems, re-mineralize poorly nourished bodies,balance hormones, boost libido, and increase energy and endurance.
Although some may believe these incredible little roots do indeed possess "magical powers", a thorough scientific analysis and chemical breakdown documents them to be a nutritional storehouse of vitamins, minerals, and building blocks that fuel brain function, ease hormone irregularities, and nourish the body.Amazingly, a single Maca root contains almost 60 phyto-nutrients!
THE LOST HERB
Cultivated for thousands of years at elevations over 14,000 feet, Maca had been an important food and medicinal supplement for primitive tribes who inhabited the Peruvian highlands.
Although this rare member of the radish family has been used by indigenous peoples for thousands of years, many considered Maca to be a "lost herb" to the developing world until recently.
When the Spanish arrived to Peru in 1533, these little plants were hidden away and remained on the brink of extinction for centuries. In the Mid 1980's, The Board of Genetic Plant Resources actually listed Maca as a plant in danger of extinction...
Now, everything is changing as Maca is being eagerly sought after for its extraordinary medicinal powers and attributes.
Primitive food for a modern world
In today's modern world, Maca root is eaten up to 3 times a day by Peruvians and other people from all around the world, from professional athletes to the elderly, to give them energy and help recover from depression, addictions, traumas, or disease.
Hormonal Happiness
Maca root is also believed to promote healthy estrogen and progesterone levels. Research has shown that Maca Root contains no plant hormones, but its action relies on plant sterols, which act as chemical triggers to help the body produce a higher level of hormones appropriate to the age and gender of the person taking it. Clinical case studies have shown that Maca can help relieve the discomforts of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and menopausal symptoms.
(below article reprinted from Nature & Health Magazine, December 1999/ January 2000)
Maca: Discover how this new phytonutrient can ease menopausal symptoms
Rather than hormone replacement therapy (HRT), millions of women are putting their faith in a remedy which has been used for 10,000 years, which is safe and amazingly effective: a cruciferous root vegetable from Peru called maca. Anthropologist Dr. Viana Muller has brought this extraordinary remedy to the attention of the Western world. "Once in a decade a remedy used by native peoples for thousands of years comes to our attention and it seems so important to health that we wonder how we ever got along without it," Dr. Muller says. "Maca is that kind of supplement. Now women have an alternative to hormone replacement therapy drugs. Maca works in an entirely different and more satisfactory way for most women than phytoestrogen herbs like black cohosh and licorice root."
And men, too, find that maca can counteract the difficulties they may experience in maintaining good sexual relationships as they age, due to a general slowing down in the output of the endocrine glands."
The scientist responsible for much of the current knowledge of the maca root is Dr.Gloria Chacon de Popivici, a biologist trained at the University of San Marcos, in Lima, Peru. Dr.Chacon says that maca root works in a fundamentally different way than HRT, promoting optimal functioning of the hypothalamus and the pituitary, thereby improving the functioning of all the endocrine glands. Dr. Chacon has done the most important scientific work to date on the maca plant.
Dr. Muller says, "Implications of Dr Chacon's discovery of the pituitary-stimulating effects of maca are enormous.
"What it means is that hormone replacement therapy, even the natural varieties, will no longer be the gold standard for optimising health from a holistic point of view."
Alternative to HRT: It is important to remember that maca does not itself contain any hormones, but its action on the body jogs the pituitary into producing the precursor hormones which ultimately end up raising estrogen, progesterone and testosterone levels, as well as helping to balance the adrenal glands, the thyroid and the pancreas. But this occurs naturally, not with time-bomb drugs which throw the entire body into a dangerous state of confusion.
Dr Jorge Malaspina, a respected cardiologist, has been using maca in his practice in Lima, Peru, practice for over a decade. He says, "Maca does not cause the ovaries in women to atrophy, as conventional hormone replacement therapy does." This means that maca may be discontinued at any time without danger. He adds, "Different medicinal plants work on the ovaries by stimulating them. With maca, though, we should say that it 'regulates' the ovarian function." Dr Malaspina reiterates what Dr. Chacon says about the way maca regulates the organs of internal secretion, such as the pituitary, the adrenal glands, and the pancreas. He has also found maca to be effective even on women who have undergone complete hysterectomies. He describes one patient who had a serum oestradiol level of 15, which is very low. After two months on maca it went up to 75. He says that a level above 60 is an adequate postmenopausal level. "Maca enables the adrenals to make sufficient hormones to avoid symptoms", he says.
Dr. Malaspina adamantly prefers maca therapy to HRT. "The presence of outside hormones circulating in the system sends a message to the pituitary and the hypothalamus that there is a sufficient quantity of hormones in the body, and so they stop producing them. When menopause arrives, then, the ovaries are atrophied and do not produce the estrogen and progesterone which the body requires minimally to function. For this reason, I encourage women to start with maca before menopause. It seems to help the endocrine system to stay in balance."
Alkaloids were first shown to work on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis by Dr. Gloria Chacon de Popovici in 1962. In her studies she found maca greatly increased fertility in both sexes.
The peer reviewed journal "Urology" reported a Chinese University trial which proved an increase of nearly 100% in the sexual frequency of animals that had been fed maca. One study claimed that males had a 180% increase in semen production.
In females, Dr. Chacon found that maca increased egg follicle maturation and increased the number of follicles. In males, she noticed increased sperm count as well as increased sperm motility. Thus she deduced that maca wasn't producing hormones in either sex, but rather stimulating each sex to respond in a gender appropriate manner.
Since then, several studies have been conducted on men, and conclusions verified the reports. Science is now showing what Peruvians already knew. Glucosinates (found in plants of the Cruciferae family), specifically methoxybenzly isothiocyanate, are implicated for their action on reproductive hormonal processes while the amino acid L-arginine found in maca is believed to stimulate sexual desire in both sexes and aids erectile tissue response in men.
Since the results of the Chinese test studies on maca and sex were published, many men across North America are offering their own testimonials: reporting revived sexual abilities and stamina, making 60 feel like 16 again. Many women, soothed by the calming effect of maca provides, claim that maca can ease hormone irregularities, restore muscle tone, add moisture and give a youthful glow to the skin. Never mind about the sex, these benefits are a sign of good endocrine health, which rejuvenates us all.
Testimonial from a doctor: "We all hear rumors about various products like maca. But using this Peruvian root myself, I personally experienced a significant improvement in erectile tissue response. I call it "nature's answer to Viagra".
For more in-depth reading
WHAT'S IN A MACA ROOT?
Chemical analyses of this brain-powering root reveals an astonishing profile of amino acids, vitamins, minerals, sterols, fatty acids, and glucosinates. No wonder they call it a superfood!
Vitamins: B1, B2, and C.
Vitamin B1 helps the body's cells convert carbohydrates into energy. It is also essential for the functioning of the heart, muscles, and nervous system.
B2 works in concert with the other B vitamins. It is important for body growth and red cell production, and helps in releasing energy from carbohydrates.
Vitamin C (ascorbic acid) is involved in oxidation-reduction reactions.
Alkaloids: 4 novel alkaloids: macaina 1, 2, 3, and 4. These are responsible for activating hormone regulators located in the brain that in turn regulate the metabolism of calcium and phosphorus in the blood.
Macronutrients: Essential vitamins and minerals, nutritive properties help convalescent people or patients who are diagnosed with anemia.
Proteins: Rich in bio-available maca proteins with an average of 11% per gram in the dry root.
Micronutrients: Minerals which help with the production of antibodies.
Fiber: Loaded with cellulose and lignin which stimulate intestinal operations. Investigators claim fibers such as these diminishes the risk of cancer of the large intestine by helping the organism eliminate waste and toxins produced within the body.
Carbohydrates: Rich in quality carbs; combined with the alkaloids and other nutrients is the source for sustainable energy.
Tannins: Useful in treatment of diarrhea. Combined with other medicines, it has the utility of treating inflammatory processes like ulcers, sores, etc.
Fatty Acids: Contains over 20 fatty acids
Sodium: Along with potassium, it was discovered that an increase in the daily diet of the sodium-potassium relation helps reduce arterial pressure/ hypertension. Nevertheless, an excessive increase of this relation could give rise to a diminution of the susceptibility to the bascule-cerebral accidents that do not depend on arterial pressure.
Calcium: Higher concentrations of calcium than in milk; indispensible for the nerves and circulatory system and the formation of bones, teeth, and vital heart functions.
Bismuth: Known to participate in the processing against gastritis caused by bacteria.
Potassium: Participates in the regulation of osmotic pressure; its activity is carried out inside the cells.
Copper: The probable participant in the formation of hemoglobin. Lack of copper can greatly decrease the amount of essential enzymes for the organism.
Zinc: Serves as a cofactor of dehydrogenises and carbonic anhydrite; its lack can cause skin rashes, taste disturbances, and mental lethargy.
Fructose: A sugar used by the seminal plasma for the production of semen/ or spermatozoa.
Phosphorus: Regulates the transmission of neuromuscular chemicals and electrical stimuli. Important for the hemostasis of calcium and the reactions of lipids, carbohydrates, and proteins. The body's chemical energy is stored in phosphate compounds.
Iron: Vital component of hemoglobin and certain respiratory enzymes. Increased iron intake is important during excessive menses and other instances of blood loss. Deficiency results in anemia, poor growth or difficult pregnancies.
Manganese: In an experimental diet of this element, results demonstrated that it induced growth in animals.
Starch: Calcium and iron, forming chemical compounds that influence the nutrition and health of the consumer.
Silicon: Helps the connective tissues, including the aorta, trachea, tendons, bones, and skin.
Magnesium: Essential for protein synthesis, and activities of muscles and nerves. Deficiency of quality magnesium can cause changes in heart and skeletal muscles.
So, with all of this information, I hope you will try a little Magical Maca. Please share your experiences with us.Try a few of the recipes in the Navitas Naturals video below....heres to your hormonal health!
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