MACA: Nature's Hormonal Replacement Therapy

The bad, the ugly and the horror of Hormonal Replacement Therapy. Based on the important research of Dr. Chacon, more and more doctors are using Maca Root instead of Hormone Replacement Therapy. Of course, HRT has been the medical field’s answer to hormonal imbalances for years. I think a better word for HRT should be hormonal deregulation. HRT is shown to shut down the glands that naturally produce hormones. 

You may say, “That doesn’t make sense.”  But listen to this: Dr. Jorge Malaspina, respected cardiologist, explains: “Replacement hormones circulating in the endocrine system send a message to the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus that it’s already produced a sufficient quantity of hormones in the body. You can imagine what happens next  -- they stop producing hormones. Or look at it this way – the pituitary gland shuts down.” When our hormones become imbalanced, havoc breaks loose on our system. If our Endocrine System starts failing, we can suffer from depression, our sexual drive goes down the tubes, and we experience drastic skin changes, weakness, fatigue, obesity, diabetes, decreased hormonal levels, hyperthyroidism, and hypothyroidism and menopausal dysfunctions.

Dr. Malaspina goes on to say: “When menopause arrives, the ovaries are atrophied and don’t produce the estrogen and progesterone which the body requires to function.” For this reason, he states: “I encourage women to start using Maca before menopause. It seems to help the endocrine system to stay in balance.”
Maca keeps your hormones balanced and your age a secret. American Physician Gabriel Cousens, an internist from Patagonia, Arizona, is a wholehearted believer that the Maca Root is the key to counteract the effects of aging on the endocrine system.

Here’s why: Dr. Cousens states that, “Whenever possible, I prefer to use Maca Therapy rather than Hormone Replacement Therapy. HRT has actually been shown to age the body by diminishing the hormone producing capability of the glands.” He goes on the say that: “Maca has proved to be extremely effective with menopausal patients as well, by eliminating hot flashes, depression, and giving the patient higher energy levels.”

For men: Maca counteracts difficulties with erectile dysfunction they may experience as they age. Your answer to sexual enhancement. An added bonus for all of us: Maca is truly a sex-enhancing food. The alkaloids in Maca work on the hypothalamus-pituitary axis. Science has now shown us what the Peruvians have known for centuries: the glucosinates and amino acid L-arginine found in Maca stimulate sexual desire in both men and women.  For men, it holds incredible curative powers for relieving erectile dysfunction and reviving sexual abilities and stamina (making a 60-year old feel like a teenager again; and for women – well, of course, it eases hormone irregularities, adds much-needed moisture, and muscle tone, besides which, it bestows a huge calming effect.

Maca as an adjunct to whole health treatments. Another example is Dr. Harold Clark’s work in New Rochelle, New York. Dr. Clark uses a number of natural therapies such as chelation therapy and ozone therapy in addition to herbs, vitamins, and minerals in his practice. But he was absolutely amazed by how fast Maca root worked, specifically, on two of his patients.

One 55-year-old postmenopausal woman had numerous health problems, including elevated blood sugar levels, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, and low magnesium levels. She’d been ill for two months with osteomyelitis (an infection of the bone), usually caused by microbial agents. Unable to work, she was suffering from great fatigue and depression and feeling worse and worse over the last five years. Within four days of taking the Maca powder, she went through an enormous turnaround. She’s gone out to shop in the stores, she’s cleaning her house, and she feels strong and vital and part of the human race again. Most women find that Maca Root is on an entirely different level when it comes to its effectiveness. They’ve found that phytoestrogen herbs like black cohosh and licorice roots are not on pare with Maca Root.

Maca’s fight against anemia, menopause, impotence, sterility, premature aging, weakness and chronic fatigue. Dr. Jorge Calderon, Internist and former Chief of the Department of Biological Sciences and Dean of the Faculty of Human Medicine at the National University of Federico Villarreal in Lima, Peru, is a pioneer in the therapeutic applications of the Maca Root. He’s found that Maca, along with prescribing an excellent diet and certain lifestyle changes, helps male impotency, male and female sterility, and chronic fatigue. Besides the traditional uses for Maca Root, he’s found that Maca’s curative properties treat rickets, anemia, osteoporosis, and bone fractures.
Beware – HRT might be dangerous for women with breast implants. Dr. Hugo Malaspina, a well-respected cardiologist, found that Maca was the treatment of choice for women who have had breast augmentation. A case in point: His 49-year old patient had a hysterectomy 9 years prior. Although she still had her ovaries, she began to have menopausal symptoms.  Because she had breast implants, the usual hormone replacement therapy wasn’t an option. He started her on Maca Root and within three months the depression, constipation, and hot flashes cleared up completely.

Early onset menopause due to hysterectomies. This deserves special note because there are over one million women in the U.S. alone who have undergone complete hysterectomies who no longer have their ovaries.
In a past interview Dr. Malaspina was cited as saying: “Because so many women have had their ovaries taken out – they’re told that hormone replacement therapy is a necessity (which only benefits the pharmaceutical companies).  Not true: Women go into early onset menopause – and rapidly. The Maca Root should be mentioned as one of the best and danger-free supplements for the symptoms of early onset menopause.”
Help for sufferers of Hyperthyroidism and Hypothyroidism. Another huge accolade for Maca is the effect it has on balancing our adrenals. Dr. Henry Campanile offers adrenal balancing therapy in his practice. His therapy is based around the medicinal properties of the Maca Root because of its balancing and nourishing effects on the adrenal glands.  Maca is an extremely rich source for its minerals and iodine, which is vital for the regulating the Endocrine System due to its effect on balancing the thyroid gland.

Give the control back to Nature. It’s conclusive – we all grow old. The ups and downs of our hormones are a vicious cycle, and a part of growing older. Unfortunately for us, our Western culture believes we can improve what nature so bounteously provides us. Our food sources have been destroyed, with hydroponics, sugars, additives, chemicals, preservatives, and hormones we put in our bodies everyday. Because of this, the reality is we need additional help to get our glands working again. By supplementing with the most natural form of hormone balancing, we can keep these imbalances from sending our bodies into a state of confusion. 

Nature’s limitless ability to renew us with this of medicinal and nutritional plant is frankly awe-inspiring. Something I haven’t done before when talking about Maca is its nutritional makeup, which I want to cover now. Maca contains:
Vitamins: B1, B2, and C.

Vitamin B1 helps the body's cells convert carbohydrates into energy. It is also essential for hte functioning of the heart, muscles, and nervous system.

B2 works 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 11grams 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

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.

Potassium: Needed for proper thyroid function and reducing excess water weight.

Zinc: Serves as a cofactor of dehydrogenises and carbonic anhydrite; its lack can cause skin rashes, taste disturbances, and mental tiredness.

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.

Silica: 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.

When buying Maca, buy the highest quality and from a reputable company. Maca's prices have skyrocket in the past couple of years due to instability in the farming regions of Peru. 

​by Ward W. Bond, PhD