by Institute for Health Sciences L.L.C
The hot flashes, the night sweats, the low energy and mood…
Think you just have to learn to live with your menopause symptoms? If you’ve been an HSI member for a while, you certainly don’t want to mess around with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). (For more on the dangers of HRT, search “hormone replacement therapy” at www.hsibaltimore.com.)
So you’ve decided to tough it out—but how much longer can you really do that?
Well, finally there’s an answer. You can balance your hormones without the dangers of HRT. In fact, this could beat even bio-identical hormone replacement therapy in terms of safety and effect.
Because this method doesn’t involve adding hormones to your body at all. Instead, it relies upon a vegetable, revered for thousands of years in Peru, that helps your body to balance its own hormone production.
And it’s been rigorously tested in numerous published clinical trials over the past five years. These studies prove that this non-HRT approach to menopause not only relieves the symptoms of post-menopause, but can also go a long way to helping your heart health and bone density.
After all, the transition to menopause should be relatively symptom-free. And it has been for generations of women, thanks to a dietary staple that can only be grown in their native Peru.
The Peruvian vegetable that’s been beating menopause for generations of women
Though it’s grown all over several South American countries, only maca (Lepidum peruvianum) from Peru has been significantly researched and shown to have a therapeutic benefit. In fact, growers who have tried to cultivate this miracle vegetable elsewhere in the world have been largely unsuccessful.
But it’s no wonder they keep trying. Maca boasts a long list of benefits. Traditionally (perhaps for thousands of years), it’s been used to treat fatigue, anemia, and infertility, as well as to enhance stamina and as an aphrodisiac.
And that’s not even getting into what it’s been doing specifically for women for just as long. Peruvians used (and still do use) it to treat “female conditions” including menopausal symptoms and decreased libido.
Modern research is backing up the many uses of maca. Studies have shown benefits in produc-tion of sex hormones, enhanced sex drive, stimulation of body metabolism, control of body weight, increased energy, stress reduction, antidepressant activity, and memory improvement.
Maca has the power to balance hormones without containing any hormones itself—so it can’t be lumped in with other natural menopause remedies like red clover, black cohosh, and soy isoflavones. Maca may target the same symptoms, but its action is very different. 1
That’s because maca is an adaptogenic plant, meaning it helps regulate and balance the body’s systems, particularly hormone production. Adaptogens modulate the body’s response by supporting it in dealing with a variety of stressors—physiological, biochemical, and psychological.
They are among the more useful medicinal herbs, helping people cope with fatigue, anxiety, depression, and sleep problems. Other well-known adaptogenic herbs are American ginseng and Siberian ginseng.
However, those other herbs don’t seem to have the same effect on menopausal symptoms that maca does. Researchers theorize that maca stimulates hormonal reserves by strengthening the body’s ability to regain and maintain hormonal balance in the face of stressors.
Unlike HRT, maca can actually increase the body’s own production of estrogen, instead of simply adding estrogen to the body. It stimulates the hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal, and ovarian glands in order to rebalance the body’s production of hormones and treat menopause symptoms as a whole. 1
One particular formulation of maca, called Maca-GO, has proven itself over five years of clinical trials. Research reveals an 84% success rate in the reduction of menopausal symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats, fatigue, mood swings, and so on); increased bone density; enhanced absorption of iron, calcium, and other trace elements; and a better ability to maintain a healthy weight, optimal cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. 2
Menopause symptoms reduced by 84%
When hormone production is regulated and balanced, it’s easier for your body to achieve overall harmony. This means fewer menopause symptoms and an overall improvement in general health.
Maca-GO has a leg up on HRT because it works with your own body to balance the levels of key hormones: FSH, estrogen, LH, and progesterone—and nothing is more natural than your own hormones.
Maca’s benefits have been reported in many publications over the past 20 years.
It’s been shown to enhance sex hormone production, stimulate body metabolism, increase energy and vitality, reduce excess body weight, relieve stress and depression, improve memory, and enhance a person’s sex drive.
But in the past five years, the first standardized maca formulation (Maca-GO) has been studied specifically in menopausal women. And Maca-GO is the only formulation to demonstrate statistically significant improvements in both menopause symptom relief and hormonal balance.
In addition to relieving the symptoms of menopause, use of Maca-GO has been shown to lower total cholesterol in menopausal women, with significant reductions in triglycerides and BMI. It’s also led to increases in HDL cholesterol and significant reductions in LDL cholesterol.
One study was carried out in five urban gynecological clinics in two culturally different cities in Poland—researchers wanted to see Maca-GO’s effect on a wide variety of women.
Use of Maca-GO led to a highly significant increase in initially low estrogen levels after one month and again after two months. Initially, elevated FSH levels dropped significantly as estrogen production normalized. After two months on placebo, two months on Maca-GO brought significant increases in estradiol. And after those two months, patients experienced a highly significant increase in HDL and a decrease in LDL, as well as lowered triglycerides and total cholesterol. When patients were switched back to a placebo, menopause symptoms and hormone levels went back to untreated levels.
Though Maca-GO benefited patients after only two months, researchers noticed trends toward metabolic adjustments that could require about three months to show any difference, such as positive effects on total cholesterol and bone density. 3
Another study, conducted over the course of three months (one month on placebo, two months of treatment), explored the effects of Maca-GO on women who had ceased menstruation and were not using HRT prior to the study. The formulation alleviated symptoms of menopausal discomfort, and researchers observed an overall balancing effect on sex hormone levels. 4
A four-month trial on women taking Maca-GO measured several attributes of menopause. The women, who were all in early post-menopause, took Maca-GO twice a day with meals. Each month, hormone levels were measured and a gynecologist conducted interviews. Patients were weighed, blood pressure was registered, and menopause symptoms were analyzed.
Maca-GO was shown to significantly alleviate symptoms of discomfort, with an 84% reduction. There were significant increases in estrogen and progesterone levels and reductions in blood pressure, body weight, triglycerides, and cholesterol.
Also, it was shown to significantly stimulate estradiol production, to help regulate the thyroid, and to increase bone density.
Researchers concluded that Maca-GO could be a valuable non-hormonal plant preparation for alleviating symptoms of menopause, including frequency of hot flushes, incidences of night sweating, interrupted sleep patterns, nervousness, depression, and heart palpitations. 5
Ten years of menopause symptoms reversed in two weeks
Maca-GO is available in a supplement from Symphony Natural Health called Femmenessence, which many women all over the world are describing as a “miracle.”
Linda Ackerman, a woman in California, calls Femmenessence a “wonderful nutritional addition to my life.” She’s been taking it for four months and has found that her hot flashes and insomnia have decreased significantly. Also, without altering her diet or exercise, she’s lost about 10 pounds.
Gail Kennedy, a 54-year-old woman in Australia, has been suffering through menopausal symptoms for 10 years. After only two weeks on Femmenessence, her energy picked up, she felt more motivated, and her sex drive started returning.
And when women aren’t speaking up about their success with Femmenessence, their doctors are. Naturopath Peter Bablis described a 53-year-old woman who had been dealing with menopausal symptoms for seven years. She was experiencing night sweats, hot flashes, fatigue, poor memory, increased weight, and a decreased libido. She also felt depressed and had no motivation.
Her life was more or less controlled by her symptoms. She’d tried all the usual medications, but absolutely nothing had helped.
Then she started taking Femmenessence. Taking one capsule twice a day, she noticed a slight improvement in her hot flashes in about five days. Once she started taking two capsules twice a day, they stopped altogether.
And after six weeks, her fatigue disappeared, her memory started getting better, and she’d lost 5 pounds without even trying. After 12 weeks, things were even better. She’d lost 12 pounds, again without dieting or exercising, and didn’t feel depressed at all. To her surprise, her libido even returned.
Naturopath and professor Tori Hudson, who has been specializing in women’s health for 25 years, has also seen much success with Femmenessence. She notes that she’s impressed by the level of commitment to research of the product. And in her clinic, she’s seen some pretty amazing results.
She usually sees benefits in two to three weeks, though it can take up to three months to see truly significant results. Most frequently, there’s a remarkable reduction in the number of hot flashes as well as overall improvement in mood and energy.
There is actually a range of Femmenessence products, for women in each stage of life. There’s a variety for young women seeking relief from premenstrual symptoms, one for preparing the body for optimum fertility, and varieties for women dealing with pre- and postmenopausal symptoms.
Symphony Natural Health has naturopathic doctors on staff who can talk through any concerns or questions you may have about Femmenessence.
©Copyright 2009 Institute for Health Sciences L.L.C., 702 Cathedral St., Baltimore, MD 21201. All rights reserved. No part of this report may be reproduced by any means or for any reason without the consent of the publisher.
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