Menopause Support Group
Menopause is the physiological cessation of menstrual cycles associated with advancing age. It normally occurs in women between the ages of 45 and 55, when the body begins to slow and stop the production of eggs, estrogen and progesterone production decreases, and menstruation diminishes, eventually stopping altogether.
I\'ve heard some good things about macafem relieving perimenopausal symptoms. But I\'m such a hypochondriac about taking things. Has anyone asked there doctor if this is safe to take. And does it work?
I have worked in the health food industry for over a decade and have watched these "superfoods" come and go. For the past couple of years we've all heard about chia seeds, acai berry, goji berry, kale, quinoa, dandelion, various mushroom extracts, etc.
What I struggle with, is that sometimes what happens when one of these foods is "discovered" in the West, the demand for that product causes a huge rise in the price of that product. Which in turn makes it difficult for the people for whom that product used to be a staple food source. Once they are priced-out of that food item, they struggle to replace it with something else. Other problems for those communities arise, such as theft and violence. Also places like China creating knock-off products just to profit off of the latest "superfood" trend. Maca is no different.
I'm not saying maca is a bad thing in and of itself. If it helps then that should be a good thing. But I think we just need to be careful about where we buy it from (Fair Trade Certified? Ethically sourced? Sustainably harvested?), and also before we buy it, see if the science backs up any claims being made by the distributor.
Another interesting maca article: http://modernfarmer.com/2014/10/hijacked-harvest-peruvian-maca-peril/