Reversing the Effects of Male Menopause (Andropause)
Male Hormone Therapy – Symptoms, Treatment
Anti-Aging Medicine is an emerging field of specialty that focuses on the fact that prevention of the effects of aging is the greatest cure. It’s not just a concern to women; as they age men also report a loss of energy, negative moods, feelings of anxiety and feeling over-stressed, loss of memory or concentration, drops in their sex drive or libido, and more.
While life’s stresses can often make these physical and emotional changes worse, stress is no longer universally accepted as the cause of the loss of male vitality and virility. Often the signs and symptoms are that of Male Menopause, or Andropause.
Andropause doesn’t have to be accepted as an inevitable result of aging. Lots of research collected since the first study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association (1944; d126 [8]:472-7) demonstrates a direct connection between the variety of symptoms described below, and an imbalance of hormones.
Symptoms of Male Menopause, Andropause
Physical Appearance Changes:
|
Bodily Functions:
|
Mental Functions:
|
Mental and emotional changes that result from the Andropause symptoms include increased negativity, loss of focus, loss of drive at play and work, and a questioning of one’s values, accomplishments, goals and directions in life. Physical changes can include loss of strength, muscle atrophy, loss of energy, and stiffness and aching of muscles and joints.
Candidates for Testosterone Therapy or Hormone Therapy Programs
Potentially every individual is a candidate for a medically supervised hormone growth hormone (HGH) therapy, testosterone therapy, or any other bio-identical hormone therapy program. Whether you are new to the hormone therapy process or looking to advance your current therapy, we will customize a program and hormone treatment plan tailored to fit your personal needs and budget.
Many men suffer needlessly because their testosterone is never checked or the wrong test is ordered. Men as young as 25 to 30 years in age are presenting with low levels of testosterone, which was not the case 10 or 20 years ago. This is possibly a result of environmental toxins, plastics, pesticides, pollutants and/or xenoestrogens in the environment.
Men who have been told their testosterone is fine may actually have low testosterone. Often the total amount of testosterone is read as adequate, but the amount of usable testosterone is low. Men with low testosterone may have subtle to profound symptoms, ranging form poor motivation, anxiety, weight gain, and loss sense of well being to profound depression, and loss of sex drive (see a more complete list of symptoms below). Men with low testosterone cannot only enjoy an improved quality of life with testosterone supplementation, but it will also provide a significant decreased risk for heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
Too Little Testosterone? Too Much Estrogen?
Simply stated, the imbalance is one of too little testosterone and too much estrogen, but this is far from a simple matter and it needs to be noted that testosterone is much more than a sex hormone. With receptor cites in the brain and heart, and in fact throughout the entire body, testosterone is critical in maintaining healthy bone density, lean muscle, red blood cell production, and safeguarding the immune system. It is also vital for proper cardiac output and neurological function. There is a body of literature that supports the thesis that testosterone helps control blood sugar, regulates proper cholesterol levels, and control blood pressure.
As men age, the testosterone they produce diminishes and is increasingly converted to estrogen. The most dangerous effect of too much estrogen and too little testosterone is the increased risk of heart attack or stroke. Estrogen (estradiol) is actually made from testosterone in the cells of every male’s body but when there is too much, no matter what the level of testosterone, they will suffer negative consequences. Furthermore, when a male is experiencing high estradiol levels, he is also producing more sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG), a protein that binds to testosterone and prevents it from doing its work.
Since typically about 98 percent of the testosterone in the male’s bloodstream is bound to proteins, only approximately 1 to 2.7 percent is free and available for assimilation into the cells of the body. As SHBG increases the amount of testosterone freely available to act on cells diminishes.
Declining Hormone Levels During Andropause
There are a number of factors that can cause the testosterone-estrogen imbalance in men. These include excess “aromatase” enzyme (the enzyme that converts testosterone into estradiol), impaired liver function (often caused by excessive alcohol or certain drug interactions), obesity (which increase aromatase enzyme), and zinc deficiency (zinc is a natural aromatase enzyme inhibitor). To complicate matters even more, there is a wide range of “normality” in the testosterone/estradiol reference range that requires expert interpretation.
In addition to declining levels of Testosterone, Growth Hormone and DHEA levels are also falling during Andropause. As these levels decline, profound changes begin to occur with growth and metabolism that affect men both physically and mentally.
|
Low Testosterone Can Result In:
Source: Rejuvalife Vitality Institute |
Testosterone Replacement/Optimization Can Result In:
|
June 5, 2008 at 6:54 am
Despite this, only 7% of the working population have critical illness insurance. Sex Hormone
June 23, 2008 at 9:02 am
[...] emerging field of specialty that focuses on the fact that prevention of the effects of aging is thehttp://guydiet.wordpress.com/2008/06/05/men-suffer-from-aging-too/Unique Drug Combination May Hold The Key To Reversing Type I Diabetes Medical News TodayPromising [...]