Even
though only women have been known to suffer menopause when they attain a
particular age, Oladapo Ashiru, here, tells us how even men experience
it too.
File photo: An old man
Andropause, also known as male menopause, is due to changes in the
hormonal levels in men, which progressively decline with age. It is also
characterised by the loss of testosterone, the hormone that makes men
act like masculine.
Most men’s testosterone levels drop as they age – by about 10 per cent every 10 years.
However, some men are affected more than others are. The rate of
decline varies from individual to individual. The loss of testosterone,
which can happen to men as young as 35, is gradual with its levels
dropping by one to 1.55 annually starting at about age 30.
At the same time, another hormone in the body called Sex Binding
Hormone Globulin or SBHG traps much of the testosterone that is still
circulating around the system and makes it unavailable to the body’s
tissues to make them function properly.
Every man experiences a decline of bioavailable testosterone, but
some men’s levels dip lower than others. It is estimated that 30 per
cent of men in their 50s will have testosterone levels low enough to
cause andropause symptoms.
Testosterone is one of the hormones forming the androgen panel or
make hormones. According to the World Health Organisation, total
androgen levels, not just testosterones, also affect male andropause as
these hormones decline as men age.
A WHO study found that androgen levels of men aged 70 were only 10
per cent of that of men of 25 years. For this reason, some have
described andropause as ADAM (Androgen Deficiency of the Aging Male).
Unlike women, men do not have a clear-cut signpost such as the
stopping of menstruation to tell them they are in andropause. Instead,
it comes as a gradual and distressful decline in their sexuality as well
as overall energy with increasing moodiness. By the time most men are
40 and 45 or middle-aged, they have experienced some symptoms of
andropause, which range from energy loss to depression to sexual
dysfunction.
The bodily changes occur gradually in men and may be accompanied by
changes in attitudes, moods, fatigue and a loss of energy, sex drive,
and physical agility. Muscle mass and bone density decreases, and, just
like women, men are prone to broken bones and osteoporosis.
Although Andropause is a normal part of ageing, that does not mean
men should accept it as an inevitable fate. If left untreated, it can
have severe medical consequences that go beyond the loss of libido. For
starters, it can lead to osteoporosis and broken bones.
Testosterone is a hormone that is not only essential for normal
sexual behaviour and for producing erections, but it also has many
functions in a man’s body. It helps to build protein and it affects many
metabolic activities such as the production of blood cells in the bone
marrows, bone function, lipid metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism, liver
function and prostate gland growth.
If testosterone levels are not adequately replaced, then many body
functions may be adversely affected, leading to premature ageing and an
unhealthy old age.
There is a need for all andropause sufferers to undergo a complete
medical examination that includes laboratory tests and measurement of
the male hormone panel to indicate the level of testosterone replacement
that is needed. The principal hormones that would be tested are
testosterone, thyroid, dihydroepiandrosterone and growth hormone.
Treatment will include a combination of testosterone replacement
therapy, psychotherapy, herbs, diet and exercise, reduction in the
intake of grapefruit, alcohol and fats since, according to Dr Stephen
Suiatra, a cardiologist specialising in medicine, and author of
“Heartbreak and Heart Disease”, the body’s aromatase enzyme turns
testosterone into the female hormone oestrogen when certain substances
like grapefruit, alcohol, and fat are ingested.
These catalysts – grapefruit, alcohol, and fat – turn on the
aromatase enzyme, which decreases the testosterone level. On the other
hand, to help in increasing testosterone production, Suiatra, who heads
the New England Heart and Longevity Center in Manchester, suggests that
taking zinc, vitamin E and such herbs as muirapuama, an L-arginine,
helped to increase libido.
In the first line of treatment, multivitamins and vitamins A, B, C
and E may be prescribed as well as 1000mg of calcium tablets a day to
guard against osteoporosis. The calcium should, however, be taken with
plenty of water to prevent kidney stones.
The best form of calcium supplements are the liquid effervescence
tablets or the capsules. Exercise with a diet low in fat along with
adequate sleep of at least eight hours a night will certainly be part of
the doctor’s prescription as well as herbs containing plasma and maca.
The gold standard in andropause management used to be testosterone
replacement therapy if was indicated by the results of the androgen
panel test. The best form of testosterone replacement is through the
skin using the bioidentical hormones. They bypass the liver and
therefore are not able to create any toxic action on the liver as
compared to the oral replacement. This will be administered by one of
the several methods that include injection, patches, gel or tablets.
Experienced doctors knowledgeable in this type of treatment must
perform these replacement therapy treatments as inappropriately balanced
prostatic antigen (PSA) levels can increase the risk of prostatic
cancer.
Other risks associated with hormone supplementation, particularly
with injections, include the risk of stroke, increase in liver toxicity
and breast development not to mention the ironic shut down of sperm
production that can result from testosterone supplementation.
The recent increase in prostatic cancer has made many men to shy
away from the use of testosterone replacement therapy. This has now been
replaced by a combination of protocols necessary to help in restoring
good health and then re-energising the body system to achieve the
desired goal of feeling youthful with increase vigour, vitality and
erectile energy.
Such protocol will include the initial assessment of the health
status, food intolerance, and other system disturbance. This is followed
by the blood analysis of the various hormonal panels and cardiac
panels. The individual is now made to go through a customised individual
body cleansing and detoxification which will improve the efficiency of
the alimentary system and restore more energy.
The protocol will include the use of additional equipment to
improve the circulation to the reproductive organ such as the
Physiotherm, Hypoxicator (used in getting rid of aging mitochondrial
cells) and the scenar in addition to regular exercise. Once this is done
the individual is given a number of orthomolecular supplements such as
the bioidentical hormone replacement and herbal cream and capsules as
well as vitamins.
The most individual may be able to report a much improved erectile activity following such protocols in Mayr spas.
= Follow this link to read the first part of this article.
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Written by Oladapo Ashiru
When News Breaks Out, We Break In. (The 2014 Bloggies Finalist)
