There is a quiet, gradual revolt occurring amongst the male gender. Yes, for too long their specialized wellness needs have been ignored. But no more! Not since books written by authors such as Dr. Johnathan V. Wright, Dr. Malcom Carruthers, Dr. Eugene Shippen, Dr. William Fryer and the list goes on and on, but these authors have exposed the male “menopause” as a real, measurable decrease in male health due to a decrease in male hormone testosterone. When this happens it’s effects are not limited to “maleness” or “sex drive”. Just like any hormone deficiency or underproduction, there are far reaching health consequences when a key hormone like testosterone displays an under production or an imbalance, which nature dislikes, sometimes with a vengeance. This is what has been given the term, Andropause and we’ll tell you that this term is so new that many standard dictionaries still do not include this word in their definitions.
We all know that around the age of 50 women go through “the change” known as menopause. Menopause is caused by changing levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. Women often suffer from symptoms which can include hot flashes, night sweats, mood swings, sleep disturbances and much more. However, it isn’t only women who have symptoms as a result of declining sex hormones, men undergo a similar process that is not as widely recognized or accepted.
Between the ages of 20-30 men begin to experience a slow decline in their testosterone levels. In 80 % of men, this decline happens without fall low enough to cause symptom development. However, in the other 20% of men testosterone deficiency or Andropause can lead to symptoms and disruption of their day-to-day activities. Symptoms of low testosterone levels include: general fatigue, night sweats, weight gain (changing body shape with more weight in the abdomen), decreased libido and depression.
It is important for men to know that testosterone deficiency is a treatable medical condition that leads to some or all of the above symptoms. Additionally, many other men’s health conditions have been linked to testosterone deficiency including being overweight, diabetes, heart disease and osteoporosis. The focus of this therapy is to recover hormone balance including testosterone, the hormone that defines maleness. Like so many other therapeutic strategies currently being introduced, we have learned that supplementing hormones to regain a proper balance is the goal, as we continue to discover how mother natures manages to keep in careful balance so many physiologic and biochemical processes that define optimal health.
At Stafford Pharmacy we offer saliva test kits that accurately test hormone levels and aid in the diagnosis of testosterone deficiency as well as other hormone imbalances in both men and women. If you think you are experiencing symptoms due to a hormone imbalance, speak with one of our pharmacists today.
For more information on testosterone deficiency, visit http://www.andropausesociety.org/
