Male hormone replacement therapy is often looked at by men over forty who are beginning to feel the effects of aging on their bodies. While men do not go through a menopause where there is a dramatic loss of estrogen, they do have a slow drip of testosterone loss after the age of thirty at the rate of about one percent each year. And while all men are losing testosterone, lower T levels are not necessarily the precursor to symptoms which are known as androgen deficiency. In fact only about five percent of men actually have T levels low enough to significantly affect their life. Androgen deficiency symptoms are so close to depression symptoms that they are often mistaken for depression. These symptoms include sleep disturbance, such as apnea or the inability to sleep, depression, lethargy and diminished physical performance as well as loss of sex drive. But what might set androgen deficiency apart from depression are the things not clearly identified without some testing such as bone loss.
Part of the aging process can include a loss of sexual desire or drive and this can certainly be attributed in part to testosterone loss. But a physician will probably not order male hormone replacement therapy just on that basis alone. In fact, unless T levels dip below 250, there will be other ways of addressing a man's aging issues such as sending a patient to be tested for sleep disorder, prescribing anti depressants and suggesting counseling for other problems, but it won't be male hormone replacement therapy. But this 250 number also presents its own set of problems because there has never been an established baseline number for the presence of testosterone in the body. 250 is kind of an accepted number in the medical community, but there are no studies to really back that unwritten law up.
Testosterone is extremely important in both men and women, although the levels in women are much lower than in men. Testosterone affects brain function, bone and muscle mass, fat distribution the vascular system and energy levels in both sexes. Some studies even suggest it may one day be a predictor of how long a man might actually live. Much of the problem however goes back to knowing what a baseline reading for testosterone really is. But male hormone replacement therapy is not the heretofore undiscovered fountain of youth. Seventy year old men are not suddenly going to look and feel forty when they begin receiving this therapy. And like any other drug regimen, there are side effects to male hormone replacement therapy.
When this therapy is applied as a means of male contraception, condition known as azoospermia takes place which refers to male infertility. Once the therapy has been ceased, the sperm count again rises within six to eighteen months. In addition, total cholesterol readings have been known to drop, especially affecting HDL readings which are looked upon as favorable. If male testosterone replacement therapy is undertaken, lipids will have to be followed closely by the man's physician. In some cases, sleep apnea, a disorder that can cause heart problems and high blood pressure can either be exacerbated or actually developed. There has also been enough evidence to suggest that blood make actually be thickened with the application of male hormone replacement therapy.
There are some natural supplements that can perhaps offer some of the same help that testosterone injection or creams or patches can provide. Keep in mind that there have not been FDA studies done of the effectiveness of natural supplements, but there is enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that in many cases, these supplements can provide some symptoms of low testosterone relief. For example, zinc has been shown in animal testing to keep testosterone from depleting during physical exertion. Carnitine has been shown to improve sexual desire while muira puama has been shown to help erectile dysfunction and increase libido. Broccoli and cauliflower have been shown to help support prostate health and saw palmetto has been proven to help free up bound testosterone in the body. Sometimes it's hard for older men to accept the aging process because it often creates a shadow of what a man used to be physically. But the Bible says, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." (Philippians 4:11)
The Fountain of Youth has been sought for centuries and every few years there is the announcement that science may have found the answer, but the answer always dies a quick death when all the studies are completed. With all of the available evidence now in regarding male hormone replacement therapy, it appears that the choice for a man will come down to perhaps living a fuller life with more vim and vigor in all parts of his life or living longer. The sides effects for male hormone replacement therapy seem right now to point to higher risks for heart disease and certain forms of cancer, so it appears to be a "pay me now or pay me later" kind of option with death. In many ways, it is the same kind of option facing women with the estrogen dilemma. The real issue may be that God wants us to live out our life as it comes to us, knowing that at the end there will be an unimaginable future life with Him for eternity. For those who are Christians, death really is only the beginning.
Part of the aging process can include a loss of sexual desire or drive and this can certainly be attributed in part to testosterone loss. But a physician will probably not order male hormone replacement therapy just on that basis alone. In fact, unless T levels dip below 250, there will be other ways of addressing a man's aging issues such as sending a patient to be tested for sleep disorder, prescribing anti depressants and suggesting counseling for other problems, but it won't be male hormone replacement therapy. But this 250 number also presents its own set of problems because there has never been an established baseline number for the presence of testosterone in the body. 250 is kind of an accepted number in the medical community, but there are no studies to really back that unwritten law up.
Testosterone is extremely important in both men and women, although the levels in women are much lower than in men. Testosterone affects brain function, bone and muscle mass, fat distribution the vascular system and energy levels in both sexes. Some studies even suggest it may one day be a predictor of how long a man might actually live. Much of the problem however goes back to knowing what a baseline reading for testosterone really is. But male hormone replacement therapy is not the heretofore undiscovered fountain of youth. Seventy year old men are not suddenly going to look and feel forty when they begin receiving this therapy. And like any other drug regimen, there are side effects to male hormone replacement therapy.
When this therapy is applied as a means of male contraception, condition known as azoospermia takes place which refers to male infertility. Once the therapy has been ceased, the sperm count again rises within six to eighteen months. In addition, total cholesterol readings have been known to drop, especially affecting HDL readings which are looked upon as favorable. If male testosterone replacement therapy is undertaken, lipids will have to be followed closely by the man's physician. In some cases, sleep apnea, a disorder that can cause heart problems and high blood pressure can either be exacerbated or actually developed. There has also been enough evidence to suggest that blood make actually be thickened with the application of male hormone replacement therapy.
There are some natural supplements that can perhaps offer some of the same help that testosterone injection or creams or patches can provide. Keep in mind that there have not been FDA studies done of the effectiveness of natural supplements, but there is enough anecdotal evidence to suggest that in many cases, these supplements can provide some symptoms of low testosterone relief. For example, zinc has been shown in animal testing to keep testosterone from depleting during physical exertion. Carnitine has been shown to improve sexual desire while muira puama has been shown to help erectile dysfunction and increase libido. Broccoli and cauliflower have been shown to help support prostate health and saw palmetto has been proven to help free up bound testosterone in the body. Sometimes it's hard for older men to accept the aging process because it often creates a shadow of what a man used to be physically. But the Bible says, "Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content." (Philippians 4:11)
The Fountain of Youth has been sought for centuries and every few years there is the announcement that science may have found the answer, but the answer always dies a quick death when all the studies are completed. With all of the available evidence now in regarding male hormone replacement therapy, it appears that the choice for a man will come down to perhaps living a fuller life with more vim and vigor in all parts of his life or living longer. The sides effects for male hormone replacement therapy seem right now to point to higher risks for heart disease and certain forms of cancer, so it appears to be a "pay me now or pay me later" kind of option with death. In many ways, it is the same kind of option facing women with the estrogen dilemma. The real issue may be that God wants us to live out our life as it comes to us, knowing that at the end there will be an unimaginable future life with Him for eternity. For those who are Christians, death really is only the beginning.
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