Bioidentical hormones

What Do Men Need? Testosterone!

More than fifty years ago the psychologist Abraham Maslow had a revolutionary impact on the field of psychology when he wrote about the Hierarchy of Needs.  His theory is often portrayed as a pyramid with the most basic fundamental needs in the broad base and the concept of self-actualization at the top.  According to Maslow the four most fundamental needs include physiological needs, safety, love & friendship and self esteem.  Critics of his theory have taken issue with Maslow’s rankings; believing he may have overlooked the most essential human need; to “feel alive”.  Perhaps nothing makes you feel more alive than feeling younger, healthier and more vital.  And nothing does all of that better for men than testosterone. Read the rest of this entry »

Does Hormone Therapy Increase Breast Cancer Risk?

Over the last decade, the safety of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been questioned in the media, in medical journals and in doctor’s offices across the country.  Unfortunately, the discussion is usually over-simplified and delivered to the public in sensationalized sound bites.  Without even getting into the scientific controversy, we can apply some rudimentary logic to the discussion.  If human hormones are the major cause of heart disease and breast cancer in women, wouldn’t you expect to see the greatest incidence when hormone levels are the highest?  For women, that would be their teens and twenties; a time when both breast cancer and heart disease are distinctly uncommon.[i]  But, when hormone levels decline at and around menopause, the incidence of both rises dramatically.  Perhaps there is more to the story than the sound bites suggest. Read the rest of this entry »

Andropause: the “Male Menopause”

In 1980, an 18-year veteran police detective in Ontario with a previously spotless record stole approximately $1000.00 worth of items from the evidence room of his department.  He persuaded the judge in his case to spare him a prison sentence, claiming that “male menopause” had clouded his judgment.

 Ever since the term “male menopause” was first coined in 1949, there have been debates about whether men go though a psychological and physiological change that is similar to menopause in women.  Read the rest of this entry »

Testosterone Therapy: Moving toward Mainstream

As the American population ages, baby boomers are confronted with a number of troublesome age-related diseases.  Many are scrambling to hold onto their health and youthful vitality.  Retirement is not what is once was.  More people want to remain active and engaged with life, not just sitting around with a fishing pole in their hands.  And, they certainly do not want to suffer the slow decline in physical and cognitive function that afflicts far too many in nursing homes.  Although a number of factors must be considered, including living a healthy lifestyle, mounting scientific evidence points to diminished hormones as a previously under recognized, yet modifiable factor in the aging process. Read the rest of this entry »

Women Need Testosterone Too!

Although estrogen remains the central female hormone most frequently used in both wellness and disease prevention, much less controversy surrounds the use of testosterone in women, though the evidence either supporting or discouraging its use is scarce. Nicknamed ‘‘the hormone of desire’’ and promoted in the popular media as the rescuer from the plight of decreasing libido in aging women, testosterone has gained rapid acceptance in the prevention and wellness arenas at a time when controversy and confusion surround estrogen and progesterone therapies. Read the rest of this entry »

Breast Cancer Risk is Influenced by Lifestyle Choices

Diet and Exercise are Cancers’ Adversaries Excluding cancer of the skin, breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in women.  According to the American Cancer Society’s Surveillance and Health Policy Research, an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to occur among women in the US during 2009; about 1,910 new cases are expected among men.  Read the rest of this entry »

Telomere Testing Revelas a Window to Your Biological Age

Telomeres are the end caps on your chromosomes that protect the genetic material during cell division, ensuring a faithful replication.  Each time the cell divides, the telomere shortens until it reaches a critical lenth signaling cell sensence or cell death.   Recently, this years Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded to three researchers that spent the last 20 years detailing the role and function of telomeres in aging and potentially in future cancer treatments. Read the rest of this entry »

The Essence of Estrogen

A hormone is a molecular messenger that acts on adjacent cells, the cells that produce it or travel to sites throughout the body that are sensitive to its effects.  Hormones regulate your body’s energy production, temperature, growth, immune system, reproductive capabilities and neuroactivity.  Your individual hormone balance is influenced by genetics, the environment, your lifestyle, eating habits and the function of your endocrine (hormone producing) system.  Read the rest of this entry »

Osteoporosis: a silent epidemic

Osteoporosis, a disease you cannot feel; you can only test for it. Literally, the term osteoporosis means “porous bone”. It is a very common condition, affecting more than 40 million people in the United States.

Osteoporosis is defined by a reduction in bone mass, bone quality or the presence of a fragility fracture. It contributes to nearly 1.5 million fractures per year in the US. Read the rest of this entry »

Importance of Testosterone for Healthy Aging in Men

Testosterone is the primary sex hormone (androgen or steroid hormone) produced by the testes and it plays an essential role in the health men. Beyond determining the male sex characteristics, testosterone is a determinant of muscle strength, bone mass, libido, potency, and sperm production, or spermatogenesis. Read the rest of this entry »