Posted: Nov 15, 2010 7:11 AM
Updated: Nov 15, 2010 8:01 AM
TUCSON - When Ronald Holland entered his 50's, he started experiencing some unusual symptoms. Night sweats, mood changes, decreased energy, and more.
"No matter what my nutrition was, no matter how much I ran, no matter how much I lifted, my body fat just didn't want to let go," he explained.
As a fitness trainer, he was certainly troubled.
"Male menopause is often called andropause, and it's basically the diminished testosterone that occurs in men as they age," said Dr. Frank Comstock, a local physician who specializes in anti-aging.
For women, menopause is a drastic drop in hormones that happens over a short period of time. For men, it's a gradual process, which means most may not even realize what's happening.
"Hormones impact every cell in the body so how you feel, to how you focus, to how you remember, to your energy levels, your vitality, your body composition, etc...All these things are changing and people are wondering what the heck's going on," Comstock continued.
So how do you treat it?
Dr. Comstock says there are topical creams, injections, and even hormone pellets that can be inserted under the skin to increase levels of testosterone.
"The wives love it because the husbands getting off the couch finally and participating in life," Comstock said.
Ronald Holland started taking hormone replacement therapy and agrees.
"I feel energized, I pop up in the morning at 4 to teach my boot camps, and once again I feel really good. I feel lean and I feel strong," he said.
Dr. Comstock also says that lifestyle changes such as diet, exercise, and sleep can help. Also, he added, men who eat a higher carbohydrate diet excessively exercise or work overnight shifts may be more susceptible to diminished hormone levels.
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