Andropause or "Male Menopause" if you will 
The typical story is of middle aged man who gradually loses his sex drive, strength, energy and enthusiasm for life and love. An all-enveloping mental and physical tiredness descends on him for no apparent reason. He changes from being a positive, bullish person who is good to be around, to a negative pessimistic, depressed bear with a sore head and is increasingly difficult to work with. At work, he is just going through the motions and no amount of encouragement will improve his performance. At home, family relations tend to become increasingly strained, and social life and activities dwindle and wilt. His sexual life is usually a disaster, with a loss of libido and intermittent failure to achieve an erection leading to performance anxiety and eventually complete impotence. This creates a downward spiral of failing function both in the bedroom and boardroom.

There really is no such thing as "Male Menopause" but it is used to convey the idea that men suffer from hormone related issues as well. Since men don't have to deal with their body's on a monthly basis as women do, they are oblivious to the effects of hormones on their own body. Since men remain fertile until advanced in age, hormonal changes are not thought to be a problem. Yet, men go through a gradual decline in their ability to produce hormones. When they develop the belly and loose muscle mass, it is chocked up to the "natural" aging process. 

Are You? Any Age and having these symptoms?

SYMPTOMS OF ANDROPAUSE
· Decrease in libido or desire for sex 
· Decrease in spontaneous morning erection (most common early sign) 
· Decrease in fullness of erections 
· Decrease in maintaining or starting full erection 
· Spells of mental fatigue and inability to concentrate 
· Depression 
· Decreased initiative 
· Muscle soreness 
· Decrease in physical stamina 
· urinary symptoms: pain or frequency; urgency; interupted stream 
· changes in sleep habit 

Andropause usually occurs in middle-aged men, but young men in their 20’s may also have imbalances in their hormone function.

Action man becomes Inaction man
Are You? Young and having:
· Impaired libido
· Erectile dysfunction
· Early baldness
· Inability to lose weight

SIGNS OF ANDROPAUSE
· Increase in total cholesterol or triglycerides 
· Decrease in HDL cholesterol 
· Elevation of fasting blood glucose 
· Elevation in blood pressure 
· Unexplained mid-section weight gain 
· Increase in fat distribution in breast area and hips 
· Development of varicose veins or hemorrhoids 
· Changes in visual acuity 
· Early baldness 

The identification of Andropause is commonly overlooked because there is a slow and gradual drop of testosterone compared to female menopause in which there is an abrupt drop in estrogen and immediate symptoms of decreased hormones.
· Optimal health is dependent on the balance of hormones, and not just a single hormone
· Functional Andropause is the most common
o Takes place when the ratios between testosterone and other hormones shift
o Normal ratios of testosterone to estrogen are 50:1
o Men with Andropause appear to have an 8:1 ratio
§ Their lab test may show normal testosterone levels but are estrogen dominant which shifts the ratio.

Cardiovascular Function and Testosterone
The role of Andropause and cardiovascular function has not received the attention it deserves. Testosterone is necessary for “Men” to maintain healthy heart function.

Past misconceptions about the dangers of testosterone come from two observations:
1. Elevated testosterone in women can be dangerous
2. Careless use of anabolic steroid drugs (methyltestosterone)
Confusion about testosterone appears to stem from the effects of the hormone in women.
· Testosterone and Estrogen both appear to have different impacts on the cardiovascular system of men and women.
WOMEN
· Excess testosterone appears to have a negative impact while estrogen has a positive impact.
MEN
· Testosterone appears to have a positive risk on cardiovascular risk factors while excess estrogen appears to have a negative influence
· The heart has more receptor sites for testosterone than any other muscle of human anatomy
· As testosterone levels decline

· Cholesterol and triglycerides increase
· Arterial plaque increases
· Coronary artery dilation decreases
· Lipoprotein A increases
· Fibrinogen levels increase
· Insulin levels increase
· Increased obesity
· Increased estrogen levels

Just as in women, the male parts are suspended from those twisted hips written about in previous articles. This causes poor circulation and lymphatic drainage, infertility, dysbiosis and bladder control problems. Herein lies the dirty little secret. The little blue pill will never untwist those hips. It will never correct the initial cause. If you are into immediate gratification that may be your choice. A man choosing to do this puts not only himself but his families welfare at risk.

This can be fixed naturally. However, this cannot be done without help from Dr. Dave and Pat. We will work together to bring structural and functional integrity and balance back into your life. Call today to begin your restoration process.

Kegels for Men

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