Do you find that you exercise, but it seems as though you are not getting the desired results you have been sweating and working for?

On top of that have you noticed:

< skin tags on your neck that were not there before

< excess weight in your stomach area, but not in your hips

< loss of sexual desire

< inability to maintain an erection like you could a few years ago

It happens as men age. What is the underlying cause when your doctor tells you that your testosterone levels are normal for a man your age? Perhaps your doctor has just used the standard hormone testing guidelines he/she has been taught to use.

Is it about the level of hormones or how your body is using them?

Your physician should test for free testosterone.  Testosterone is linked or bound to a protein called ‘sex hormone binding globulin’ or SHPG.  When you are bound by ropes you are not able to move, you are rendered inactive.  It’s the same with testosterone, as long as it is bound to the SHPG, it will be inactive.  Testosterone has be ‘freed’ before it can do its job in metabolism, releasing energy for you to be active, to improve your circulation, and sexual functions.

Too much of a good thing!

Both males and females have testosterone and estradiol, a form of estrogen.  These hormones are critical for human sexuality.  In the male, estrogen receptors are found in the brain, testes and penis.  By receptors, we mean that the body is expecting to be stimulated.

On the other hand, the role in regulating the male reproductive system doesn’t mean that estradiol necessarily stimulates it.  In reality, it can suppress male sexuality.  There has to be a balance.

In summary, the higher the estradiol level in the male body, the less active the free testosterone is.  It has been shown that the male body’s pathways can actually convert testosterone into estradiol.  Testosterone has to be free to do its thing!  So, free the testosterone!

As you can see, both testosterone and estradiol need to be measured.  If a doctor prescribes testosterone creams for a man without screening the whole hormone panel, the man will exhibit subtle signs of increased estrogen, such as ‘extra man breast’ and the size of the testicles will diminish in size.  Scary isn’t it?

What are the final pieces to the hormone puzzle?

The last two test to the puzzle are the glycohemoglobin test also known as HbA1c.  This test as you have learned from watching commercials, test the glucose level in your blood.  Increased blood sugar is associated with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a number of other physical findings such as skin tags around the neck and a big belly.

The big belly fat with low testosterone has been shown time and time again.  Increased belly fat raises the level of the enzyme that helps to break testosterone down into estradiol.  This results in high estrogen levels and low testosterone levels.

The final piece to the hormone puzzle is luteinizing hormone or LH.  This hormone is produced in the pituitary gland. As LH goes up in response to low testosterone levels, it works harder to stimulate more production of testosterone.  If both the LH and testosterone are low, the pituitary gland becomes exhausted and it isn’t being stimulated by the hypothalamus and is missing one of the key nutrients such as zinc or manganese.

Make sure your physician test for all four of these levels.  Remember, what’s normal on the test may not be normal for you.  If you still don’t feel up to par, ask your doctor to run a full hormone panel that includes free testosterone, estradiol, HbA1c and LH.  You may also ask for a referral to an endocrinologist.

 

What is the solution?

Your doctor should be prescribing a custom compounded cream for you that includes a biological form of testosterone as well as an herb called chrysin, which naturally inhibits the conversion of testosterone into estradiol.  A boron supplement with help to boost the production of testosterone into estradiol.  The last piece in the puzzle is to add the herb berberine to help control blood glucose.  Next, get on a healthy diet to help you shed unwanted and unneeded pounds.  In just a few short months you should see and feel a difference in the way you look.  Your energy level should be higher as well as your endurance.

 

The next posting will talk about that thinning hair and what you can do naturally to have thicker hair.