Men's Health : Coping with Andropause.

[Guest guest]

Men's Health Week: Coping with AndropauseAndrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac.As men age, they can experience a phenomenon, which is similar tofemale menopause, called Andropause. By the time a man reaches theage of 30, testosterone levels begin dropping by about 10 percentevery decade. Young men often have testosterone levels exceeding1000ng/dl. Look at the comparison of an 80 year-old men, whoseaverage testosterone is 200ng/dl.Between the ages of 40 and 55, bodily changes occur very gradually inmen and may be accompanied by changes in attitudes and moods,fatigue, a loss of energy, sex drive and physical agility. Inaddition, attitudes, psychological stress, alcohol, injuries orsurgery, medications, obesity and infections can contribute to itsonset. This also seems to happen at a time in a man's life when theybegin to question their accomplishments, values and direction inlife.

Therefore, it is often hard to realize that the changes thatare occurring are often related to more than just external situations.Although age does play a factor in testosterone levels, there is noway of predicting who will experience andropause symptoms and to whatdegree of severity. Neither is it predictable at what age symptomswill occur in a particular individual. Each man's symptoms may bedifferent. It has been shown that a man's physical health and mentalwell-being can play apart in the varying degrees of signs andsymptoms. Men who eat right, exercise on a regular basis and arecontent in love and work, seem to experience symptoms, much less andor later in life than those men who are obese, physically unfit,unhappy or depressed.Productivity is at the center of a man's existence. A man'sproductivity is what gets him noticed and appreciated. This helps himclimb the ladder of success, bringing home the

"bacon" and berecognized as the bread winner. As he ages, the productivity tends toswitch to self-satisfying tasks and those, which give him purpose.The Scoop on Human Growth Hormones (HGH)Some scientific evidence shows that trophic factors, such as growthhormone, estrogen, and testosterone, may help combat the agingprocess. Growth hormone, in particular, may reduce frailty and helpolder people maintain independence, but studies are showing mixedresults. The National Institutes on Aging (NIA) in Bethesda, Md., wasawarded grants to eight researchers to study the HGH in 1992. To thisday, studies are mixed in their results. Taking growth hormones maycause sometimes, serious side effects, including carpal tunnelsyndrome, worsening of diabetes, high triglyceride levels and fluidretention leading to congestive heart failure. "The clinicalusefulness remains unclear," the NIA said in a statement.Top 10

Ways To Cope With Andropause1. Change your diet: Cut back on the fried foods, saturated fats andsweets! Eat cleaner, healthier, live food. Eating is a learnedbehavior so poor eating habits can be "unlearned".2. Get moving: Exercise not only is a great remedy for depression, itis a great hormone builder. It truly gets the juices flowing!3. Have more sex: Safe, satisfying, mind-bending. Remember, our mindis our most powerful sex organ. Use that to your advantage.4. Find more satisfaction in your work: Not doing the job of yourdreams? Don't you think it's about time you did! Put your fears away(for once) and just go for it already!5. Make your relationship the best it can be: If you have one, mix itup a bit. Make it "new again". Go back to the basics... Send flowers,go somewhere new, go out on a "date". If you don't have arelationship, then try directing your intentions in the right place.6.

Coping strategies are important: Talk to others who may beexperiencing what you are feeling. Find some therapy in a groupsession, a private therapist or go online and find a chat room.7. Strengthen mental attitudes: Positive thinking. Maintain a sharp,mental approach. Liveintelligently!8. Take control of your life: You are responsible for living a longerlife. You alone. You are in charge as to how long and how well youwill live.9. Stay creative: Fresh ideas are one of the best approaches forimproving any area in your life. Get inspired from things around you.10. Stay healthy: Good arterial health is a must. High bloodpressure, high cholesterol levels, excessive stress, poor diet, lackof exercise are your ticket to a downward spiral.Andrew Pacholyk, MS, L.Ac.Peacefulmind.comTherapies for healingmind, body, spirit "Our ideal is not the spirituality that withdraws from life but the conquest of life by the power of the spirit." - Aurobindo.

Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.