RE: Male Menopause - Male HRT may raise heart disease risk

[Guest guest]

The New Scientist tried to bill this as new news, but when I did a search on

sleep apnoea it is actually old news. I found two papers in the same journal

they quoted going back a dozen years saying much the same thing [1,2]. What

is really interesting about this find is that A. sleep apnoea has been

associated with high levels of testosterone for years, and B. it is rate

limiting (i.e. the apnoea reduces testosterone in a negative feedback

fashion and apnoea isless common in men with hypogonadic function or 'male

menopause'). An operation seems to remedy the the apnoea and help maintain

healthy testosterone levels, presumably this would also help men suffering

the effects of hypogonadism.

 

Not too happy with surgery though as I have heard the problem may return in

time as resected soft tissue is replaced ! I wonder if there is anything in

TCM to reduce sleep apnoea ?

 

Sammy.

 

1: Santamaria JD, Prior JC, Fleetham JA.

Reversible reproductive dysfunction in men with obstructive sleep apnoea.

Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1988 May;28(5):461-70.

PMID: 3145819 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

 

2: Matsumoto AM, Sandblom RE, Schoene RB, Lee KA, Giblin EC, Pierson DJ,

Bremner WJ.

Testosterone replacement in hypogonadal men: effects on obstructive sleep

apnoea, respiratory drives, and sleep.

Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1985 Jun;22(6):713-21.

PMID: 4017261 [PubMed - indexed for MEDL

 

http://www.newscientist.com/

 

Male HRT may raise heart disease risk

 

10:48 21 August 03

 

The idea of giving ageing men hormone replacement therapy has suffered

another body blow with the discovery that high doses of testosterone

increase sleep disturbances that raise the risk of heart disease.

 

" This shows there are risks other than financial ones, " says team leader

David Handelsman of the ANZAC Research Institute in Sydney.

 

In the US, where drugs are directly marketed to patients, the amount of

testosterone prescribed has tripled over the past decade. And while few men

in Europe or Australasia currently take testosterone, some private clinics

aggressively promote it as a cure-all for male ageing.

 

Handelsman's team gave 17 healthy men over 60 years old three injections of

testosterone or a placebo over three weeks. After an eight-week break, men

who had had placebo received testosterone, and vice versa. The double-blind

test conditions ensured that neither the subjects nor the researchers'

behaviour would be influenced by knowing who was getting testosterone.

 

While the men were on testosterone, they suffered 50 per cent more episodes

of obstructed breathing, or apnoea, during each hour of sleep than when they

were on the placebo (The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism,

vol 88, page 3605).

 

Tip the balance

 

The findings suggest that testosterone replacement therapy in some men could

tip the balance from mild apnoea to severe apnoea - and thus triple the risk

of cardiovascular problems such as high blood pressure, heart attacks and

strokes.

Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism

 

The finding is not too surprising, as anecdotal evidence had already

suggested that testosterone can cause sleep apnoea. But the mechanism

remains unclear, says team member Brendon Yee of the Woolcock Institute of

Medical Research in Sydney. " Testosterone could change the diameter of the

upper airway or its collapsibility by affecting the neuromuscular

mechanism, " he suggests.

The testosterone dose used in the study is two to three times as high as

that commonly used to treat older men with low testosterone levels due to a

disorder, although some clinics do use such high levels.

But even lower-dose testosterone replacement therapy is controversial, as it

may increase the risk of prostate cancer and other disorders. What is more,

no studies have clearly demonstrated that the therapy improves the

well-being of elderly men with declining testosterone levels, with some

experts claiming that the " symptoms " of the so-called male menopause are due

to inactivity, depression and middle-aged spread, not hormones.

But not everyone is put off by the new findings. There is still a place for

androgen replacement therapy for ageing men with low testosterone levels,

says Tony Morrow, a clinical endocrinologist at a private practice in New

South Wales, although he concedes that practice could change as more studies

on the efficacy and safety of testosterone replacement therapy are

conducted.

 

BY: Rachel Nowak, Melbourne

 

 

acudoc11 [acudoc11]

18 August 2003 16:07

Chinese Medicine

Re: Male Menopause

 

 

Hi Attilio

 

Yes....noticed it in many as.....low back ache, sciatica, diminishing of

sexual function, urinary weakness, sometimes bowel dysfunction, hair loss

and/or hair turning grey.

 

Woman are built around 'blood' and menstruation (Liver system) and men are

built around 'sperm essence' (Kidney system). In 'female menopause' the

blood channels and flow are closing down, resulting in what should be only

an adjustment period of blood/yin deficiency while in men it may be more

gradual but still the same in the comparative sense as 'essence-sperm'

reduction. In women - one nutritions the Liver blood and frees liver

stagnation and in men - one tonifies the Kidney system (either yin and/or

yang).

 

Richard

 

In a message dated 8/18/2003 10:53:18 AM Eastern Daylight Time,

attiliodalberto writes:

 

 

Taken from http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/features/male_menopause.shtml

I wonder if any practitioners in this group have noticed any signs of

a male menopause amongst their patients. I know that i have difficult

times each month, well so my wife says, so why not a menopause?

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

hi,

this suggests that it could be liver yang increase or

liver fire which is the cause of sleep apnoea. this is

related to kid def due to ageing. so may be this goes

hand in hand.

instead of medication, good acupuncture may fix the

problem

anand

 

--- ga.bates wrote: >

>

>

> The New Scientist tried to bill this as new news,

> but when I did a search on

> sleep apnoea it is actually old news. I found two

> papers in the same journal

> they quoted going back a dozen years saying much the

> same thing [1,2]. What

> is really interesting about this find is that A.

> sleep apnoea has been

> associated with high levels of testosterone for

> years, and B. it is rate

> limiting (i.e. the apnoea reduces testosterone in a

> negative feedback

> fashion and apnoea isless common in men with

> hypogonadic function or 'male

> menopause'). An operation seems to remedy the the

> apnoea and help maintain

> healthy testosterone levels, presumably this would

> also help men suffering

> the effects of hypogonadism.

>

> Not too happy with surgery though as I have heard

> the problem may return in

> time as resected soft tissue is replaced ! I wonder

> if there is anything in

> TCM to reduce sleep apnoea ?

>

> Sammy.

>

> 1: Santamaria JD, Prior JC, Fleetham JA.

> Reversible reproductive dysfunction in men with

> obstructive sleep apnoea.

> Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1988 May;28(5):461-70.

> PMID: 3145819 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

>

> 2: Matsumoto AM, Sandblom RE, Schoene RB, Lee KA,

> Giblin EC, Pierson DJ,

> Bremner WJ.

> Testosterone replacement in hypogonadal men:

> effects on obstructive sleep

> apnoea, respiratory drives, and sleep.

> Clin Endocrinol (Oxf). 1985 Jun;22(6):713-21.

> PMID: 4017261 [PubMed - indexed for MEDL

>

> http://www.newscientist.com/

>

> Male HRT may raise heart disease risk

>

> 10:48 21 August 03

>

> The idea of giving ageing men hormone replacement

> therapy has suffered

> another body blow with the discovery that high doses

> of testosterone

> increase sleep disturbances that raise the risk of

> heart disease.

>

> " This shows there are risks other than financial

> ones, " says team leader

> David Handelsman of the ANZAC Research Institute in

> Sydney.

>

> In the US, where drugs are directly marketed to

> patients, the amount of

> testosterone prescribed has tripled over the past

> decade. And while few men

> in Europe or Australasia currently take

> testosterone, some private clinics

> aggressively promote it as a cure-all for male

> ageing.

>

> Handelsman's team gave 17 healthy men over 60 years

> old three injections of

> testosterone or a placebo over three weeks. After an

> eight-week break, men

> who had had placebo received testosterone, and vice

> versa. The double-blind

> test conditions ensured that neither the subjects

> nor the researchers'

> behaviour would be influenced by knowing who was

> getting testosterone.

>

> While the men were on testosterone, they suffered 50

> per cent more episodes

> of obstructed breathing, or apnoea, during each hour

> of sleep than when they

> were on the placebo (The Journal of Clinical

> Endocrinology and Metabolism,

> vol 88, page 3605).

>

> Tip the balance

>

> The findings suggest that testosterone replacement

> therapy in some men could

> tip the balance from mild apnoea to severe apnoea -

> and thus triple the risk

> of cardiovascular problems such as high blood

> pressure, heart attacks and

> strokes.

> Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism

>

> The finding is not too surprising, as anecdotal

> evidence had already

> suggested that testosterone can cause sleep apnoea.

> But the mechanism

> remains unclear, says team member Brendon Yee of the

> Woolcock Institute of

> Medical Research in Sydney. " Testosterone could

> change the diameter of the

> upper airway or its collapsibility by affecting the

> neuromuscular

> mechanism, " he suggests.

> The testosterone dose used in the study is two to

> three times as high as

> that commonly used to treat older men with low

> testosterone levels due to a

> disorder, although some clinics do use such high

> levels.

> But even lower-dose testosterone replacement therapy

> is controversial, as it

> may increase the risk of prostate cancer and other

> disorders. What is more,

> no studies have clearly demonstrated that the

> therapy improves the

> well-being of elderly men with declining

> testosterone levels, with some

> experts claiming that the " symptoms " of the

> so-called male menopause are due

> to inactivity, depression and middle-aged spread,

> not hormones.

> But not everyone is put off by the new findings.

> There is still a place for

> androgen replacement therapy for ageing men with low

> testosterone levels,

> says Tony Morrow, a clinical endocrinologist at a

> private practice in New

> South Wales, although he concedes that practice

> could change as more studies

> on the efficacy and safety of testosterone

> replacement therapy are

> conducted.

>

> BY: Rachel Nowak, Melbourne

>

>

> acudoc11 [acudoc11]

> 18 August 2003 16:07

> Chinese Medicine

> Re: Male Menopause

>

>

> Hi Attilio

>

> Yes....noticed it in many as.....low back ache,

> sciatica, diminishing of

> sexual function, urinary weakness, sometimes bowel

> dysfunction, hair loss

> and/or hair turning grey.

>

> Woman are built around 'blood' and menstruation

> (Liver system) and men are

> built around 'sperm essence' (Kidney system). In

> 'female menopause' the

> blood channels and flow are closing down, resulting

> in what should be only

> an adjustment period of blood/yin deficiency while

> in men it may be more

> gradual but still the same in the comparative sense

> as 'essence-sperm'

> reduction. In women - one nutritions the Liver blood

> and frees liver

> stagnation and in men - one tonifies the Kidney

> system (either yin and/or

> yang).

>

> Richard

>

> In a message dated 8/18/2003 10:53:18 AM Eastern

> Daylight Time,

> attiliodalberto writes:

>

>

> Taken from

>

http://www.bbc.co.uk/health/features/male_menopause.shtml

> I wonder if any practitioners in this group have

> noticed any signs of

> a male menopause amongst their patients. I know that

> i have difficult

> times each month, well so my wife says, so why not a

> menopause?

>

>

>

>