Did you know that just like women go through menopause, men can go through something called andropause? This is a period in life where men see a noticeable change in how they feel, usually happening the late 40s to early 60s. Key symptoms are a reduction of muscle and bone mass, fatigue and erectile dysfunction. Sometimes men start to feel “beige,” meaning they lose interest in many things they once liked to do. They are not opposed to doing it but do not have the interest they used to; they just feel off.
It was once that it was due to an abrupt decline in testosterone, but this is not usually the case. More often, it is the result of cumulative stress over a period of time that wears down the body’s hormone production. The adrenal glands are the source of much of this dysfunction as they are the primary area that is affected by chronic stress. Sometimes the demands of life to provide; be a husband, father, leader; and manage finances just burns men out and then the expected symptoms show. Common symptoms include feeling tired, low libido, being overweight, irritable, depression, anxiety and loss of sense of purpose.
So, what can be done? We run an expanded male hormone profile, adrenal stress index, and comprehensive thyroid panel to look for imbalances in the male hormone system. This will give us the information we need to put together an appropriate plan to get balance back. It is more than just giving them testosterone – that is a short-sighted and often harmful approach. Specific herbs, adaptogens, proteomorphogens, and vitamins can nudge the body back into balance. We will talk about this more in our next newsletter.