Wednesday, October 28, 2009

For Men Only - Reverse Ravages of Time

By Anju Mathur, M.D.

Men, this article is for you. We're not talking here about aging gracefully. More like aging energetically and youthfully. If you are already exercising and already eat healthy, yet you still feel dragged down by signs of age, then continue reading.

Recent research reveals that a dwindling supply of hormones from the endocrine glands directly correlates with advancing age. This process happens on a gradient - after age 30, the older you get, the less productive the endocrine glands are.

When most people speak of hormones they think of male and female hormones - testosterone and estrogen. But there are other hormones related to the aging process - human growth hormone and thyroid hormone and others. A man can experience low libido, loss of hair, excess unwanted weight, memory loss, weakness of muscles and other symptoms.

This is not to say that exercise and diet are not important in keeping a youthful, healthy body. They are very important. A regular exercise program and healthy diet can improve the body, make it appear and feel more youthful. Supplements, vitamins and minerals can also make a difference.

But men, take a tip from the ladies on hormones - doctors have been prescribing hormone replacement therapy for women for some time. Why not for men, too? Recent research demonstrates that hormone replacement can be just as beneficial for men as for women.

Hormone replacement therapy can not only stop the aging process, but even reverse some of the symptoms. You would need to make an appointment with a doctor to get onto hormone replacement therapy. If you are already eating a healthful diet, and exercising regularly, then continue, but if not, you might want to get some help in those fields, also.

When you see a competent doctor concerning hormone replacement, the doctor will give you some medical tests. These tests determine how much of which hormones you would need to restore the hormone levels to a time when you were younger. This varies from person to person. An important thing you should know is that when getting hormone replacements, make sure they are bioidentical - that is to say, not synthetic, but biologically exactly the same as the hormones the body produces.

Hormone replacement has been shown over and over to be a successful treatment for men, not only for stopping symptoms of age, but in many cases reversing them. If you already have an exercise program and good eating habits, continue them. If not, get some help to get onto an exercise program and good diet. But - very important - see a doctor and find out how to get onto hormone replacement therapy. You could also enlist the help of a nutritionist regarding diet and nutritional supplements your body might need. Don't slow down because you get older. Feel young again! Be more energetic! You can do something about it.

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