Men: "Hormone Hell" is NOT Just for Women!

Men: "Hormone Hell" is NOT Just for Women!

By Layne Lowery

Can men go through menopause? Absolutely! You might not know it, but estrogen dominance, or andropause, is a major health hazard for men over 40. This hormone imbalance occurs when your body builds up too much estrogen and xenoestrogens -- which are synthetic forms of the hormone.

You've probably never heard of estrogen dominance -- and your doctor would probably misdiagnose your symptoms. But this could be the reason you suffer from...

• Memory loss and "senior moments"
• Depression and mood swings
• Sleepless nights
• Unwanted weight gain-- especially belly fat
• Muscles turning into flab
• Low sex drive and erectile dysfunction (ED)
• Enlarged prostate and other prostate problems-- and a frequent need to urinate
• Hair loss
• Male breasts or "man boobs"

There are three main reasons why these unpleasant symptoms of male menopause may be tormenting you: 1) aging, 2) environmental pollutants, and 3) your diet.

As you get older, your body doesn't make as much testosterone. The remaining testosterone gets weaker and easily converts to estrogen. Unfortunately, mid-life weight gain increases estrogen production because fat cells contain the aromatase enzyme, which changes testosterone into estrogen.

Another cause for hormone imbalances comes from xenoestrogens -- or toxins that imitate estrogen-- which are dumped into the environment by industrial, agricultural, and chemical companies. In his health newsletter, Dr. HingHau Tsang said these phony hormones are offshoots of products such as spermacides, detergent, plastics, plastic bottles, pesticides, herbicides, personal care products, and lacquers.

Dr. Tsang also said commercially raised beef, chicken and pork, as well as birth control pills and canned foods, contain xenoestrogens. He said massive amounts of hormones are regularly injected into beef and poultry, which can upset your natural estrogen levels.¹

John R. Lee, M.D., an expert in natural progesterone therapy, thinks that significant amounts of estrogen are the main cause of prostate enlargement AND prostate cancer!²

And estrogen dominance can also lead to erectile dysfunction (ED). According to Nick Delgado, Ph.D., a leading expert on anti-aging, a number of men with ED are "at greater risk for heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, or hypertension."³

So whether you call it estrogen dominance, "male menopause," or andropause -- estrogen overload is a real health hazard. And as indicated in a report titled "Manopause" by Lisa Marshall, large numbers of baby boomers are being hit with symptoms of male menopause.⁴

Therefore, Dr. John Morley, lead researcher of estrogen dominance in men and head of the geriatrics division at Saint Louis University Medical School, predicts that, "We are going to see an explosion of interest in it."⁵

What does this mean for you? Have your hormone levels checked to ensure that you don't have elevated levels of estrogen that can cause major health problems. A good naturopathic practitioner can advise you on lifestyle changes and nutritional supplements that will help keep your hormones in balance and reduce your risk of both male menopause and chronic disease.

References

1. HingHau Tsang, M.D., Dr. HingHau Tsang's Crusade on Nutrition: Newsletter #75--"Estrogen Dominance, Natural Progesterone and Men," Tsangenterprise.
   
2. John R. Lee, M.D., Natural Progesterone.
   
3. Nick Delgado, Ph.D., "Steps to Overcoming Estrogen Dominance and Slowing Symptoms of Aging," Ezine Articles.
   
4. Lisa Marshall, "Manopause," Natural Awakenings.
5. John R. Lee, M.D., Medical letter--"Prostate Disease and Hormones," March 2002.