"Testosterone Information, Articles and Support"

Testosterone is by far the most vital single element

for men to enjoy a long life, good health and remain
sexually active for as long as possible

By Sam Fields - http://www.4-men.org/increasing-testosterone-levels.html

Testosterone is a steroid hormone from the androgen group. It is the principal male sex hormone and the
"original" anabolic steroid in high demand for sexual as well as sporting performance enhancement. Like other
steroid hormones, testosterone is derived from cholesterol

Male Hypogonadism
Dealing with a testosterone deficiency (also known as male hypogonadism) can be hard to admit for
many men. To some, it feels as if their very manhood is diminishing before their very eyes.

Male Hypogonadism
Dealing with a testosterone deficiency (also known as male hypogonadism) can be hard to
admit for many men. To some, it feels as if their very manhood is diminishing before their very
eyes. But a testosterone deficiency doesn’t have to have any shame attached to it.

The stigma that once was associated with a testosterone deficiency – causing loss of libido,
loss of hair, and erectile dysfunction is being erased by an avalanche of medical research that
exposes testosterone deficiency for what it is – a common occurrence in the life of any man.

Hypogonadism Treatment

For those who have received treatment for male hypogonadism, life has been restored to the
pleasurable status it once was. Testosterone deficiency treatments range from adding natural
supplements to your diet to having more serious testosterone prescriptions provided by your
doctor.

When a man has a testosterone deficiency, he can get tested to see if his levels fall within the
“normal” limits. However, it’s important to note that testosterone levels fluctuate and what may
be a testosterone deficiency for one person could be the norm for another.
Women can also suffer symptoms associated from a testosterone deficiency. When a woman’s
levels fall low, she can endure a loss of sexual drive, experience weakness, or begin to lose
her hair – a condition of testosterone deficiency that is generally associated with aging men.

What role does male hormone replacement therapy play in the lives of men and women
suffering from hypogonadism? Researchers are constantly trying to improve their efforts to
maximize the results of the treatment and minimize the side effects that often plague
testosterone replacement therapy treatment.

Hypogonadism Symptoms

Testosterone deficiency has also been linked to cognitive impairment, and scientists are trying
to find out if hormone replacement therapy could help those afflicted with diseases such as
dementia or Alzheimer’s. Although these conditions are heartbreaking and difficult to deal with,
there is no direct link between a person’s hypogonadism and their impending mortality.

Testosterone is needed from the very time a baby boy is growing in his mother’s womb and
every day thereafter. When a man suffers from a testosterone deficiency, it can take away his
typical masculine characteristics and little by little chip away at the quality of his life. More
studies are needed on male hormone replacement therapy for a testosterone deficiency, since
there was such a backlash against female hormone replacement therapy. But if the benefits of
taking additional testosterone keep stacking up, researchers will find a way to make the
treatment available to all who need it.

Drew Voight

Testosterone Levels
Surging testosterone could be a major explanation for the home
advantage in football, say UK psychologists.

They found that all members of a squad - and goalkeepers in

particular - have much higher levels of the hormone before a home
game than before an away match.

It is clear there is a big home advantage, and we think testosterone is a major factor that has
been overlooked by theorists in the past," says Sandy Wolfson of the University of
Northumbria, who conducted the research with colleague Nick Neave.

Home team advantage

"We know testosterone is linked to dominance and aggression in animals," says Neave. "We're
trying to tie the results in with territoriality. The idea is that if you're playing at home, you feel
you're defending your own territory. The testosterone surges in the goalkeepers was
unbelievable and obviously they're the ones who are most involved in defence."

If coaches can use motivational techniques to boost testosterone before away matches, they
should be able to improve their teams' scores, say Neave and Wolfson. But it is also important
to study individual differences in testosterone levels, they say. "Some players go on the pitch
and they go for it too hard, injuring themselves and others. We want to see whether there are
also links between high testosterone levels in some players and subsequent poor performance
in a match."

Wolfson and Neave studied players in the Under-19 squad of a UK Premiership team. They
took saliva samples one hour before three training sessions, two away games and two home
games. The players were matched with two separate opposition squads: one a bitter rival, one
classed as a moderate rival. They played each rival once at home and once away.

The players' testosterone levels were at the male average before the training and away
matches. But they were 40 per cent higher just before the match against the moderate rival
and 67 per cent higher before the bitter rival match.

The goalkeepers showed the biggest variation in testosterone, says Wolfson. "In training, they
had the lowest levels of the all the players, but before the home match, they had the highest.
When playing the game, it looks as if the burden of responsibility falls upon them."

Other factors are likely to be involved in the home advantage. Crowd support, referee bias and
familiarity with the pitch, have all been put forward as explanations. "But none of these on their
own has been found to have a strong effect," says Wolfson.

Wolfson and Neave's research was presented at the annual conference of the British
Psychological Society in Blackpool, Lancashire, UK.

Drew Voight

Low Testosterone
In the last several years, and, more specifically, with the development of testosterone in a form
that simplifies administration and dose, our understanding of low testosterone in men has
changed.

Historically, a discussion of treatment with testosterone conjures up an image of a weight lifter

or body builder, which usually carries negative connotations. Consequently, physicians have
been taught that testosterone should be used only in severe cases where the patient cannot
function in normal society.

The medical profession has generally believed that, as men age, many of the
changes they experience are due to the aging process rather than to
hormonal changes such as are seen in women during menopause.
Andropause

Currently, millions of American women take hormones to reduce the negative effects of low
estrogen levels during and after menopause. Only recently, we’ve begun to recognize a similar
syndrome in men and have called it “Andropause.” The difference in the way men and women
experience this change is that it is a much slower process in men so it is often not as obvious.

In men, mid-life hormone changes usually begin without notice, especially after the age of
forty. Unfortunately, the only obvious result may be the gradual assumption of the appearance
of “an old man.” Andropause, a condition in which the testosterone level slowly declines with
age, also decreases a man’s ability to perform in the bedroom.

In addition to experiencing a decrease in desire and function, men with a lowered testosterone
level may also notice changes in mood and emotions, a decrease in body mass and strength
due to loss of muscle tissue, and an increase in body fat. Finally, the worst outcome may be
alterations in bone mineral density, a condition called osteoporosis, which can lead to severe
bone changes and even to fractures.

After the age of thirty, a man may lose up to two percent of testicular function each year or
develop hypogonadism. We know that twenty to fifty percent of healthy men between the ages
of 50 and 70 have lower than normal levels of testosterone. This statistic indicates that up to
five percent of all men are at risk for low testosterone states, a staggering number if you think
about it. However, the reported incidence is extremely low, due, at least in part, to the fact that
it’s difficult to diagnose a condition that you don’t know about. Until recently, we haven’t known
much about low testosterone or testosterone replacement therapy in men.

Men are living longer and we are beginning to understand more about the aging process. As
this knowledge becomes more available, men will demand treatment for low testosterone
levels to maintain or improve their relationships and alleviate other symptoms, including
osteoporosis, dysfunction and mood disturbances - many of the same problems that occur in
aging women.

Drew Voight

Testosterone Articles

While virtually every man can use more testosterone ... there are numerous ways to do so.
Testosterone patches, gels, pills, shots are becoming more prevalent as the treatment of
choice for men with low testosterone.

Testosterone Therapy
There may or may not be such a thing as "male menopause" - and if there is, it may or
may not be connected with a midlife urge to buy a red Corvette. Yet there's growing interest in
testosterone therapy, especially among baby-boom guys who do not want to go gently into
Grandpa Land. "It is sort of an anti-aging thing," said William Amin of the National Men's Health
Clinic in Columbia.

Of 55- to 64-year-olds who come to the clinic with potency problems, about 85 percent now
receive testosterone as part of their treatment, said clinic manager Chris Laughter. One study
has projected about 481,000 new cases of androgen (male hormone)
deficiency per year in men 40 to 69. Baby-boom men will want to be fitter,
including being sexually active, into their 60s, 70s and 80s, said Shailesh
Patel, an associate professor of endocrinology at the Medical University of
South Carolina in Charleston. "This becomes a social issue, not so much a
medical issue" for some men, he said.

An infusion of testosterone - the most potent of the male hormones - can have
side effects and should be monitored. Not to mention the nuisance of needing
a pill, wearing a testosterone patch, getting a weekly injection or having a daily slather of
testosterone hormone gel. But Patel and other doctors said testosterone could supply a vital
spark for the energy and libido of men whose testosterone levels had waned because of age
or disease.

Testosterone Peaks

Testosterone peaks between the ages of 20 and 40, and goes into a small, steady decline after
that. The National Institute on Aging says there's little evidence that "male menopause" occurs,
noting that many older men have testosterone levels in the normal range. But especially in
alternative-health circles, there's interest in using testosterone therapy to treat what some refer
to as "andropause." Testosterone is touted as vital for preserving bone density, muscle mass
and sexual function in older men.

Diseases of the pituitary gland and of the testes, where testosterone is produced, are among
the conditions that call for testosterone therapy, Patel said. Symptoms may be similar to those
of menopausal difficulties in women, he said, including fatigue, bone weakness, waning libido
and even hot flashes. Age-related symptoms of testosterone deficiency tend to be a little more
wishy- washy, Patel said. For example, loss of sex drive could be caused by a lot of things,
including stress, depression, medications, marriage problems or trouble at work.

Men concerned about their testosterone levels should be tested in the morning, said Tu Lin,
director of the endocrinology division in the USC School of Medicine in Columbia. Male
hormone levels fluctuate throughout the day and are highest then, he said. If a man tested low
in the afternoon, it would be hard to tell whether he had a deficiency. "It's important to know the
"bioavailable" level of the hormone", Lin said, "because almost half of a man's testosterone
binds with proteins in the body".

Lin said testosterone supplementation might worsen an enlarged prostate or existing prostate
cancer, so a man's prostate and his level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) should be checked
before testosterone is considered.

Drew Voight
Low Testosterone and Alzheimers
Like estrogen loss in older women, decreased levels of testosterone may put aging men at risk
for Alzheimer's disease, according to a new study by USC researchers.

The team's findings – appearing as a letter to the editor in the Sept. 22 issue of the Journal of
American Medical Association – bolster sparse research on the adverse effects of age-related
testosterone depletion in the brain and may lead to future development of hormone
replacement therapies.

"Our findings strongly suggest that normal age-related testosterone depletion is one of the
important changes that promote Alzheimer‚s disease in men," said Christian Pike, senior
author of the study and an assistant professor at the USC Leonard Davis School of
Gerontology.

Alzheimers Connection

"Understanding how these changes increase vulnerability to the disease is critical not only for
elucidating Alzheimer's development, but also for identifying those persons most at risk," Pike
said.

While the link between estrogen loss in women and increased susceptibility to a variety of
diseases – including Alzheimer's – has long been well established, there has been less focus
on the health effects of hormonal depletion in men. Only within the last few years has the
range of impairments – including osteoporosis and the loss of muscle mass, strength and
function known as sarcopenia – linked to decreased testosterone levels become a recognized
clinical syndrome called ADAM, or androgen deficiency in aging males. Androgens are male
sex hormones.

The data collected by the USC team – Pike, Lilly Chang and Frank Stanczyk of the Keck
School of Medicine of USC, and Emily Rosario of the USC Andrus Gerontology Center –
suggests that the brain is another tissue that experiences age-related testosterone loss and
that increased vulnerability to Alzheimer's disease should now be considered a component of
ADAM.

Using brain tissue from 45 (previously consenting) deceased male subjects and an established
medical scale of neuropathology, the researchers divided their samples into three categories:
those considered neuropathologically normal with no clinical history of cognitive impairment
(these were the controls); those who exhibited mild neuropathological changes; and those who
had Alzheimer's disease.

"We found that brain levels of testosterone are significantly lower in [Alzheimer's] subjects
compared with the control subjects," the researchers wrote. "We found that brain levels of
testosterone are also significantly reduced in men with mild neuropathology consistent with
early Alzheimer's disease."

Furthermore, the team demonstrated that estrogen levels in the subjects‚ brains were affected
by neither advancing age nor the presence of Alzheimer's disease. "Thus far, our research tell
us that testosterone has at least two critical brain functions relevant to Alzheimer's disease,"
Pike said. "It protects neurons from injury, and it reduces levels of beta-amyloid, the protein
widely implicated as a causal factor in the disease."

"We believe that the loss of testosterone with advancing age creates a more hostile neural
environment that promotes accumulation of toxic beta-amyloid protein while leaving neurons
less able to survive the insult," he added.

Pike and his colleagues seek to determine the mechanism by which testosterone depletion
places the brain at increased risk for the mentally debilitating disease.

Drew Voight

Levels of Testosterone
Male scientists are good at research because they have the hormone
levels of women and long index fingers, a new study says.

A survey of academics at the University of Bath has found that male

scientists typically have a level of the hormone estrogen as high as
their testosterone level.

These hormone levels are more usual in women than men, who
normally have higher levels of testosterone. The study draws on
research that suggests that these unusual hormone levels in many
male scientists cause the right side of their brains, which governs
spatial and analytic skills, to develop strongly.

The study, which as been submitted to the British Journal of Psychology, also found that:

1) These hormonal levels may make male scientists less likely to have children.
2) Those men with a higher level of estrogen were more likely than average to have relatives
with dyslexia, which may in part be caused by hormonal levels.
3) Women social scientists tended to have higher levels of testosterone, making their brains
closer to those of males in general.

The study drew on work in the last few years which established that the levels of estrogen and
testosterone a person has can be seen in the relative length of their index (second) and ring
(fourth) fingers. The ratio of the lengths is set before birth and remains the same throughout
life.

Finger Length

The length of fingers is genetically linked to the sex hormones, and a person with an index
finger shorter than the ring finger will have had higher testosterone levels while in the womb,
and a person with an index finger longer than the ring finger will have had more estrogen. The
difference in the lengths can be small – as little as two or three per cent – but important.

Testosterone and fingers

A survey of the finger lengths of over 100 male and female academics at the University by
senior Psychology lecturer Dr Mark Brosnan has found that those men
teaching hard science like mathematics and physics tend to have index
fingers as long as their ring fingers, a marker for unusually high
estrogen levels for males.

It also found the reverse: those male academics with longer ring fingers
than index fingers – the usual male pattern – tended not to be in
science but in social science subjects such as psychology and
education

A further study also suggests that prenatal hormone exposure, and hence index finger length,
can also influence actual achievement levels. In a survey of male and female students on a
JAVA programming course at the University, the researchers found a link between finger length
ratio and test score. The smaller the difference between index and ring finger - the higher the
test score at the end of the year.

"The results are a fascinating insight into how testosterone and estrogen levels in the womb
can affect people's choice of career and how these levels can show up in the length of fingers
on our hands," said Dr Brosnan.

In the general population, men typically have higher levels of testosterone than women, but the
male scientists at the University of Bath have lower testosterone levels than is usual for men –
their estrogen and testosterone levels tend to match those of women generally.

Brains involved too

This research now suggests that lower than average testosterone levels in men lead to spatial
skills that can give a man the ability to succeed in science. Other research has in the past also
suggested that an unusually high level of testosterone can do the same thing by encouraging
the development of the right hemisphere.

This right brain development is at the expense of language abilities and people skills that men
with a more usual level of testosterone develop and which can help them in social science
subjects like psychology or education.

Dr. Brosnan said that men having levels of testosterone very much higher than normal for
males would also create the right hemisphere dominated brain, which could help in science.
The extremes of low testosterone and high testosterone for men would create the scientific
brain, and the normal range in the middle would create the 'social science' brain.

The question also arises as to why more women, who have this lower level of testosterone, are
not in science, which is male-dominated, with only one in 40 science professors being a
woman.

The short answer is that we don't know: the high levels of estrogen in women may act
differently on the brain and not give them the spatial skills that men with similar levels of the
hormone have.

There may be social reasons: science has been male-dominated the past and this may be
putting women off entering it, even though they are able to. Why male scientists should have
fewer children is not known.

"The study of my colleagues at the University of Bath was also interesting in that it shows that
women in social science tend to have a higher level of testosterone level relative to their
estrogen level, making their brains closer to those of men in general, said Dr. Brosnan."

Drew Voight

Testosterone Replacement Therapy

The movie 'Grumpy Old Men' provided us a stereotype of the older adult male. Wanning
sexual ability, testosterone replacement therapy, decreased strength and muscle mass,
weight gain, a general lack of energy and erectile dysfunction.

Of course, these all point to what some call "male menopause", male pmsor more specifically
"andropause."

American men are fighting back the hands of time however. Ever increasing numbers are
turning to male hormone replacement therapy in an attempt to fight off declines in circulating
testosterone. Even though there some experts claim the lack of reliable data on not only the
benefits but also the risks facing these grumpy old men.

"Although some people talk about 'male menopause,'

obviously, men don't have menopause. It's a misnomer," said
Dr. Glenn Cunningham, a spokesman for the Endocrine
Society, and a professor at Baylor College of Medicine in
Houston. But it's known men experience a horome imbalance
with aging.

Cunningham said another popular term -- "andropause" is

probably incorrect for similar reasons. "It's been picked up by
the lay press and used for some time now, however, so it's
what people understand," he said. What is clear is that all men experience some level of
gradual decline in physical, sexual and hormonal activity as they enter middle age. Wow , just
think what I've got forward to looking to huh?

"There's also no question that testosterone levels decline with advancing age," said Dr.
Shalender Bhasin, chief of the division of endocrinology at Charles R. Drew University in Los
Angeles, and a professor of medicine at UCLA School of Medicine. "But are the [physical]
declines seen in older men related to declining testosterone levels? On that point there's no
agreement," Bhasin said.

A large-scale, prospective clinical trial into the risks and benefits of testosterone replacement
therapy could provide answers, of course. But at this point, "there's only about a dozen
studies, all of them short-term studies that included a small number of men," Bhasin said.

While some men enrolled in these smaller trials did experience some improvement, "none of
these studies was large enough to show clear-cut benefits on the health of older men," Bhasin
added.

Risks associated with long-term use of a powerful hormone such as testosterone are equally
unclear, he added. "The two major areas of controversy are whether giving testosterone
therapy to older men will increase their risk of prostate cancer, including other diseases, and
whether it will increase or decrease their risk for heart disease. There's no evidence right now
in either direction."

Testosterone Replacement Therapy

cont.

Bhasin, along with three other expert endocrinologists, recently applied to the Institute of
Medicine (IOM) for a grant to fund a large-scale clinical trail into the issue, but were turned
down. Instead, the IOM panel recommended a series of smaller trials that would first establish
whether or not testosterone therapy had real health benefits before moving on to a large trial
focused on its safety.

While he understands that decision, Bhasin said, "the practical consequence of this is that
studies demonstrating the risks of testosterone supplementation won't even be initiated in the
coming decade."

In the meantime, increased media attention and an aging population have led thousands of
American men to turn to supplemental testosterone use in the absence of good scientific data,
he said.

"Testosterone sales have been growing exponentially," Bhasin said. "In each of the past four
years sales have doubled, and they are projected to have exceeded half a billion dollars this
past year. Some of these sales are for unapproved indications, and in the age of the Internet,
getting androgen products isn't very difficult."

On the other hand, this surge in demand indicates a legitimate and growing need among older
men, he said. "People are living longer, and older men and women are interested in having a
better quality of life," Bhasin said. "And that's not unreasonable."

Cunningham points out that declines in testosterone vary widely between individual men, and
replacement therapy is certainly not for everyone. "I think only those men who have a
testosterone deficiency should be considered for replacement therapy," he said. "And if men
who are 40 or 50 choose to be on treatment, they should be followed carefully."

"There's tremendous polarization of opinion," Bhasin said. "There are proponents who almost
recommend putting testosterone in the water supply, and then there are opponents who
believe treatment would be tantamount to malpractice. And the fact is that we just don't know."

Drew Voight

Hormones
Hollywood and independant filmmakers all know they can alter
the way a person feels about themselves and their current life
situation by what they see on the silver screen.

Case in point ... whenever I see Julia Roberts up there, all I can
think about making that long needed dental appointment.

A new study though ... reveals much deeper findings.

In men, testosterone levels increased after they watched scenes of violence, while a romantic
film boosted a hormone in both sexes that's linked to relaxation and reproduction.

"We usually think of movies and cultural products that entertain us as engaging our mind and
psyche," said study co-author Oliver C. Schultheiss, an assistant professor of psychology at
the University of Michigan. "The interesting thing is that it goes beyond that. Our whole body
responds to these artfully crafted social stimulae. They work not just on your psyche, but also
on your body."

Schultheiss and his colleagues tested the hormone levels of three groups of men and women
before and after they watched romantic scenes from The Bridges of Madison County, a movie
famously identified as a "chick flick" despite co-starring the ultimate tough guy, Clint Eastwood;
scenes from The Godfather, Part II, in which a young Vito Corleone gained power and
influence by killing a rival; and an innocuous nature documentary.

The findings will appear in an upcoming issue of Hormones and Behavior.

Levels of the hormones progesterone and testosterone remained stable after the nature
documentary. Progesterone levels, however, rose in both men and women after watching the
romantic movie.

The full role of progesterone in people isn't entirely clear, Schultheiss said, although it definitely
contributes to reproduction. It seemed to decrease anxiety and libido, he said. "It might play a
role in affiliation motivation, how we bond with other people, how much satisfaction we draw
out of close, satisfying relationships," he said.

Testosterone, of course, is linked to aggression. After watching the Godfather scenes,

hormone levels increased 30 percent in the men who already had the highest testosterone
levels before the tests. Those levels went down, however, after men watched Meryl Streep and
Eastwood begin making a love connection in the Madison County movie.

Testosterone exists in women, too, although in much smaller amounts than in men. Their
levels of the hormone tended to drop after watching Godfather II. However, "it's less clear what
role testosterone plays in females with regard to motivations for dominance and power,"
Schultheiss said.

Dr. Ted Quigley, a reproductive endocrinologist at Scripps Memorial-La Jolla in California,

cautioned that it's difficult to study hormone levels because they regularly change on a minute-
to-minute basis. Even the stress of a needle prick in a blood test can make them spike, he
said.

As for the effect of movies on testosterone and progesterone, he said it's well-known that
"hormones affect emotions, and emotions affect hormones."

He added that "watching a 'chick flick' may have an effect on certain hormones, but its the
impact in the real world, in everyday living, that needs to be determined."

Sam Fields

Diabetes and Low Testosterone

Low testosterone production appears to be a common complication of type 2 diabetes in men,
affecting one out of three diabetic patients, a new study has shown.

Moreover, results of the investigation show that this condition, known clinically as
hypogonadism, is caused not by a defect in the testes, where testosterone is produced, but by
improper functioning of the pituitary gland, which controls production of testosterone, or of the
hypothalamus, the region of the brain that controls the pituitary.

"This starts a whole new story on the crucial

complications of type 2 diabetes," said Paresh
Dandona, senior author on the study and director of the
Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism at
UB and Kaleida Health, where the study was
conducted.

Results of the study appeared recently in the Journal of

Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism.

Sandeep Dhindsa, assistant professor of medicine and first author on the study, said the
findings are important because hypogonadism has not been recognized as a complication of
type 2 diabetes, and the high prevalence of 30 percent was unexpected.

"The surprisingly high prevalence of low testosterone levels was associated with lower levels
of pituitary hormones called gonadotrophins, suggesting that the primary defect in these
patients was either in the pituitary or higher up in the hypothalamus," he said. "Since
gonadotrophins drive the testes to produce testosterone, this finding gives us an insight into
the pathogenesis of this complication of type 2 diabetes."

Earlier studies, including those conducted by this research group, found that diabetic subjects
with erectile dysfunction and low testosterone levels often have low levels of pituitary
hormones. However, conclusions from prior studies have been fraught with problems with
testosterone assays, Dhindsa noted.

"A large portion of testosterone in the blood is bound to proteins, but a small portion is
unbound and largely determines the amount of testosterone that is available to the tissues,"
said Dhindsa. "This active portion is called free testosterone. Assays to accurately determine it
are delicate, tedious and time-consuming.

"This investigation set out to determine, in a prospective fashion, the prevalence of low total
testosterone, accurately measure free testosterone in male patients with type 2 diabetes and
to attempt to determine the seat of the problem in those with low free testosterone."

Low Testosterone Study

The study involved 103 consecutive males with type 2 diabetes who were referred to the
Diabetes-Endocrinology Center of Western New York for treatment. None of the men had been
diagnosed previously with low testosterone levels. The researchers collected fasting blood
samples from the participants and analyzed them for testosterone levels and for hormones
associated with testosterone production. They also measured cholesterol and glucose levels,
and a blood marker for how well glucose was controlled during previous months, called
hemoglobin A1c. Data on height, weight and diabetic complications, including erectile
dysfunction, neuropathy, retinopathy and coronary artery disease, were recorded.

Results showed that nearly one-third of the men had hypogonadism. Although obesity is
associated with hypogonadism and is prevalent among type 2 diabetics, only 10-15 percent of
the variation in low free testosterone levels could be attributable to body mass index, Dhindsa
said. More than 30 percent of lean patients also were hypogonadal.

"Equally important, most of the men who had low testosterone levels also had lower levels of
gonadotrophins, as compared to men with normal testosterone levels," he noted.
"Furthermore, the gonadotrophin concentration in the blood correlated positively with free
testosterone levels, supporting the notion that the cause of the defect is in the pituitary or
hypothalamus."

The high prevalence of low testosterone in diabetic men is concerning, said Dhindsa,
because in addition to lowered libido and erectile dysfunction, the condition is associated with
loss of muscle tone, increase in abdominal fat, loss of bone density, and can affect mood and
cognition.

"Further studies will help us determine why type 2 diabetic patients are more prone to
developing hypogonadism," he said. "While obesity may explain part of the high prevalence of
hypogonadism, it is likely that other factors associated with type 2 diabetes also contribute
significantly. This area is clearly ripe for further investigation."
Drew Voight

Testosterone helps strokes

Testosterone – the hormone responsible for a man's sexual characteristics – may help him
recover from a stroke.

Researchers will present their findings at the annual meeting of the

American Neurological Association in October. “It looks like testosterone
speeds up the recovery from a stroke,” said Yi Pan, M.D., Ph.D.,
assistant professor of neurology at Saint Louis University School of
Medicine and principal investigator on the study. “While the results are
encouraging, this is still very preliminary and we need to do more
research.”

Stroke study

The scientists compared two groups of castrated rats that had suffered strokes. Half received
testosterone and half a placebo. The rats that received testosterone showed significant
improvement in neurological deficits while those in the control group did not.

Based on the promising findings, plans are on the drawing board to test whether testosterone
helps people recover from strokes, said Aninda B. Acharya, M.D., assistant professor of
neurology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine and a researcher on the project.

“We are trying to find newer, better techniques including pharmacological techniques to
improve the outcomes of patients who have had strokes,” Dr. Acharya says. “Many of the
techniques for physical rehabilitation were designed for people returning from combat without a
limb. They may not be applicable for stroke patients.”

He acknowledges that testosterone replacement therapy usually is given to men who have low
testosterone, whose symptoms include low libido, poor muscle strength, depression and
cognitive problems.

“We’re studying giving testosterone for a different indication than people are used to. But the
patients who have low testosterone have the same symptoms we treat in stroke patients. If you
look at what happens to patients with strokes, their strength is affected. Their thinking is
affected. They’re depressed. Their sex drive is decreased. There are all sorts of similarities. I
don’t think they’re superficial similarities.”

Established in 1836, Saint Louis University School of Medicine has the distinction of awarding
the first M.D. degree west of the Mississippi River. Saint Louis University School of Medicine is
a pioneer in geriatric medicine, organ transplantation, chronic disease prevention,
cardiovascular disease, neurosciences and vaccine research, among others. The School of
Medicine trains physicians and biomedical scientists, conducts medical research, and provides
health services on a local, national and international level.

Drew Voight
Testosterone Deprivation
Oregon Health & Science University researchers studying how testosterone
deprivation affects verbal memory found that men undergoing the prostate cancer therapy
forget things faster than their healthy counterparts.

Scientists in the OHSU School of Medicine's departments of Behavioral Neuroscience and

Medicine, and the OHSU Cancer Institute, in a study presented Sunday to the Society for
Neuroscience in San Diego, found that word retention drops sharply after only two minutes
among men undergoing testosterone deprivation therapy.

Testosterone's Effects

However, initial learning of the words, or encoding, was the same

for testosterone-deprived and healthy men, according to the study
titled "Androgen ablation impairs hippocampal-dependent verbal
memory processes."

Men who have undergone testosterone deprivation "are able to

encode these words well, and if I ask them immediately, they can
recall them as easily as non-hormone-deprived men," said Joseph
Bussiere, a graduate student in behavioral neuroscience and the
study's lead author. "But after only two minutes, there's a marked
drop-off. When you stretch the time between encoding and
retrieval, that's where the problem lies."

In testosterone deprivation or "ablation," the testicles are

surgically removed or medications are given to block the
production of male hormones, principally testosterone, that can
promote prostate cancer growth. This common treatment for prostate cancer wipes out most
male hormones found in the body.

Testosterone's Importance

Bussiere and Jeri Janowsky, Ph.D., professor of behavioral neuroscience and neurology,
OHSU School of Medicine, say the rapid drop in memory suggests the lack of and low
testosterone levels affects the function of the hippocampus, a curved, elongated ridge in the
brain that controls learning and memory. In fact, Janowsky said, similar deficits - the ability to
encode information initially but forget it quickly - is seen in individuals with well-known cognitive
disorders. "A colleague looked at (the study results) and said, 'Wow, that looks exactly like
what happens with a lesion in the hippocampus,'" Janowsky said. "When others have done
studies like this on people who have hippocampal damage from early Alzheimer's disease or
lesions due to strokes, this is the pattern."

The study examined 30 individuals - 14 men undergoing androgen deficiency treatment for
prostate cancer and 16 healthy, age-matched men - from the Portland area. Participants were
shown lists of words and, to encode them, were asked to identify whether the words were in
capital or lowercase letters, which requires shallow or "perceptual" processing, or whether they
represented objects that occurred in nature or were artificially made, which requires deep or
"semantic" processing.

Participants were then shown another list containing words they'd just seen as well as new
words and were asked whether they'd seen each word before. This test was performed at
three time intervals: immediately, after two minutes and after 12 minutes. Low Testosterone
men can "immediately get the information in, but then the hippocampus can't consolidate it and
send it off for storage," Janowsky said. "When you look at their memory, they're perfectly
normal when they're immediately asked to recall something, but they can't hold or save the
information as well in order to recall it over a retention interval, over a period of time. They're
faster at forgetting."

Low Testosterone Effects

These results, Bussiere and Janowsky say, point to a negative effect of testosterone
deprivation in the hippocampus, which is responsible for storing information from the first few
seconds on. Both the prefrontal cortex and hippocampal memory systems commonly show
declines with aging and are associated with problems in attention and memory. "But for long-
term memory, the critical structure is the hippocampus. It doesn't mean the prefrontal cortex
doesn't participate, but it's the hippocampus that's important for these results. After the
information gets in, the hippocampus and other nearby structures are responsible for
processing and storing it over minutes, to days and weeks," Janowsky said.

Janowsky, whose laboratory focuses on how cognition changes with aging, said healthy older
men, on average, have about a 40 percent loss in their normal levels of testosterone as they
age, from the ages of 20 or 30, to 70, but that some men in their 80s can have normal and high
testosterone levels like men half their age.

"This is an important first step in an effort to fully understand how prostate cancer therapies
adversely affect memory and other brain functions, and to develop therapies that do not
produce such undesirable effects," said Tomasz Beer, M.D., associate professor of medicine
and director of the OHSU Cancer Institute Prostate Cancer Research Program. Beer was a co-
investigator in the effort.

Drew Voight

Symptoms of Low Testosterone

According to a national survey of Canadian men and their female
partners, most couples have little awareness about the signs of low
testosterone and associate the symptoms merely with old age. In fact,
more than half are more likely to attribute them to a mid-life crisis,
women notably more so than men (53%).

The survey, conducted by Leger Marketing, found that 70 per cent of

respondents when given the list of symptoms for low testosterone were
unable to name this medical condition, a hormonal insufficiency that leaves men feeling their
age. Characterized predominantly by a reduced sex drive that may result in erectile difficulties,
the symptoms of testosterone deficiency can include depressed mood; lack of energy; reduced
muscle mass; and decreased bone density.

"While all men experience a decline in testosterone levels as they grow older, after the age of
45, ongoing emotional, physical and sexual symptoms may signal a testosterone insufficiency
that makes daily activities challenging," said Dr. Jerald Bain, endocrinologist and president of
the Canadian Society for the Study of the Aging Male. "Today, low testosterone is a medical
condition that can be easily treated to restore testosterone levels and improve quality of life. If
left untreated longer term, testosterone insufficiency has the potential to result in an increased
risk for other health conditions such as anemia and osteoporosis."

Among the majority of couples surveyed (51%) said a decrease in the man's strength or
endurance affected their day-to-day life, while falling asleep after dinner and a decrease in sex
drive affected one-third (37% and 31% respectively). If the men were to have greater energy
levels, both men and women agreed that they would most likely increase walking, hiking and
sexual activities. Despite the implications, more than half said they have not seen a doctor to
discuss any of these symptoms, although they would if they knew that their symptoms were
part of a treatable condition. Less than 10 per cent of respondents said their doctor has ever
discussed testosterone insufficiency with them.

Symptoms of Low Testosterone

Most couples do not recognize the full range of symptoms of low testosterone, and instead a
single symptom may be addressed rather than the underlying medical condition. Notably, one-
in-four men surveyed said they have taken some type of vitamin supplement or medication to
help with energy levels, a factor identified as having an affect on their daily lives.

The Androgen Deficiency in Aging Men (ADAM) Questionnaire is a useful tool to help men
identify symptoms of testosterone insufficiency and can act as a guide for discussion between
men and their doctors. The 10-question self-screening tool can be found online at
canadianagingmale.com . The range of treatment options for testosterone insufficiency include
the AndroGel once-a-day 1 per cent testosterone gel pump dispenser or sachet, as well as
multi-dose tablets, weekly injections by a physician, or a patch that is applied to the arm.

"Men, along with their partners, should speak to their doctor about all symptoms of low
testosterone that persist over time to ensure an accurate diagnosis and the most effective
treatment," said Dr. Bain, who presented at the first North American Congress on The Aging
Male in Vancouver this past week. "Important health issues associated with male aging, such
as the effects of low testosterone, are gaining fast recognition and increased attention from the
medical community."

Drew Voight

How to make Testosterone

Well, I decided after my last report I'm not responsible for being a wimp. I think I've got low
testosterone and I need to learn how to make testosterone.

I'm 32 years old and I'm just now starting to not become erect like I used to. There, I said it. I'm
starting to loose my ability to perform.

But in researching this topic, I've discovered for you (and myself) how we can increase our
testosterone levels and possibly decrease my, I mean your "shortcomings".

Low Testosterone

How do you know if you've got low levels of testosterone? Here's a quick list:

Decreased sex drive.

Decreased ability to perform.
Increase in body weight.
Difficulty concentrating on task at hand.
Under chronic stress (business/relationship).
Decreased energy.

I don't know about you...but I've got 4 out of 6.

A study in 1996 reported in the New England Journal of Medicine followed three groups of
men. One group was given testosterone and prescribed a strength training program, one group
was given testosterone and told not to exercise and one group was just given a training
program without testosterone. To no surprise the group who exercised on testosterone gained
the most muscle and lost the most fat, but to the researchers surprise the group who took
testosterone without exercise actually had greater improvement in muscle and fat composition
than the group who trained without it. They also reported improved sexual performance.

How come I never got a chance to get in on those kind of studies on campus?

Oh well, I did discover 13 ways to increase "the juice" inside of me safely and naturally...

Get rid of the flopping belly

If you ever say "do these pants make my flesh apron show" listen up. Carrying excess body fat
elevates your estrogren levels and THAT can cause your testosterone levels to sink says
Joseph Zmuda, Ph.D at the University of Pittsburg. On top of that, you'll grow a pair of fetching
breasts. Comedian Louie Anderson is fitting proof. Two or three extra pounds won't cause this
hormone shift; it occurs once your roughly 20% over your ideal body weight.

Loose only one pound per week

What you DON'T want to do is starve yourself while exercising like a madman. One of the
many reasons this stops working in your late 20's, early 30's and when your natural
testosterone levels start dropping is pretty simple: Cutting your caloric intake by more than
15% makes your brain think you're starving, so it shuts down testosterone production to wait
out the famine. "There's no need to reproduce if you're starving" explains Thomas Incledon,
C.S.C.s., R.D., of Human Performance Specialist in Plantation Florida. Ironically, this dive in
circulating testosterone stops you from buring body fat efficiently, so you're actually stopping
your hard efforts to melt the spare tire.

Have morning nookie

I'm all over this one...now I just need a partner.

Scientist in Germany (seems like all the good stuff and findings come from those guys) found
that simply having an erection causes your circulating free testosterone levels to rise
dramatically and significantly. On top of that having an erection will burn fat.

Well right now I'm burning fat and it's 7:30 am, I need to go!

Sam Fields

Increase Testosterone
Whew...it's 8:00 am and I feel like a new man. I wonder if my barber
can do a good close-cropped hair cut?

So ... obviouosly after going after my previous list I do indeed have a

low testosterone problem.

That could explain alot of different things.

Now what can I do to increase my testosterone ... where's that list?

Now, let's see where I was...oh yeah here's the rest of my list to increase testosterone
naturally.

Skip the Fad Diets

Research suggests that eating a high protein, low carb diet can cramp your testosterone
levels. High amounts of dietary protein in your blood can eventually lower the amount of
testosterone produced in your testes. (there go my power bar snacks) Your protein intake
should be about 16% of your daily calories. If you're the average 170 pound man eating 2,900
calories per day, you should be eating as part of that 140 grams of protein which is about the
amount found in two breasts (chicken, not hers) and a 6 ounce can of tuna.

Stick with Tough Exercises

To beef up your testosterone levels, the bulk of your workouts should involve "compound"
weight-lifting exercises that train several large muscle groups, and not just one or two smaller
muscles (say like your eyelids). Example: studies show that doing squats, bench presses or
back rows increase your levels more than doing curls, tricep push-downs, etc...even though
the effort may seem and feel the same. That's why doing squats can help you build bigger
biceps. If taking a squat would do the same thing, I'd be the next Hulk Hogan.

Do Five Reps Per Set

Throwing around 5 pound dumbells won't help you effect a rise in testosterone, neither will
lifting 12 packs. Start off by using a heavy weight that you can only lift five times. That weight is
around 85% of your one-rep maximum. A Swedish study found that this workload produced the
greatest boosts in testosterone levels in men. They also found it created a hunger for Lutefisk
and Volvo's.

Do Three Sets of Each Movement

Penn State University scientists determined that this fosters greater increases in testosterone
than just one or two sets. Rest a full minute between sets (use this time to perform a thong-
check), so you can regain enough strength to continue lifting at least 70% of your one-rep
maximum during the second and third sets.

Rest Harder than You Work Out

If you overtrain - meaning you don't allow your body to recuperate adequately between your
training sessions - your circulating testosterone levels can plunge by as much as 40
PERCENT as was discovered by studies performed at the University of North Carolina. The
symptoms of over training aren't hard to miss: irritability, insomnia, muscle shrinkage and
collecting Enya cd's. To avoid overtraining, make sure you sleep a full 8 hours at night and
never stress the same muscles with weight-lifting movements two days in a row. Getting
adequate rest is probably one of the best testosterone increasers underutilized by men
everywhere.

OK, let's look at my planner from today: Had an erection, had morning sex, lost one pound
today, quit my Adkins diet, did 5 reps of push-ups. I'm becoming a stud.

Next time, I'll try to finish my 13 ways (5 more to go) but don't push it or I'll slap ya to the
ground like the girlie you are.

Sam Fields

Testosterone Levels in Men

Men who want to become fathers adjust their testosterone levels to
make conception more likely, according to new research.

Katharina Hirschenhauser, an expert in sex hormones, and her team

at the Institute of Applied Psychology in Lisbon, Portugal, set out to
see if there was any link between men's testosterone levels and their
sexual behaviour.
They asked 27 volunteers to measure the testosterone in their saliva every morning for 90
days. Over the same period, the men also recorded their sex lives in intimate detail,
documenting the "intensity" of each encounter, whether with their regular partner or not.

All the men had different patterns of testosterone peaks and troughs over the period. But in
men trying for a baby, peaks in testosterone levels coincided far more often with periods of
intense sexual activity. Hirschenhauser says the finding shows men can subconsciously
influence their hormone levels. "Males can be responsive to their partners, but only if they want
to be," she says.

Jim Pfaus, an expert in sexual neurobiology at Concordia University in Montreal, says this
could overturn a common and uncharitable belief about men. "We tend to think of the little
brain being disconnected from the big brain," he says.

Coordinating sexual activity with peaks in testosterone makes sense for men who want to be
fathers. Rises in testosterone also trigger a hormonal pathway that increases sperm
production, making conception more likely. "In short, you're less likely to shoot blanks," says
Pfaus.

There may be more to it than wannabe fathers simply having more sex when their testosterone
is high, adds Pfaus. It is well known that women are more receptive to sex around the time of
ovulation. Previous studies have also shown that women who live together synchronise their
periods - probably through pheromonal cues.

Perhaps, says Pfaus, men who want a baby respond directly to their partner's pheromones
and synchronise their testosterone peaks with the mid point of their partner's cycle, when they
are most likely to conceive.

Hormones and Behavior (vol 42, p 172)

Sam Fields
On top of the Testosterone World
Allrighty then. I've got a new haircut, met a girl from the Internet (she comes
over in the mornings) and I'm working out harder which is increasing my
testosterone levels.

Let me check my list so far of things that will increase my Testosterone levels
...

• Get rid of the flopping belly

• Loose only a pound every week
• Have morning sex (thanks Mary and thank-you chat rooms!)
• Skip the Adkins diet crap
• Stick with tough exercises
• Do 5 rep's per set
• Do 3 sets of each weight lifting movement
• Rest harder than you work out
Let me check that journal...oh yeah here's the rest ...

Make nuts your midnight snack

"Nuts are good for your nuts" my physiology professor told us in school. Studies found that
men who ate diets rich in monounsaturated fat - the kind found in peanuts - had the highest
levels of testosterone. It's not really understood why this happens but some scientists believe
that the monounsaturated fats have a direct effect on the testes. Nuts, olive oil, canola oil and
peanut butter are all good sources. It also explains the high birth rate in the state of Georgia.

Drive home sober

To maintain a healthy count (that's count with an "O") cut yourself off after three drinks. Binge
drinking will kill your testosterone levels. Maybe that's why my frat brothers girlfriends never
got pregnant? The truth is, alcohol affects the endocrine system, causing your testes to stop its
production. That's one reason why drinking often causes you to loose your erection at the
moment of truth - or to start blubbering about your ex-girl like Jimmy Swaggert.

Have a sandwhich in the afternoon

Your body needs a steady and ready supply of calories to make your testosterone so regularly
skipping meals or going for long stretches without eating can cause your levels to plummet.
Maybe that's why Wardens don't feed their prisioners?

Convince her to buy fried tortilla chips

Eat a diet of 30% fat and not much less. Your body needs dietary fat to produce testosterone
so eating like a vegetarian aerobics instructor will diminish you to drastic low levels. This is
bad....unless your actually a vegetarian aerobics instructor. Plus it gives her something to
vacuum up while you watch the game.

Stop surfing for porn until 2 a.m.

Although it's fun trying to close all of the pop-up windows on your favorite porn sites, Sleeping
less than 7-8 hours a night can screw up your body's circadian rhythm. That's why it's no
wonder your testosterone levels are higher in the morning after a good night's sleep. So if your
work or social schedule keeps you stooped over in perpetual jet lag, you will stop craving sex.

Well, that covers all 13 ways to increase your testosterone naturally. It's late and I just closed
my last pop-up window (hey, nobody's perfect) and I gotta get to bed.

Mary's coming in the morning.

Sam Fields

Increasing Free Testosterone

What do trial lawyers, masculine women, violent criminals, hell-raising frat
boys, German soccer fans and battle-hardened Marines have in common?

Close-cropped haircuts right? Wrong.

Actually it's high levels of free testosterone. Jim Dabbs PhD, a social
psychologist at Georgia State University discovered all of the above
groups were frothing with the male hormone testosterone. In fact saliva
tests revealed most of them had testosterone levels 10%-20% above average.
On top of the Testosterone World
Allrighty then. I've got a new haircut, met a girl from the Internet (she comes over in the
mornings) and I'm working out harder which is increasing my testosterone levels.

Let me check my list so far of things that will increase my Testosterone levels ...

• Get rid of the flopping belly

• Loose only a pound every week
• Have morning sex (thanks Mary and thank-you chat rooms!)
• Skip the Adkins diet crap
• Stick with tough exercises
• Do 5 rep's per set
• Do 3 sets of each weight lifting movement
• Rest harder than you work out

Let me check that journal...oh yeah here's the rest ...

Make nuts your midnight snack

"Nuts are good for your nuts" my physiology professor told us in school. Studies found that
men who ate diets rich in monounsaturated fat - the kind found in peanuts - had the highest
levels of testosterone. It's not really understood why this happens but some scientists believe
that the monounsaturated fats have a direct effect on the testes. Nuts, olive oil, canola oil and
peanut butter are all good sources. It also explains the high birth rate in the state of Georgia.

Drive home sober

To maintain a healthy count (that's count with an "O") cut yourself off after three drinks. Binge
drinking will kill your testosterone levels. Maybe that's why my frat brothers girlfriends never
got pregnant? The truth is, alcohol affects the endocrine system, causing your testes to stop its
production. That's one reason why drinking often causes you to loose your erection at the
moment of truth - or to start blubbering about your ex-girl like Jimmy Swaggert.

Have a sandwhich in the afternoon

Your body needs a steady and ready supply of calories to make your testosterone so regularly
skipping meals or going for long stretches without eating can cause your levels to plummet.
Maybe that's why Wardens don't feed their prisioners?

Convince her to buy fried tortilla chips

Eat a diet of 30% fat and not much less. Your body needs dietary fat to produce testosterone
so eating like a vegetarian aerobics instructor will diminish you to drastic low levels. This is
bad....unless your actually a vegetarian aerobics instructor. Plus it gives her something to
vacuum up while you watch the game.

Stop surfing for porn until 2 a.m.

Although it's fun trying to close all of the pop-up windows on your favorite porn sites, Sleeping
less than 7-8 hours a night can screw up your body's circadian rhythm. That's why it's no
wonder your testosterone levels are higher in the morning after a good night's sleep. So if your
work or social schedule keeps you stooped over in perpetual jet lag, you will stop craving sex.

Well, that covers all 13 ways to increase your testosterone naturally. It's late and I just closed
my last pop-up window (hey, nobody's perfect) and I gotta get to bed.

Mary's coming in the morning

Adrian Dobbs, M.D. of Johns Hopkins University stated clearly..."Having a normal testosterone
level is critical for maintaining lean muscle mass, sexual potency and cognitive function". Ken
Goldberg M.D. of the Male Health Center in Dallas states between 8-12 million men have low
or borderline low testosterone levels and 95% of them don't know it.

Now don't think just because your under 30 years of age you're invincible. Research shows
that Men in their late 20's have decreased testosterone levels.

Testosterone levels are at their highest normally during a man’s early twenties and naturally
decline with age, gradually declining to about 20% of their maximum. While you are almost
assured to have diminished testosterone at an advanced age, a number of other factors are
now known to accelerate testosterone loss at early ages. Stress, physical inactivity, excessive
training, illness, smoking, alcohol and the use of both prescription and "recreational" drugs,
can contribute to less than ideal levels of testosterone. All of these things are pervasive in our
society and have contributed to the onset of the low testosterone syndrome.

Damn. I thought I was safe. I guess I better put down my glazed donught, get off the couch
and do some pushups or something...

Until now, the only reliable way to restore normal testosterone has been through prescription
testosterone medications. However, these treatments typically include the use of irritating and
unconcealed patches, painful injections, surgical implants or toxic pills.

But guess what I discovered? Restoring testosterone to a normal level is painless and once
you do, you'll ...

• Increase your muscle mass

• Enhance your ability to burn fat.
• Improve your libido and sexual performance
• Improve your ability to cope with stress.
• Improve your memory, concentration and visual acuity
 • Protect you from heart disease
• Protect your prostate
Testosterone can be increased. I'll tell you how in my next report...I feel like I'd better go jog or
something

Sam Fields

Testosterone Information
Testosterone is the most important representative of the male sex
hormones collectively called androgens. Using cholesterol as a base, the
male gonads (testes) produce between 4 and 10 mg of testosterone per
day. Testosterone itself is responsible for three major functions in
animals.

1) The development of secondary male sex characteristics also called

the androgenic functions of testosterone. Some examples of these
characteristics are increased growth of body hair, beard growth, deep
voice, increased production of sebaceous glands, development of the penis, aggressiveness,
sexual behavior, libido, and the maturation of sperm.

2) Promotion of the protein biosynthesis that are responsible for the highly anabolic
characteristics of testosterone. This is a pretty important function. It accelerates muscle
buildup, increases the formation of red blood cells, speeds up regeneration, and speeds up
recovery time after injuries or illness. It also stimulates the entire metabolism which results in
the burning of bodyfat.

3) Inhibition of the gonad regulating cycle, including the hypothalamohypophysial testicular

axis, which regulates the amount of testosterone produced in the organism. If the testosterone
levels in the blood is high, the testes will signal the hypothalymus to release less LHRH
(leutenizing hormone releasing hormone). Thus the hypophysis releases less gonadotropin LH
(leutenizing hormone) and FSH (folic stimulating hormone). Consequently, the Leydig's cells in
the testes reduces the production of testosterone. In other words, if you have too much
testosterone, your body will tell itself to reduce or even stop production of it until it is back
down to its normal levels.

During puberty, testosterone levels are at their lifetime peak. They begin to decline around the
age of 23. This is where testosterone therapy comes into play. Many men and women suffer
from the lack of important hormones and testosterone replacement therapy is simply the most
effective way to combat the signs of aging.

Jim Shaw

Testosterone Increasers
While looking for answers on how to increase levels of Testosterone, I happen to stumble upon
some of the following recent studies

Soy increases Testosterone

While soy is a powerhouse in the fields of heart health and

cancer fighting, boosting anabolic hormone levels isn't its forte.
In fact, results of a recent report suggest that isoflavones found
in soy, such as genistein may be indiscriminately targeting
valuable testosterone while doing the work of eliminating bad
estrogen.

A Japanese study found that men who ate the greatest amount
of soy products not only had the lowest levels of estrogen, they
also had the lowest levels of testosterone. It seems that too much genistein and other soy
flavones reduces testosterone production byt he testes and increases its desctruction by the
liver. This is not to say you should avoid soy products, which have a number of healthy
benefits. Just don't overdo it on edamame and avoid high-dose supplementation of
isoflavones.

Glutamine increases Testosterone

Another way to increase IGF-1 levels is to take growth hormone shots. However, these trendy
GH injections increase the risk of cancer, carpal tunnel syndrome and high blood pressure. In
fact, GH shots are more expensive per ounce than reactor grade plutonium.

An alternative may be to take 10 to 15 grams of glutamine each day. In a study performed, as

little as 2 grams of glutamine per day was found to produce a significant rise in GH levels
without negative side effects.

Meal cycling increases Testosterone

For years bodybuilders have used cycling eating patterns to great advantage. A popular
method is to cycle calories every 14 days as a way to optimize anabolic homrone levels while
minimizing fat gains. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed the
effects of 21 days of eating more calories than normal.

Insulin, testosterone and IGF-1 levels rose progressively and peaked at day 14. After 14 days,
anabolic hormone levels began to decline. A researcher from Sweden, Torbjorn Akerfeldt
suggests adding a two week "bulking" phase to your eating plan in conjunction with intense
weight training. The best approach to doing a two week "eat big" phase is to take in more
substantial meals more often, emphasizing whole grain products, fruits, nuts, fish and poultry
over Domino's and Krispy Kremes.

Workout fuel

What you eat, or don't eat, before you go to the gym has a big impact on the GH bang you'll
get from your workout.
In a study found in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, scientists found that
eating a fatty meal 10 minutes prior to high intensity cycling blunted the resulting GH surge by
54 percent. However, eating a carb rich meal before (even a zero calorie meal) did not hamper
the GH release at all.

Conclusion: If you like to eat a small meal before your workout and want full anabolic benefit
from GH, keep the fat content low.

Drew Voight

Testosterone deficiencies are becoming more common in younger and younger men. Low
testosterone, once the sole-possesion of older men, now is standing upon the doorstep of the
thirty-something crowd

Midlife Crisis in Men

Welcome to your midlife crisis where men notice that their
former youthful exuberance and ravenous virility are slowly
diminishing when they reach the age of 40 and onwards.

The culprit? It's rather simple .... steadily decreasing levels of the
male hormone testosterone.

This is when males experience hair loss, bone loss, insomnia or

other sleeping problems, and problems with memory and
calculation.

They often feel cranky, fatigued, and less motivated. Or

sometimes these are accompanied by sweating and flushing, loss of muscle mass and
strength, aches and pains, increased fat, decreased performance in the bedroom or erectile
dysfunction, and depression.

Most men who reach midlife will basically experience one or all of these in varying degrees.

Rather similar to the female menopause, this male phenomenon is what is known as
andropause. Also called Partial Androgen Deficiency in the Ageing Male (or PADAM) or Aging
Male Syndrome (AMS), it refers to the natural and gradual decline of testosterone (or the male
hormone) levels starting at the age of 30 and which continue to do so at a staggering rate of 10
percent per decade.

Since testosterone is a hormone that helps maintain sex drive, sperm production, pubic and
body hair, muscle, and bone, the consequences of andropause slowly emerge as a man ages.

This “mid-life crisis” poses a great impact in the quality of most men’s lives. Life is finally taking
its toll on the aging body. Moreover, andropause leads to other long-term and silent effects
such as increased cardiovascular risk and osteoporosis.
But you can opt to battle it out and alleviate or even avoid the symptoms brought about by
andropause. You should have a strategy that incorporates lifestyle approaches such as optimal
diet, regular exercise, stress management, and reduction of tobacco and alcohol intake.

Jim Shaw

Testosterone Cream
Testosterone cream is a form of testosterone hormone replacement therapy that is used to
raise the levels of testosterone in males that are experiencing a deficiency.

When men have a low testosterone level in their body, they generally experience several
different symptoms that can adversely affect their quality of life. These symptoms include:

• Hair loss and premature balding (keeping in mind that this can be
hereditary and not related to a deficiency).
• Problems with the reproductive and sexual organs.
• Weakening bone mass.
• Mood swings, anxiety, and depression.
• Fat deposits that are difficult to get rid of through exercise.
• Impotence.
• Decrease in sex drive.
When the above symptoms occur, a doctor will prescribe testosterone hormone therapy to
increase testosterone levels in the body and to alleviate some of the deficiency symptoms.

Testosterone Cream Side Effects

When testosterone cream is applied, there are some side effects that can occur. In most cases
the side effects are mild; yet they can grow more severe if untreated. These side effects can
include:

• Depression, anxiety, and possible mood disorders.

• Indigestion and other stomach disorders.
• High blood pressure due to fluid retention.
• Headaches and dizziness.
• Prostate problems. (Keep in mind that men who already have prostate
problems won’t be able to use testosterone cream or any other type of
testosterone therapy.)
• Skin irritation where the testosterone cream is applied.
And just in case your the curious type, or if you would simply like to know, here's how to apply
Testosterone cream ..
Drew Voight

Testosterone Cream Application

Testosterone cream is easy to use, easy to apply and very effective against Testosterone
deficiency. More and more doctors are prescribing testosterone cream because there is less
chance of skin irritation then when a testosterone patch or gel is used.

The testosterone cream is applied once every 24 hours and can be

applied to different areas of the body that include the upper arms,
shoulders, thighs, and stomach area.

If irritation occurs the testosterone cream can be applied to other areas

of the body and the location can be rotated to further reduce the
possibility of skin irritation.

Testosterone cream can be used for a continuous eight weeks before a break is needed.

There is a strong demand for research advancements with respect to testosterone creams.
This demand is increased for men with prostate problems, who cannot use testosterone
creams (or gels, or any other kind of topical solution for testosterone deficiency).

As a result of this push for more research, some natural methods have been researched.
Although these natural methods of testosterone therapy aren’t reportedly as fast and effective
as compared to testosterone cream, the preliminary research results are still quite positive

Drew Voight
 Testosterone Deficiency
A testosterone deficiency means that the body is deficient in the
hormone needed for the adequate development of the male
reproductive and sexual organ. This includes the proper development
of the prostate, the penis, the scrotum, the testicles and poor clothing
choices.

Reasons for a testosterone deficiency arise when damage has

occurred to the areas of the body that control the secretion of the
testosterone hormone. In addition, as men age, testosterone levels in
the body start to decline even though Testosterone is produced by
the pituitary gland, the testicles, and the hypothalamus.

When a male has a testosterone deficiency, other areas of health are affected. This includes
the distribution of fat, muscle growth, the concentration of bone mass, and the way the hair
grows. A testosterone deficiency can also affect the way a man feels sexually, and can affect
the amount of energy that he has as well as sex drive.

Testosterone Deficiency Problems

There are three different types of testosterone deficiencies. In some cases, there can be a
testosterone deficiency from birth. This testosterone deficiency is known as a “congenital”
problem. In most cases, however, a testosterone deficiency occurs for other reasons and is
generally classified according to where the problem first occurs. These types of testosterone
deficiency are:

• Primary testosterone deficiency (testicles)

• Secondary testosterone deficiency (pituitary gland)
• Tertiary testosterone deficiency( hypothalamus)
There are many reasons (aside from aging) that can cause testosterone deficiency, including:

• An infection such as the mumps or syphilis.

• Any radiation treatment.
• Trauma or damage to the testicles.
• A course of chemotherapy.
• Trauma or damage to the pituitary gland.
• Trauma or damage to the hypothalamus.
• Any tumor on the testicles, pituitary gland, or hypothalamus.
Continue with Testosterone Deficiency Help ..

Drew Voight

Testosterone Deficiency Help

The solution for a testosterone deficiency is a hormone replacement therapy
known as “testosterone replacement therapy”.

This type of hormone therapy needs to be taken permanently to alleviate the

symptoms of a testosterone deficiency.

A doctor will help to decide which type of hormone therapy will work best.
There are several ways that testosterone replacement can occur and not
each treatment option works for every guy.

• Orally. Oral capsules are taken once a day.

• By injection. Injections are give once every two weeks.
• Implants. Implants are placed in the lower area of the stomach and
need to replaced every six months.
• Testosterone Gels.
• Testosterone Patches. Wearing a patch will give a consistent daily
release of testosterone.
• Testosterone Creams.
New studies show that alternative methods of treatment are available to treat testosterone
deficiency. It’s vital that males choosing alternative forms of testosterone hormone replacement
monitor their condition carefully.

• Diet and exercise. Many times males forget that what they eat and
how much they exercise can have an effect on their entire well being.
Men need to concentrate on their nutrition as much as females do but
this is often overlooked as men reach for high fat foods that are easy
to prepare and eat.
• Reflexology. Reflexology is when certain reflex points on the body are
manipulated. Studies show that when the pituitary gland is stimulated
by reflexology that testosterone levels in males can increase. I know
this sounds bizzare, but recent studies from major Universities are
confirming this fact. They don't know why it happens, they just know it
happens.
 • Acupuncture. I'm no expert but if you don't have a problem with
needles, the reported results on increasing testosterone and reversing
any deficiencies are pretty remarkable.
• Strength training exercises. Utilizing the larger and stronger core body
muscles will automatically kick whatever Testosterone production your
body has into overdrive. Think of strength training as your own non-
prescription steroid enhancer.
Reversing testosterone deficiencies can also be done naturally, as long as the effort is made
and rigorously followed.

Drew Voight

Testosterone Gel
Testosterone gels are a fairly new form of hormone therapy that many
doctors are prescribing to raise the levels of testosterone in men around the
world suffering from testosterone deficiency.

Low levels of testosterone lead to mood swings, hair loss, impotence,

weakening of the bones and a low sex drive.

Testosterone gels provide a steady and constant level of testosterone to the

body via the skin. The testosterone is absorbed into the body over a period
of 24 hours before the next dose is applied.

When using a testosterone gel for low testosterone, there is the possibility that the gel can
come into contact with a partner or with children, so males using a gel may want to choose
body skin that won’t come into direct contact with someone else. Another drawback to using a
testosterone gel is that they are more expensive to use than other types of testosterone
therapies.

Testosterone Gel Application

Testosterone gels are colorless and easy to apply. They are a mixture of water, alcohol, and
the testosterone hormone. Testosterone gel is clear and dries extremely fast. The gel is applied
once every 24 hours and during this time period the testosterone levels in the male body are
regulated and normalized. When a testosterone patch is used there is often some degree of
irritation to the skin that can occur. This possibility of skin rash and itchiness is decreased with
the use of testosterone gels.

The gel can be applied at various locations on the body, such as the shoulders, arms, stomach
area, and thighs and because of its ease of use, and minimal skin irritation, using testosterone
gel is becoming the primary choice for men undergoing testosterone replacement therapy.

Drew Voight
Testosterone Patches
Testosterone patches are available via medical prescription, and
are designed to help men recover from low testosterone levels (a
male hormone that is necessary for the optimal health).

Younger and younger men are learning their symptoms aren't just
from too much studying or too much partying.

When men have a low amount of testosterone they can experience the following symptoms:

• Tiredness - Fatigue
• Depression
• Impotence
• Loss of interest in sex
• Hair loss
• Problems with the male sexual and reproductive organs functioning
properly
Prescribed by a physician, the testosterone patch works by passing a constant and steady
dose of testosterone into the body via the skin. Since testosterone patches deliver an active
male hormone transdermally, their use must be monitored carefully since there are some short
term and long term side effects that must be considered.

Testosterone Patch Use

Testosterone patches are easy to use and to apply. The patches can be applied to different
areas of the body depending on what type of patch they are. A testoderm patch is applied each
day to the skin on the scrotum. This is because the skin on the scrotum is thin which allows for
the easy transfer of testosterone into the body. These types of testosterone patches are worn
at least 22 hours of each day, and the dose can be continued for no more than eight weeks.

Another type of testosterone patch is the androderm patch. These testosterone patches can be
applied to different areas of the body, such as the thighs, back, arms, and stomach. Patches
are left on for a full 24 hours before being replaced with a new one. The area of the body
where these testosterone patches are applied should be alternated at least once every seven
days to avoid skin irritation. The dose of testosterone from the testosterone patches can be
continued for up to eight weeks.

When applying any testosterone patch, it’s important to shave the skin, wash it well, and keep
it dry when applying. As soon as there is any skin irritation, or other side effects, a doctor
should be consulted before continuing treatment.
Drew Voight

Male Menopause
If you think only women experience the uncomfortable symptoms
of menopause, think again.

Experts say erectile dysfunction, tiredness, low sex drive and

even middle-age paunch can be telltale symptoms of male
menopause or andropause.

Four million U.S. men may be affected, according to a study in the

New England Journal of Medicine in January.

"There's probably a lot more than we think," said Dr. Robert Waldbaum, chairman of the
department of urology at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset. "If we had a good test
for the level of active testosterone that works in the body, then we would be able to diagnose a
lot more men and help a lot more people through this aging process."

"Testosterone is the major male hormone," said Dr. Craig Niederberger, chief of the division of
andrology at the University of Illinois in Chicago. "It makes guys virile. We call it an androgen
or an anabolic steroid, meaning one that builds up the body. It gives them muscle mass, libido,
keeps them from becoming depressed, gives them energy and dense bone structure. In a
certain odd sense, it's the male equivalent of estrogen, but it acts opposite. Testosterone
makes the guy a guy. Estrogen makes the woman a woman."

In females, estrogen levels drop rapidly, bringing menopausal symptoms, such as vaginal
dryness, hot flashes and mood swings. In men, menopause is more gradual. Testosterone
levels start to decline around age 30 and drop at a rate of 1 percent per year thereafter, said
Dr. John Morley, an endocrinologist and chairman of the division of geriatric medicine at Saint
Louis University School of Medicine in St. Louis. When testosterone levels drop far enough, it
can cause low sex drive, anemia, depression, and emotional, psychological and behavioral
changes.

"Some men age, and their testosterone levels stay the way they were all along. There are men
whose testosterone is low who can still produce sperm to fertilize women," Waldbaum said.
"It's not the clear definition that female menopause is."

"Many people we see tend to find they don't do as well in sports," Morley said. "Their golf
game is off. They lose height because of osteoporosis. They're not as strong as they were.
They're not thinking well. That's been shown in controlled studies."

Testosterone replacement

Although controversial, testosterone replacement therapy is widely available. It carries the

potential for serious side effects, including infertility and acceleration of tumor growth if
prostate cancer is present. In the past, the only option was weekly or monthly injections. "The
downside was you would have a sudden increase that dropped down precipitously," said Dr.
Bruce Gilbert, a urologist in Great Neck. "You would have highs and lows, and it wouldn't be as
your body would normally produce it."

Now, men find relief in an assortment of gels, creams and testosterone patches that help in
increasing testosterone levels. Some men say the improvement is remarkable. "It's difficult to
capture, but the men who take it say they feel much better, and when they stop taking it, they
feel terrible," Morley said. "Overwhelmingly, it improves your enthusiasm for sex and your sex
life. A number of my patients say their golf game is improved, and that they hit a baseball
better and farther. Others say it's not worth it."

Robert, a 72-year-old male from Nassau County, who doesn't want his last name used, has
been taking testosterone for the past five years. "It keeps me energetic. I take it so I don't sit in
a chair and stare into space. I take it to avoid the feeling of malaise and fatigue."

Doctors believe the effect may be psychological, as well as physiological. According to Dr.
Barry Shepard, a urological surgeon with Winthrop-University Hospital in Mineola, "When a
guy has no sex drive and his erections are poor and we say, 'we found the reason; you have
low testosterone, and we're going to replace it,' after a week they tell me they feel great.
Physiologically, that's impossible, but there is some psychology to this."

Drew Voight

Equi-Bolan
Sometimes spelled as EquiBolon, this muscle-building supplement is also manufactured
by the same company in Colorado that makes DermaGain which you can get here.

While EquiBolan is not the only answer to building muscles, - because there are other products
available in the muscle building market - it has become popular in the gym. Most importantly,
EquiBolan is a legal steroid alternative, and therefore not banned by the US Food and Drug
Administration. Or at least that’s what the marketers are saying.

Perhaps the following scenario applies to you ... He seems the type who graduated from
military training showing discipline in everything he does - including his gym workouts.

He gets up at the crack of down, eats all the protein that he can
lay his hands on and systematically follows the program that
his trainer especially designed for him. He works out 5-6 days
a week, increasing the weights as he rotates muscle groups.
He looks good, his body is toned and is proud of his “buffed”
look ... but there’s just one problem.

He’s been going to the gym for three years, has not once
missed a workout, and has been through several programs
which he and his trainer change every three months, and yet
his muscles are not showing the size he’s been working so
hard to get. The other men in the gym, however, have monstrous pecs, biceps and calves, and
abdominals as firm as rocks, and here he is, feeling tiny and embarrassed about his pea-sized
frame.

Desperate, he approaches one of the muscled guys and asks the question. The other guy
looks at him with pity and is shocked, saying “you mean you still haven’t started EquiBolan?”

Equi-Bolan's Popularity

EquiBolan has been described as a “muscle stacker.” Surely you’ve seen photographs of great
bodybuilding personalities displayed on the shelves. You ever notice how gym regulars love to
look alternately at themselves in the mirror, and then gaze at these photographs with envy?
That’s because when they’re training – competing especially – the muscles of these men look
like they’re “stacked” one after the other. Chances are, they are taking either EquiBolan or a
different anabolic steroid.

On www.anabolic factory.com, EquiBolan has been described as promoting solid muscle gains
and dramatic muscle hardness. It’s even been described as bringing about “titanic vascularity.”
It is recommended that EquiBolan be taken with the Pro Bodybuilding System to obtain gains
of as much as five, eight and up to ten pounds of new fat free muscle in as little as ten days. A
bottle containing 90 capsules retails between $90.00 and $95.00.

Equi-Bolan Dosage

Authorities on fitness recommend that people who take EquiBolan or any other supplement
must stop after a certain number of days. This on and off cycle is advised to give your body a
break. Components of EquiBolan include 5a-treebinol, eurycoma longifolia, and rhodiola. This
last component is claimed to have the capability to increase oxygen intake and blood cell
production.

A look into one message board reveals a comparison between d-bol and EquiBolan. D-bol, for
instance when taken for 14 days suppresses the hypothalamus, whereas EquiBolan does not.
In fact it does not affect your hormone production.

Conclusion

Equi-bolan is a dynamite and effective tool for men looking to improve their physique.

Drew Voight

Dermagain
Here is another topically-applied product that gym fanatics and muscle fans may be
interested in. As one user, P. Ringley, said: “I have never seen anything work so fast and
produce such visible results! DermaGain works!”
Described as a fast acting anabolic gel, DermaGain is promoted as an alternative to
steroids.

We highly recommend for those of you interested in quickly increasing your muscle
mass and physique to check out Dermagain here at a very low cost.

Transdermal application is a key feature of DermaGain. By this is meant that it works its way
into the body through the skin, therefore bypassing the digestive system. This is certainly a
benefit as substances that are digested change in certain ways, thus reducing their
effectiveness. Another benefit is convenience. Some substances taken orally need to be taken
many times a day to sustain their effects, with DermaGain, on the other hand, it requires only
one application daily.

Why Use Dermagain?

Individuals who take their gym workouts very seriously tend to look for supplements to speed
up the growth of their muscles – notably the biceps, pectorals, calves – which DermaGain is
known to be most effective for.

Because of over-training, athletes tend to either burn out or plateau and experience stagnation;
i.e. they’ve reached their optimal level and their muscles do not grow or blast as much. Since
working with heavier and heavier weights tend to take its toll on the body, athletes are looking
to recover from the wear and tear of an intense workout, and maintain their energy levels so
that they can tackle their next workout at the gym.

Dermagain and Lactic Acid

The manufacturer of DermaGain claims that the pumping effect of DermaGain begins as soon
as it is applied on the skin. By the time the user makes it to the gym, the feeling of pumping
muscles is already being felt. Would DermaGain help the bodybuilder do more repetitions, thus
obtaining maximum benefits from his workouts? The answer appears to be yes. One claim is
that DermaGain has a very strong buffer against lactic acid, thus protecting individual muscles
from excessive amounts of lactic acid. It is this buffering quality that makes muscle recovery
faster.

Dermagain a Steroid Alternative?

DermaGain has also been mentioned as an effective steroid alternative. For example, on the
website, www.thesteroidworld.com, DermaGain has been mentioned a few times as a safe
alternative to steroids. To name a few examples of steroids that can be substituted by
DermaGain: anadrol, anadur, anavar, androgel, deca-durabolin, finajet, implus, laurabolin, and
other steroids.

Dermagain Cautions

As with most supplements not officially endorsed by the US Food and Drug Administration,
prudence is in order. In fact web sites who market DermaGain make it clear to researchers that
statements contained on their web site have not been evaluated by the federal government
agency. They further state that DermaGain must be used in conjunction with a nutrition and
exercise program. DermaGain is also not intended to cure or prevent any disease.

Drew Voight

Androstederm
In researching AndrosteDerm, there are common elements that one comes across. In
reading about this product, the words and phrases that recur frequently are: testosterone,
topical application, dietary supplement and gel preparation. Before providing the facts on
AndrosteDerm, some background information is essential.

Let us start with testosterone. It is the most important hormone in a man’s body.
Young and old men alike periodically suffer from decreased energy, diminished
libido and reduced muscular size. All of these are caused by low testosterone
levels.

Low levels of testosterone in turn are caused by stress, over training, obesity
and that dreaded cause of all – aging. This is where AndrosteDerm comes in. The
manufacturer claims that it can continually provide healthy levels of testosterone.

Note that when reading about this preparation, the name AndrosteDerm is the former name of
Andro Sports Crème, and is primarily advertised as being for “those who are interested in
enhancing their energy, mood and sexual vitality.”

Androstederm Formula

Athletes and gym fanatics who train intensely can benefit from using AndrosteDerm, given its
energy-enhancing and restoration qualities. It is a proprietary formula containing the following
substances: Androstene-3, 17 dione, Androstene-3, 17 diol. It is manufactured and marketed
by a company called MedLean, and is not available in stores.

Topical application is another feature. AndrosteDerm is rubbed on the skin as a “percutaneous

gel preparation.” It is unique in that unlike other dietary supplements, it is not taken orally and
therefore bypasses the digestive system.

Androstederm Application

AndrosteDerm is applied lightly on the skin. After a minute or two, the skin absorbs it and after
several days, the testosterone elements are released into the body. AndrosteDerm is said to
support the natural circadian rhythm of the body.

An important word of caution: men who have cancer must refrain from using AndrosteDerm.
Men over 50 years of age who want to use it must have a prostate exam, and men of all ages
using AndrosteDerm must also submit to hormone testing regularly. If using AndrosteDerm,
carefully monitor for potential interactions with other medications as well.
Androstederm Update

Androstederm has been taken off of the market by it's creator Medlean because of the
crackdown by the FDA on prohormone supplements. While Androstederm was a completely
safe, legal and effective testosterone enhancing supplement, because of the steroid abuse
scandals and Andro hype in professional sports, the makers have decided to focus their
interest's in another direction.

Drew Voight

DHEA
We'd like to introduce to you two unlikely bedfellows ... Andropause and DHEA.

It appears the latest research is establishing dhea as a viable treatment option for andropause.

Dhea is a steroid hormone produced in the body.

A lack of DHEA, known as Dehydroepianodrosterone in medical circles, is directly correlated

with impotence in men, also referred to as erectile dysfunction.

Quite simply, the more DHEA there is in your body – the better off you are. It acts as a
replenisher – pumping life into various processes such as lowering cholesterol levels, reducing
fat, and regulating healthy blood pressure. DHEA is synonymous with versatility – it simply
branches out throughout your body serving as a cleaner and a regulator.

The effects of Andropause can be effectively reduced by

using DHEA as a hormonal supplement. Produced in the
adrenal glands, Dehydroepianodrosterone is responsible for
producing chemicals that influence the growth of testosterone
in the body. Used as a dietary supplement, DHEA can do
wonders for you. The enhancement of memory, stamina build
up, and increased levels of libido can restore a man back to
his natural state. It is a great treatment for men with erectile
dysfunction, a common symptom of Andropause as well.

There have been plenty of tests using DHEA and placebos

where libido and erectile function improved significantly in the
men using this hormone than those that didn’t. It has been said that low levels of DHEA is
linked with a speeded up aging process. Before research efforts were placed into discovering
more about this hormone, it was associated with helping in weight loss. Tests done on mice in
laboratories showed that DHEA controlled their levels of obesity. Soon after, it was associated
with a slew of other health benefits.

Bodybuilding enthusiasts should look closely into making DHEA part of their nutritional
supplement regimen. The hormone plays a part in helping grow muscle mass (similar to the
same rate as other over the counter products such as creatine and whey protein), reversing
osteoporosis by building stronger bones and strengthening bone tissue, and regulating sex
hormones in both men and women (estrogen and testosterone.) It works along the same plane
as human growth hormone, another anti-aging drug given to menopause sufferers in particular.

As stated previously, hormones are not synthetic. There are human derived hormones that are
packaged in capsules and pills and sold to the general public to increase the amount of
hormone already present in the body. The production of DHEA in the adrenal glands is highest
during the childhood and teenage years, trailing off later on during mid-life. Men produce more
of this hormone than women, and senior citizens around the age of 65 have the lowest levels
of all.

Combat Andropause by using DHEA as a hormonal supplement. Yes, that’s the wise advice
we’re giving you today. However, as your parents might’ve told you already – too much of a
good thing is a bad thing. If you take too much, your body will stop producing its own natural
amount. An excess of DHEA can skyrocket your levels of testosterone, amplifying your male
features.

Jim Shaw

Testosterone Supplements
Men who take testosterone supplements should be screened regularly for
prostate cancer, according to a report published in The Journal of Urology.

Testosterone is a male hormone produced mainly by the testes. Since it is known to

stimulate the growth of some prostate cancers, effective treatments for prostate cancer include
suppression of testosterone levels by surgical removal of the testes or treatment with
testosterone-lowering drugs. Given this link between testosterone and prostate cancer, there is
interest in understanding whether use of testosterone supplements to treat sexual dysfunction
or for “rejuvenation” increases a man’s risk of prostate cancer. This is a particularly important
question for older men, who are the most likely to receive testosterone supplements and most
likely to have undetected prostate cancer that could be stimulated by testosterone.

To describe the characteristics of prostate cancer in men taking testosterone, researchers

reviewed 20 cases of prostate cancer that developed among men undergoing testosterone
therapy. A majority of these cancers developed during the first two years on testosterone, and
roughly one-third developed in the first year. Prostate cancer was detected by abnormalities in
both prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels and findings on digital-rectal exam (DRE) in 40% of
men, by abnormal DRE alone in 35% of men, and by elevated PSA alone in 25% of men.

Screening for prostate cancer before treatment with testosterone varied across patients. All of
the men who received their testosterone prescription from a urologist were screened for
prostate cancer with PSA and DRE before starting testosterone. Of the men who received their
testosterone prescription from another type of doctor, 75% had a PSA test, but only 25% had a
DRE before starting testosterone.

Based on this review of 20 patients who developed prostate cancer while taking testosterone
supplements, the researchers recommend that PSA testing and DRE be performed frequently
during testosterone treatment. Because this report describes only men who developed
prostate cancer while on testosterone, without providing information about men who did not
develop prostate cancer while on testosterone, it is not possible to draw conclusions from this
study about whether, and by how much, testosterone supplements increase the risk of prostate
cancer.

But given a plausible link between testosterone and prostate cancer, men who take
testosterone supplements may wish to talk with their doctor about their prostate cancer risk
and the recommended frequency of prostate cancer screening. Additional studies are
underway to better understand the link (if any) between testosterone supplementation and risk
of prostate cancer.

Drew Voight

How Low Can You Go?

The symptoms just didn't appear out of nowhere, nor did they
come upon him like a NFL runningback on a draw play.

Poor sleeping. Sweating at night. Mood swings. Loss of libido.

"I knew something was up when my sex drive took an extended

vacation" Bob stated.

"I decided to do some checking on the Internet about my

symptoms and they would always lead me to the same pages and
conclusions.

Menopause? I can't have menopause!

I just couldn't figure it out and actually it was my suggestion when I saw my doctor. She wasn't
even considering the possibility of low testosterone. It turns out, I knew more about the subject
than she did."

Testosterone Facts

The American Urological Association states that 1 in 10 men between the ages of 40 and 60,
while 2 in 10 men over the age of 60 have low testosterone levels, which is medically referred
to as Androgen Deficiency in the Aging Male.
Generally, the only time physicians begin to think "low testosterone" is when men begin to
complain of low sex drive or sexual desires. With some men however, their testosterone levels
are so low that depression and loss of life interest take place.

Testosterone is the most important sex hormone in the male body. It is responsible for physical
changes during puberty, such as facial hair, a deep voice and muscle mass. Throughout
adulthood, testosterone helps maintain sex drive and keep a man’s muscles and bones
healthy. Some men, however, some do not produce enough of this hormone, resulting in low
testosterone. And this can affect men of any age.

Men who are obese, have hypertension or are diabetic are twice as likely to have low
testosterone. Genetic abnormalities, as well as problems in the testes, hypothalamus or
pituitary gland, can also cause testosterone deficiency.

Testosterone levels also slowly decline as men age. Levels drop by about 10 percent every
decade starting at age 30. In some older men, whose levels drop below the normal range, this
may be accompanied by various physical symptoms.

Some signs to watch for include low sex drive, erectile dysfunction, reduced muscle mass and
strength, decreased bone density, difficulty concentrating, depression and unusual fatigue.

Testosterone Replacement Methods

Low testosterone is typically treated with testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) to increase
testosterone levels to the normal range.

There are also several FDA-approved therapies available, such as:

GELS — Testosterone replacement gels are applied once daily to the upper arms, shoulders
and/or abdomen. The gel dries quickly and is absorbed by the skin, releasing testosterone into
the bloodstream.
PATCHES — Testosterone replacement patches are worn for 24 hours and changed daily. The
patch is applied to the upper arms, thighs or torso.
INJECTION — Testosterone injections are either self-administered or given by a doctor at
regular intervals. Testosterone levels peak about three days after the injection and slowly
decline over time.

The benefits of these therapies include enhancement of energy level and mood, increased
lean body mass and muscle strength, decreased body fat, improvement of sex drive and
erectile function, and increased bone mineral density, which can reduce fracture risk.

However, there are possible side effects, including sleep disturbances — called “sleep apnea”
in men who are overweight or who have lung disease — increased red blood cell count and an
increase in prostate size. Men who are on testosterone replacement therapy are checked twice
a year for prostate cancer.

Bob of Detroit said the testosterone cream gave him immediate results.
“I felt I was 18 for about two weeks,” he said. “My libido has returned and my energy level
came back. I bet there are a lot of guys out there who have no clue this might be happening to
them. Very much like women, men go through a hormonal change. It happens.”

Drew Voight

Low Testosterone Symptoms

Low testosterone symptoms are usually mistaken for the naturally
occurring aging process.

When a man hits thirty and gains a little weight around the middle, he may
think it’s just because he doesn’t move around as much.

But certain low testosterone symptoms can raise a red flag to let your body know that you don’t
have to sit back and watch your energy drain rapidly and your muscles weaken more each
day.

The low testosterone symptoms that generally make the headlines are loss of libido and hair
loss for men. Bodybuilders aren’t even as concerned about their testosterone levels because
they aren’t really experiencing low testosterone symptoms – they just know that extra
testosterone can boost their physical strength and athletic abilities.

Both patients and the doctors treating them often overlook some low testosterone symptoms
entirely!

Low Testosterone Cycle

Think getting older has just made you more cynical and highly irritable or
grumpy? It could be that your bad mood is one of the low testosterone
symptoms that people mistake for an outlook on life.

Low testosterone symptoms are like a vicious cycle because a loss of

testosterone can result in serious mood swings and depression. However,
stress in the workplace or at home can actually result in low testosterone symptoms as your
normal range of the hormone gradually drops off.

Have you laughed about an older gentleman you know shrinking right before your very eyes?
People may joke about it, but one of the many low testosterone symptoms you may notice is a
loss of height.

Is every meal having the same effect on you as a huge Thanksgiving turkey feast? Getting
sleepy right after meals is one of the low testosterone symptoms you have to watch
out for so that you can help medical help when necessary.

Has your boss pulled you aside to reprimand you on the quality of work you’re
producing these days?
One of the low testosterone symptoms is poor performance mentally as well as physically.
People whose levels of this hormone have dropped off significantly have trouble concentrating.

Even young men occasionally experience low testosterone symptoms. When a young man’s
voice fails to deepen, as usually happens when a young man reaches puberty, it could be that
he’s lacking normal amounts of the hormone.

Low testosterone symptoms should never be ignored or brushed off as simple aging side
effects. When help is available, isn’t it better to seek out treatment than to sit and suffer in
silence?

Drew Voight

Male Hormone Replacement Therapy

For years, doctors have focused on woman’s needs and studied
the various ways they can develop female-specific, and not
male hormone replacement therapy. But now male hormone
replacement therapy is taking a front seat – and the news is
looking positive for men.

Male hormone replacement therapy, also known as TRT

( testosterone replacement therapy) is a man’s answer to male
menopause. Didn’t think men suffered from menopause? Think
again – it’s just under the name andropause! Andropause is a
change in the male hormone balance.

We're All the Same

Just like women, men’s bodies were getting hit by osteoporosis, mood swings, hot flashes at
night, loss of libido, and decreased energy and strength – sure signs that male hormone
replacement therapy was not only interesting, but necessary.

Many men and women make the mistake of thinking the symptoms they’re having – joint pain,
loss of energy, etc., are just normal aging conditions. But male hormone replacement therapy
can bring a halt to those symptoms and restore an older person’s life to how it used to be.

Before undergoing male hormone replacement therapy, your doctor will most likely want you to
undergo repeated tests to see what your normal levels of testosterone are. After testing, the
male hormone replacement therapy will usually begin right away – in the form of pills, pellets,
implants, gel, or injections.

Although many men do not want to seek out professional help for their symptoms, those who
have received male hormone replacement therapy tout its benefits and are glad they have an
answer to why their bodies were deteriorating so quickly – sometimes at the age of fifty. Male
hormone replacement therapy can help a man with 70-year old levels of testosterone return to
levels that are within normal range for his true age.

As more men discover what male hormone replacement therapy can do for them researchers
are working hard to make advancements in the field and provide maximum benefits with
minimal side effects. It’s important when you undergo male hormone replacement therapy that
you allow your doctor to continually test your testosterone levels so that you stay within normal
limits.

Some people are using male hormone replacement therapy in an immoral way. It is rumored
that young men in competitive industries such as stocks, are abusing testosterone in order to
make them more aggressive and cutthroat. But on average, male hormone replacement
therapy is being used for the betterment of society – helping men restore the vitality of their
life.

Drew Voight

Testosterone Enhancers
Testosterone enhancers are often confusing to beginner bodybuilders or those who just
want to waste no time getting lean and adding plenty of muscle.

Testosterone is probably the most vital hormone coursing through a mans body. Not only is it
important for strength as well as overall fitness ... it's also important for sexual ability, male
characteristics and normal brain function.

When testosterone levels are reduced ... a myriad of syndromes and problems can pop-up in
mens lives.

You might hear terms thrown around such as stacking, cycles, and post-cycle therapy when
discussions of testosterone enhancers and bodybuilding supplements take place and not know
how to safely build your own program.

Cycling

The first thing you need to know is how to determine the best cycle for
your testosterone enhancers ... and no, we're not talking about
something with two wheels.

A cycle is the length of time you take the drug along with the dosage of
the testosterone enhancers you’re taking, and you must be careful which
chemicals you mix together because some may be virtual duplicates or
increase the occurrence of negative side effects.

Most bodybuilders create cycles of two, four, six, or eight-week cycles for
testosterone enhancers. There’s a delicate balance of making sure that
you get the maximum benefits from taking testosterone enhancers while
minimizing the risk that you’ll suffer from negative side effects, so you may want to start off
right in the middle with a four or six week regimen.

Stacking testosterone enhancers is when you add more than one drug to your cycle. Some
testosterone enhancers complement one another. For instance, one chemical might be the
testosterone booster itself, and the other an anti-estrogen drug to prevent the testosterone
from morphing into the female hormone.

The most commonly stacked testosterone enhancers are 4AD – and they are typically
combined with Nordiol, 1AD, and 1-test. Before deciding on which testosterone enhancers you
want to stack with which, make sure you learn the benefits and drawbacks of each one.

After a set amount of time taking the testosterone prohormone enhancers, your cycle will end
and you’ll need to begin post-cycle therapy. The purpose of beginning a post-cycle routine is to
increase the effects of your testosterone enhancers and reduce the possibility of any presence
of estrogen hormones.

Post-cycle therapy will start the day after you stop taking your testosterone enhancers. There
are also other ways you can come down off of your cycle. Flax oil and cutting down on your
workouts are also things you can employ in your post-cycle regimen from taking testosterone
enhancers.

Before beginning any testosterone enhancers, you should check to see what the
recommended dose is. Many bodybuilders use many more times the recommended dose of
testosterone enhancers, but if you’re just starting out, it’s best to stick to the low end and wait
to see how your body is going to react.

Drew Voight

Testosterone Treatment
Because testosterone is such an important hormone in the body,
controlling the sexual and reproductive functions, testosterone
treatment is becoming a popular way to boost the libido and sexual
health of aging men.

Testosterone treatment ranges from altering your diet and adding more
testosterone-friendly foods to obtaining prescription-dose quality testosterone to return levels
back to their normal state. However, testosterone treatment isn’t always universal in how it
affects patients.

Testosterone Treatment Side-Effects

Some testosterone treatment results in severe negative side effects. Some injected forms, for
instance, can cause pain so severe at the injection site that it makes it difficult to walk. Other
testosterone treatments have milder side effects, such as headaches, water retention, and a
low sperm count.
It will be up to you to decide which route you want to go when you choose a testosterone
treatment plan. If you go it alone, make sure you conduct a lot of research on different
methods of implementing a safe testosterone treatment plan. A doctor can monitor and alter
your testosterone treatment if you do it under his care.

Testosterone treatment, also known as testosterone therapy, is available for both men and
women. Some women benefit from testosterone treatment because it helps them halt the
process of osteoporosis, a bone density disease that can mean higher incidence of fractions –
especially in aging adults.

Men generally turn to testosterone treatments once they notice the signs of a deficiency of the
hormone. After noticing a steady hair loss, finally realizing that they can’t lift as much as they
once did, or discover they have trouble getting an erection, they will seek out testosterone
treatments either on their own or with the help of their physician.

It’s smart to see a doctor before you begin any type of testosterone treatment program on your
own. Sometimes, the deficiency of testosterone can signal a more serious disease, such as
diabetes.

For men who have been diagnosed with cancer of the prostate, testosterone treatment may be
out of the question. That’s because testosterone treatment can sometimes contribute to the
growth of a tumor already in existence.

Treatment Forms

You’ll also want to look into the various forms of testosterone treatment. Some plans, such as
using a topical testosterone gel, can have fewer side effects than an injected or implanted form
of testosterone treatment. You may want to see how your body reacts to a lighter form before
undergoing a more serious testosterone treatment plan.

Jim Shaw

Natural Testosterone Supplement

During the normal aging process, many men have discovered that they
have a small amount of testosterone coupled with a high level of
estrogen.

Absent of any severe medical condition, you can treat this by purchasing
a natural testosterone supplement designed to boost your levels back
to their normal state.

For men who have noticed signs of low testosterone symptoms, such as
loss of libido or impotence, mood swings, and decreased strength, a
natural testosterone supplement can provide relief without the risk of an
anabolic steroid.
When administered, a natural testosterone supplement can halt the naturally occurring
testosterone from being transformed into estrogen.

'Stop Being A Girly Man'

Excess estrogen interferes with a man’s ability to boost or retain his own testosterone, which is
why a natural testosterone supplement is helpful in overriding the effect of estrogen creation in
aging men. It results in weakness and other side effects if the man goes without treatment for
too long.

A natural testosterone supplement costs much less than prescription testosterone, and the
risks are minimal compared to the injected steroid version. In addition to taking a natural
testosterone supplement, men may want to consider using an anti-estrogen drug to reduce the
presence of that hormone even more and allow higher levels of testosterone to exist.

Aging women suffer from a decrease in estrogen, and in some cases, where patients did not
take a natural testosterone supplement, levels of estrogen in the men were higher than the
women in the same age group of people over the age of fifty.

Symptoms and signs may indicate to you that you need to begin taking a natural testosterone
supplement. But you may also want to enlist the help of your doctor and see exactly what your
levels are before you start taking any drug, including any natural testosterone supplement
that’s sold over-the-counter.

Nature's Muscle

Herbal extracts are one way to ingest a natural testosterone supplement. Chrysin is a plant-
based bioflavonoid that can help reduce the production of estrogen and boost testosterone
levels. There are many natural testosterone supplements that can stop the aromatization of
testosterone to estrogen in a man’s body.

To enhance their effect, sometimes you have to add another supplement such as pepper
extract called piperine, to a natural testosterone supplement in order to get it into the
bloodstream so that it can do its job more effectively.

Drew Voight

Depo Testosterone
There are many reasons people take depo testosterone – ranging
from specific medical conditions to building mass for bodybuilding goals.

Like other androgens, depo testosterone replaces testosterone in men who

need the drug for personal or health-related reasons.

For men who have undergone castration or suffer impotence or erectile malfunction, depo
testosterone can alleviate the problem and raise the otherwise low testosterone levels. Women
can also benefit from taking depo testosterone if they are being treated for osteoporosis
because it helps stimulate growth in the bones.

For men, the dosage of depo testosterone ranges from 100 to 400 mg every three to ten
weeks, depending on the treatment. Women take depo testosterone at higher levels – from
200 to 400 mg every three to four weeks if it’s being used to increase bone density.

Depo Side-Effects

Depo testosterone is generally injected into the buttocks and comes in 100 mg vials. It can
also cause side effects in both genders. For men, depo testosterone may result in breast
growth, extremely firm erections that can sometimes be painful, low sperm count, and the urge
to urinate.

Make sure when using depo testosterone that you’re already healthy, if it’s for building mass.
This medication can increase the calcium in your blood, so you need to be able to exercise
because bedridden people may not handle the increased calcium levels depo testosterone
often causes.

When you begin taking it, try to cut down on your salt intake. Your goal in taking depo
testosterone is to build body mass – but not through fluid retention. Depo testosterone makes
you retain water just like salt, and this can affect your liver if you don't use caution.

If you’re mixing medications, make sure your doctor knows that you’re on depo testosterone.
It can interact in a negative way with some drugs. Just because a medication may react to
depo testosterone doesn’t mean you’ll have to stop taking it completely – your doctor may
just want you to take a different dose or he can prescribe a new drug that will not be affected
by your intake of depo testosterone.

Depending on the reason why you need it, depo testosterone may be covered by your
insurance company. If it’s for medical reasons, then it’s most likely covered if you have a
prescription benefit plan. But bodybuilders using depo testosterone will have to cover the cost
themselves.

Drew Voight

Prescription Testosterone
There’s been a high demand recently for prescription
testosterone among middle-aged men who want to restore
their body to a natural level of testosterone.

Doctors are now weighing their options on whether or not to

offer prescription testosterone.

Some physician, try to get their patients to opt for more natural
testosterone supplement rather than use a prescription
testosterone. But many men are saying they want immediate results for conditions such as
impotence – that only prescription testosterone can provide.

Reasons for Prescription Testosterone

Prescription testosterone comes in many forms – oral, injected, patches, implants, and gel.
Both older men and women are flocking to doctor’s offices to try to get their hands on some
prescription testosterone to restore their sexual drive and enjoy life

Some do it for vanity reasons – hair loss, loss of libido.

But some want a prescription testosterone because it will alleviate more drastic symptoms,
such as osteoporosis. In 2002, more than 800,000 patients were given a prescription
testosterone – and that number is expected to rise over the years as research touts the
benefits of testosterone.

For men with hypogonadism, a condition where the body doesn’t make enough testosterone,
getting prescription testosterone may be easier now that the FDA has approved therapy for it.

Doctors are concerned that giving prescription testosterone may result in the same backlash
that accompanied hormone replacement therapy for women. But will a prescription
testosterone have the same ill effects on men as hormone replacement therapy had on
women?

Studies are being conducted to find out, but there is a risk that increasing testosterone levels
for a prolonged amount of time may increase prostate cancer. By avoiding taking a prescription
testosterone, and maybe opting for natural supplements, men may be able to avoid the risk
altogether. The decision will need to be made on a case-by-case instance.

Naturally Deceived

Many supplements will claim to have the same formula as a prescription testosterone, so do
your homework carefully before you invest your money. While over-the-counter supplements
may not pack the same punch as a prescription testosterone, they can still provide many
benefits similar to the one your doctor can prescribe.

If your doctor does agree to give you a prescription testosterone, make sure you have him
monitor and regulate your intake regularly. You may find that the side effects of taking a
prescription testosterone are too negative and you wish to transition to a supplement instead.

Drew Voight