GETTING HORMONES
A Few Good Men
By Michael Vidor
Illustration by Allison Jantos
January/February 2006

"I'll have the permarin in a blanket and
he'll have the testostaroni, al dente."

Who are you… who, who... who, who?"
– Who Are You? [The Who]

Over the decades, if we had a nickel for every ignorant male reference made about women and their hormones, we could probably put a dent in the current federal budget deficit. For example, since we’ve conveniently resigned ourselves to PMS being nature’s, unavoidable curse, I mean, course, we have resorted to rationalizing, trivializing, distorting, and ignoring the facts – and thus have rendered females the scapegoats for something they unequivocally share with us males. Essentially, men are just as likely to act like a female dog, er… perhaps worse. Boys, welcome to Irritable Male Syndrome, a common condition that occurs when male hormone levels drop.

Although the jury is still out on the absolute scientific data, the medical community is finally starting to recognize, and men are beginning to admit to, hormonal symptoms caused largely by aging, life choices, and the debilitating effects of a poisoned environment. And to make matters more complicated, if the FDA is any indication of medical expedience and objectivity in concentrated wellness, it may take a while to get to the cure. The accuracy (or lack thereof) in the general media is of little use. We are already reeling over the convoluted and hackneyed revelation that athletes use chemistry to their advantage – which is actually old news if you know the history of steroids, or any other substance, for that matter. No one in their right mind would advocate the use of steroids. The fact is, they are derived from testosterone – only tweaked to become anabolic (bodybuilding effect) rather than androgenic (masculinizing effect). However, the obvious key to understanding this issue and the others related to health, performance, and longevity is to cut through the propaganda and discern between fact and fiction – truth and myth.

The bad news: don’t expect the details on the nightly news anytime soon. But the good news is that accurate information is available. Undeniably, men want to be and remain virile and vital for as long as we live. According to a compelling new book, written and published by a renowned Central Coast physician, we can. The sexual playing field is level, and therapy is available for those who trip out from hormone imbalance and deficiency at any age. Wahoo.

According to Monterey physician Dr. Abraham Kryger (on whose research this article is founded and based), nothing in the universe exceeds the power of our hormones. From the instant we were conceived, they have been driving our bodies and influencing our every thought. Without hormones we would never feel a longing for sex or a thousand other desires, and life as we know it could not exist. He says that, “as difficult as it may be to accept, emotions and sexual behavior are mostly due to the circulation of specific hormones, and not a direct result of our wishes and desires.” Now that is a revelation we need ponder.

Listen to Your Hormones: A Doctor’s Guide to Sex, Love and Long Life written by Kryger, is about male hormones and an affecting professional illustration as to why we may or may not have control of our lives, much less our sex lives. This insightful, accessible, sometimes complex book is well worth the effort for anyone – particularly guys (and the women who live with them) who are interested in why they don’t feel, act or think normally … perhaps never did. This medical health alternative, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is for men who lack passion and libido, energy and assertiveness, are depressed and have low self esteem, have had inexplicable weight gain, drug and/or alcohol problems, achy, creaky joints, loss of sleep and memory – are cranky and hard to live with and lack any evidence of the personal redeeming qualities for which they were once known and loved. In other words, ‘his mojo ain’t workin.’

Since the symptoms affect virtually the entire male population at any given moment, I was extremely curious about what other secret relationships are contained in which hormones as conveyed by Dr. Kryger, and why as a society we haven’t talked about it. So I decided to take the plunges in the initial blood screening – to determine whether or not I am man enough or should dare proceed with the truth. Somewhere in my mind a voice kept playing: “You can’t handle the truth!” But I needed to know the word in scientific and intelligent terms and within proper professional care rather than going to the internet or some quack.

Upon meeting Abraham Kryger – a brilliant and delightful man living and practicing in Carmel Valley – and having had merely a good cursory read of his work, I was struck by his vigor and enthusiasm. His grasp of the subject matter was insightful and candid, so I knew I was going to get the straight poop whether I wanted it or not. Regardless any individual hormone profile, whether we have no symptoms or sudden urges to squat to pee, this whole enchilada definitely comes down to testosterone (Kryger calls it The Big T) and its “potentially huge impact on male characteristics from stem to stern.” I wasn’t too worried, so I read the book.

THE TRUTH
Both sexes use testosterone, but males manufacture 10 times as much. It is the most misunderstood hormone even though it is the household word associated with male virility and muscular power, and the single most powerful reason why we are not created equal. Although the use of testosterone as a supplement has been around for ages, in the 1960s it was discovered by athletes as a way to gain a competitive edge. The athletic use of testosterone became abusive leading to prohibition in 1969, thus creating myths around the effects of The Big T.

One of the more insidious of myths is the assumption that losing the ability to perform sexually is part of the normal aging process. According to Dr. Kryger, it is not normal to stop having sex after age 55 or lose interest in sex during your later years.

The fact is, according to Dr. Andre Guay, a colleague of Kryger’s and professor of endocrinology at Harvard University Medical School, even a ninety-year-old man should be able to have sex twice a week: “We should be able to do it until we die.” Yeah baby!

And if the truth be known, without normal levels of testosterone, erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs don’t necessarily work, which negates the idea that there is a magic bullet for everyone regardless of age and what condition their condition is in. It is also a mistruth, and a dangerous one, according to Dr. Kryger, to believe that losing energy and muscle mass, and getting fat are normal. “Too many developments in sexual medicine are occurring to justify a pessimistic view of the future,” he says. “The idea that testosterone deficiencies are due to the uncontrollable effects of aging is simply wrong.”

REALITY CHECK
One out of ten men over forty has hypogonadism, or below-normal Big T levels, but medical records show that this condition is rarely the diagnosis; because hormone levels are so complex, the condition is often overlooked. Furthermore, according to the doctor, though testosterone has been proven to be a safe and beneficial hormone, many doctors insist that using it as a supplement leads to increased aggression, prostate cancer, heart disease, and hair loss – apparently all myths. This misinformation alone could effectively and unfairly preclude me from considering therapy and having a chance at revitalization. What’s more, recent studies confirm that testosterone even helps to prevent Alzheimer’s disease – so we are talking about a debilitating condition that crosses all demographic lines and transcends age factors. Most men don’t even know they are hormonally deficient until they get tested, and the majority of us don’t. Yet the consequences of hormone imbalance are dramatic. Mid-life crisis, (andropause) alone affects the lives of over 40 million people in the U.S. Testosterone does not stand alone, however. Hormones harmoniously working together create a far greater complex interaction.

As Dr. Kryger explains, hormones are tiny molecules manufactured within your body according to strict codes set by your genes. Your body is host to eight miniature hormone-producing glands, each a part of the endocrine system and located in strategic positions – the pituitary and the pineal in the brain, the thyroid in the throat, thymus in the upper chest, adrenals and pancreas near the kidneys, the ovaries in the female, and the testes in the male. In amounts as little as a thousandth, a millionth, or trillionth of a gram, hormones travel at lightning speed in your blood to reach the right cells. Hormones turn genes off and on, working like power switches, to start the process that makes specific cellular proteins. A short list of the hormones in which we should be interested includes melatonin, testosterone, estrogen, progesterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). For the sake of understanding the basics of this vital process, another class of substances known as neurohormones is responsible for the signaling, transmitting, and switching. Add powerful DNA molecules and you have the essential components of life’s cycle.

Not to lull anyone to sleep at this point, but circadian rhythms deeply embedded in our system provide 24-hour hormonal cycles based on light-dark sequences, so it makes perfect sense that we naturally prefer to sleep in the dark and operate in the light. The disruption of the normal and ingrained cycle of day and night ultimately means imbalance to your hormones. Consequently, our mojo is a delicate balance under normal circumstances and subject to the raw power of light as well. Testosterone levels are higher in the morning than at night, which is why we can be more randy in the waking hours.

It doesn’t take a brilliant deduction to realize that we need to maintain healthy levels of the Big T, “the misunderstood hormone.” For instance, it’s also erroneous to assume that high levels of “T” motivate risky behavior, unless someone like me is trying to explain hormones to you. In reality, men with low testosterone tend to show the risky behavior.

Kryger makes a clear case: “Make no mistake, testosterone is the most important male hormone responsible for the development of male sexuality and manliness. It speeds recovery from injury and builds muscles. Men with high testosterone levels are often successful and highly motivated while those with low levels are far more likely to be moody and insecure, and tend to compensate by seeking physical and emotional excitement like skydiving and multiple partners.”

So there you have it, all you manly men. The lack of sufficient critical levels of hormones like testosterone causes a plunge in vitality on a broad physical and mental continuum, from sluggishness to erectile dysfunction. But how do hormone deficiencies cause symptoms? Simply stated, any disruption of your circadian rhythms and the subsequent hormone imbalance, particularly “The Big T,” will cause symptoms like depression. Imbalance is also precipitated by light deprivation, stress, poor diet, lack of sleep, drug abuse, and potent toxins in the environment like dioxin and DDT. Unrecognized and untreated, testosterone deficiencies cause untold physical and emotional problems for millions of men and women. Now we’re starting to get it, but what are we to expect if we choose to participate in the process of determining whether or not we will remain men for the foreseeable future?

DIAGNOSING TESTOSTERONE DEFICIENCY
Get the facts. This book is a good first step, and it has a huge bibliography. Don’t peruse the Internet looking for a quick cure; there isn’t one. HRT is known to be gradual and subtle, requiring patience – which, ironically, one doesn’t have when hormonal. Examine yourself and what you may be doing to exacerbate the problem. Cut your toxic load. Discuss perceived symptoms honestly with your better half so you are prepared to discuss them candidly and openly with your doctor. Choose the right doctor, one who is inclined to know the facts rather than spout the corporate line. When you have ultimately chosen to pursue the test, you are halfway there.

When and if you decide to take the therapy, there are optional and acceptable methods of administration like injections, patches, and gels. However, the latest legitimate therapy for men is called TestoCreme®. No one in their right mind would ever recommend the plethora of other faux remedies on the Internet. Dr. Kryger says that many primary-care doctors are too busy to do all hormone tests. The one thing you don’t want is incomplete or inaccurate test results. Accurate testing and appropriate therapies can restore normal function in the majority of men and women with hormone deficiencies. All that is required is to take the time to stop and listen to your hormones.

Whether or not one chooses to do anything about potential hormone deficiency, it’s a man’s choice and perhaps something over which one must tread lightly rather than suggest he has Irritable Male Syndrome. However, as they say, “paybacks are a bitch.” Can you say IMS? In all seriousness, every man deserves to know whether there is enough wood in the fire.



Dr. Abraham Kryger is renowned in the medical community for his extensive training and over twenty-five years of experience in conventional, holistic and complementary medicine. He is a frequent source of expert commentary in the USAToday.com column, Spotlight on Health. Dr. Kryger can be reached on the web at www.wellnessmd.com.

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