Tag Archives: Androgen

Dangers of Testosterone Treatment for Men Without Estrogen

September 2, 2014

Testosterone Treatment for Men without Estrogen Blockade Is Dangerous

Testosterone Treatment for MenHormones are the body’s messengers that are made by the Endocrine glands and they flow through the bloodstream to the organs and tissues. The hormones affect bodily functions and so are important in the entire human body. Our bodies function well when hormonal balance is achieved, the entire body becomes healthier and you can be cancer free as well as enjoy a life free from other diseases that are caused by hormonal imbalance. However the body may experience hormonal fluctuations naturally. This is because as we grow some hormones become more dominant. So hormonal fluctuation naturally happen during certain stages in life like puberty, pregnancy and menopause in women. In men also the levels of hormones fluctuate naturally with age which is quite normal.

Androgen which are the male sex hormones are responsible for many functions especially testosterone which is the major male hormone. One of the greatest functions of this hormone is its sexual functions. When it is available in low levels then the person should go for testosterone treatment in order to function well sexually among other benefits associated with optimum levels of testosterone hormones in the body of a man.

Natural fluctuations in hormones may not be so dangerous to our health but when hormonal imbalance is caused by environmental factors such as toxins in the air we breathe or in the foods we eat, our lifestyle begin to beckon cancer. So it is wise to prevent the causes of hormonal imbalance that are within our control so as to be free from cancer and other diseases associated with hormonal imbalance.

Many researchers have linked hormonal imbalance to cancers. Prostate cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, uterine cancer and cancer of the ovary are attributed to the dominance of estrogen hormone. This hormone is present in our environment. It is found in our foods especially in commercial poultry, household plastics may contain estrogen compounds as well as the pesticides we use in our crops. The dominance of estrogen hormones has left us at risk of cancer.

Testosterone therapy

Testosterone replacement therapy involves supplementation of testosterone inform of injections, pellets, patches or gel in order to treat conditions in which the testes do not produce enough testosterone. It is also available in IV forms. Just like the estrogen replacement therapy in women, this ought to be done by an expert as the dosage is important for better results and to mitigate on the side effects. This therefore cannot be done without the help of an expert. This therapy has been found to be effective in fighting hypogonadism. It is also good in improves energy levels, perfect body mass, sex functions and muscle strength among other benefits.

Testosterone therapy has very many benefits to the body but if it is done without blocking estrogen it may lead to estrogen dominance in the males which increases cancer risk.

Testosterone Treatment for MenEstrogen dominance– cancer has been linked to estrogen dominance in the body. In a case where estrogen is excessively higher than the testosterone hormones in the body the hormonal environment in the body becomes conducive for the growth of cancer cells. Just like Estrogen hormones dominance in women is known to cause breast cancer it also puts men at high risk of prostate cancer and other types of cancer.

An imbalance between the testosterone and estrogen hormones is a major cause of cancer. The level of testosterone is always lowered during old age as the production of this hormone becomes slowed. When production of this hormone is reduced, the body will have high estrogen hormones hence exposing men to cancer. Though not known to many, men also have estrogen in their bodies but not as much as women. A key approach to cancer prevention is in ensuring a balance between the estrogen and testosterone hormone is achieved.

Artificial hormone xenoestrogen adds the estrogen activities in our bodies. We get this hormone in commercial dairy products that are from animals injected with growth hormones and it acts as estrogen in our bodies. It is also available in pesticides used to spray crops and unfortunately they end up in our bodies. When introduced in the body they inhabit fatty tissues like the breast tissues and hence favor growth of cancerous cells in the breast. This hormone is more poisonous than natural ‘estrogen dominance’ and it also poisons the DNA, unfortunately xenoestrogen cannot be easily removed from the body.

Using estrogen Blockers to reduce cancer risk in men

In men the levels of estrogen should be low as they do not have many functions as in the women. Generally they are low but it is good to note that estrogen is a byproduct of testosterone conversion in men therefore increasing the levels of testosterone in the body without blocking estrogen can lead to higher than recommended levels of hormones in the body. When estrogens are higher than normal it indicates that the testosterone levels are lower than required. At this point it is advisable to use estrogen blockers even as you are undergoing testosterone replacement therapy to lower the levels of estrogen hormones that is already high failure to which there will be estrogen dominance in you and this is known to beckon cancer.

Aromatase inhibitors can be used since aromatase is the enzymes that convert testosterone to estrogen hormone and this will lead to rise in estrogen hormone levels in men. When this hormone is blocked then the testosterone levels will increase as estrogen levels decrease and this will help in avoiding estrogen dominance.

Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an experienced doctor that has helped many cancer patients in their fight against the disease. She has also helped many people regain their sex appetite and add more fun their sexual life. She founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center which is home to many people seeking health breakthrough. Call on her now and learn more on how to enhance your sexual health.

Testosterone Treatment for Men without Estrogen Blockade Is Dangerous

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What Does Androgens Play in Men?

August 31, 2014

Role of Androgen in Men

androgens in menFor a man to be sexually activity and be able to perform well during sexual intercourse there must be the actions of some hormones. These hormones do a lot in enabling a man to perform better during sexual intercourse. Without these hormones it becomes hard for sex to be enjoyable. In some cases absence of these hormones can lead to erectile dysfunction. Erectile dysfunction has continued to be a worry in the lives of many men and just enough cases has been attributed to deficiency of the androgen in men.

Androgens are a group of sex hormones that are responsible for giving men their male characteristics. And hormones are chemical messengers. They communicate with tissues in the body to bring about many different changes.  They are very crucial for male sexual and reproductive function. They are also responsible for the development of secondary sexual characteristics in men, including facial and body hair growth, and bone and muscle development. Without sufficient androgens in the body of a man his may fail to achieve some of the masculine characteristics such as deep voice, broad chest and even the masculine physique. This therefore shows that that these hormones play a big role even in shaping the outward appearance of a man. There are hormones that are responsible for sexual functions in men but the major sex hormone in men is the testosterone hormone. This hormone is produced in the testes. The production of this hormone in the testes is controlled by the pituitary gland that is located in the brain. At times there might be a deficit of the male sex hormones in the body. This is referred to as Androgen deficiency. androgen deficiency is characterized by low levels of sex hormones especially the major sex hormone in a man’s body, the testosterone which is very essential for sexual health. There are very many causes of androgen deficiency. some may be as a result of a personal indulging in behaviors that are counterproductive to general body health or as a result of problems in the pituitary glands that controls the functions of the testes or when the testes has a problem that may maim their functions hence affecting the production of testosterone hormone.

Male climacteric

To begin with it is a known fact that women go through menopause and that is a period that productions of some crucial hormones in their bodies stops and this makes them unable to enjoy sex or other be actively in involved in sex as they were before reaching menopause. Men also go through this stage although hormonal fluctuations are not as abrupt as in women. They go through a gradual decrease in sex hormone levels from a longer time. This gradual decrease in sex hormones may begin at the age of thirty and continues gradually as they age.
Male climacteric is real and it happens in such a gradual process that may not be easily noticeable unlike in women where the drop in sex hormones is very abrupt. In men it takes time.

androgens in menFor this reasons old men who have reached 60 years of age are not as sexually active as a man in his early twenties. The hormone secretion is still not reduced at 20 and so men in this age tend to be very sexually active. The moment the testosterone levels drops due to age or due to sickness the sex drive of a man will tend to go low even his appetite for sex and the overall performance during sexual intercourse also becomes reduced.

Married men who have reached male climacteric ages but still needs to be sexually active often seeks the aid of other therapies like the testosterone replacement therapy to increase their testosterone levels in the body so that they can be able to regain their sex drive and be able to perform satisfactory sex to their women.

Male climacteric is a natural condition and should not be confused with erectile dysfunction. Whereas erectile dysfunction needs medical attention, male climacteric is a stage just like puberty that does not need to be treated. However as a man sexual needs may command him he may seek various interventions to increase his performance in bed like the use of sex pills.

There are other functions of the androgens except from the sexual functions. The androgens are also responsible for the strength of bones and muscles. This explains why old men will need the support of a walking stick to maintain their stability as the bones are not strong due to the lower levels of androgen in the body. In case of deficiency in androgens before the right age it is advisable to seek medical help as that is not a natural process. There should be optimum levels of the androgens in your body during your youth in absence of which there must be underlying serious disease that must be treated. However it is better to know your sexual health status, if you are experiencing symptoms of low androgen levels such as low sex drive, lethargy or low sperm production you should seek help to make your sex life more fun and enjoyable.

Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an experienced doctor that has helped many cancer patients in their fight against the disease. She has also helped many people regain their sex appetite and add more fun into their sex life. She founded AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center which is home to many people seeking health breakthrough. Call on her now and learn more on how to enhance your sexual health.

Role Of Androgen In Men

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Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) Applied in Cancer Treatment

August 31, 2014

Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) As Used In Cancer Treatment

Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT)Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that has been a trouble in life of very many men for quite a long time. In men it is the type of cancer that has caused many deaths in men. It is as scary to many as breast cancer is to women. The best way to deal with prostate cancer is to great it before it spreads beyond the prostate. As known when prostate cancer metastasizes it becomes very difficult for it to be treated even with the known conventional cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. There is need to reduce the chances of this disease reoccurring after treatments. It is common for progression of prostate cancer tumors even after radiation therapy or surgery. Therefore other ways that can be utilized by doctors in curbing the dangers of metastatic cancers are being developed to make prostate cancer containable. One of the alternatives that are used for prostate cancer treatment is the Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT).

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for cancer treatment is also referred to as hormone therapy. Scientists have proved that prostate cancer cells cannot grow without androgens. They can neither survive without these androgens and therefore this presents an avenue through which this disease can be fought. Testosterone and other male hormones play a vital role in the growth and survival of prostate cancers and therefore if their activities can be inhibited then the growth of prostate cancers can be reduced greatly. Androgen is a term used to refer to all male hormones including testosterone which is the most dominant male hormone. Androgen deprivation therapy aims at reducing the amounts of androgens in the body of a male. When the male hormones are reduced the growth of cancer cells become slowed which helps in reducing the effects of prostate cancer and prevent metastasis. Reducing androgens also helps in shrinking the prostate cancer tumors.

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) can be used with other conventional cancer treatment methods like chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is said to be very effective when used with these treatment methods and can be utilized in cases in where there is high possibility of prostate cancer returning. In other cases radiation therapy or surgery may not be able to clear all the cancerous cells in the prostate therefore Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) can be used to tame the remaining tumors so that they do not cause adverse effects on the patients who may still be undergoing treatment.

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has also been said to be very effective in treating prostate cancer that has metastasized and hence cannot be treated with conventional methods like radiation therapy and surgery. In this scenario it may not completely do away with the disease but it will help reduce pain in the patients as well as help them live longer. Androgen deprivation therapy is also very effective in suppressing the prostate cancer cells that are reflected on the lower levels of prostate- specific antigen (PSA).

Apart from its beneficial complementary use alongside conventional cancer treatment methods like radiation therapy and surgery, Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) can also be used as an alternative prostate cancer treatment replacing surgery and radiation therapy. This is possible since the prostate cancer cells can’t survive without these androgens.

How to reduce Androgens

Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT)There are some medicines that can be taken to reduce the androgens in the body of males. This is the most used method of reducing androids. There is also another method that can be used to reduce the androgens in the body of men. This is the removal of the testicles surgically. However this method is the least used. It is referred to as orchiectomy. Testicles is where more than 90% of the male hormones are made so removing the testicles can be the shortest way to reduce the male hormones but it is rarely used since it is permanent. The testicles can never be replanted after surgery.

Here are some of the drugs that are used in reducing the androgens in men

  • Antiandrogens– Antiandrogens help block the body’s supply of testosterone. There are steroidal antiandrogens and non-steroidal antiandrogens. The steroidal antiandrogens include megestrol while the non-steroidal antiandrogens include bicalutamide, cyproterone, flutamide, and nilutamide. The antiandrogens drugs sometimes are used along with LH-RH agonists for effectiveness.
  • LH-RH agonists and GnRH agonists– These drugs are effective in reducing androgens since they stop the body from making testosterone. They include goserelin, histrelin , leuprolide, and triptorelin.
  • GnRH antagonists– These drugs work well in reducing androgen since they stop the body from making testosterone. They work more instantly and they also mitigate the side effects that are caused by GnRH agonists. An example of GnRH antagonist is degarelix.
  • Androgen inhibitors-These drugs work by inhibiting the enzymes that the body requires to continue making the androgens especially testosterone. Examples of androgen inhibitors include; ketoconazole and abiraterone.

In some cases the LH-RH agonist and antiandrogens can be used at the same time complementarily to fight prostate cancer. In this case it is known as combined androgen blockade (CAB). It has been proved that men who undergo combined androgen blockade that flutamide or nilutamide lives much longer than men who undergo androgen deprivation therapy.

Side effects of androgen deprivation therapy

One of the major side effects of this therapy is the increased risk of heart related mortality. Other side effects includes; osteoporosis, higher levels of fats in blood, low muscle mass and increased body mass, low red blood cell count, increased risk to diabetes.

Dr. Dalal Akoury (MD) is an experienced integrative cancer doctor that has helped many cancer patients in their fight against the disease. She has worked hard not only in treating the disease but also in availing informational support to cancer patients at Awaremed which has become a place called home for many cancer patients. Call on her now and get help on cancer.

Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT) As Used In Cancer Treatment

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