Andropause

One of the most worrying trends of our modern society is the decreasing threshold age for andropause. Andropause is the male equivalent of the female menopause that usually affects men between the ages of 40 and 55. However, this is not how it was supposed to be. A mere hundred years ago andropause did not start until the early 50s, but the industrialized society that we live in has turned andropause into a man triggered condition. The sharp drop in the amounts of testosterone produced by the body, which is the mark of andropause, is no longer a natural process, but can be brought about in the early 40s by the constant presence of a wide range of chemicals. These chemicals act as synthetic estrogen in the male body and induce certain changes at the physical and psychological levels.

The symptoms that accompany andropause include urination and prostate problems, mood swings and depression, impotence, low sex drive and low sperm count, weight gain, low blood sugar or diabetes, dry skin, bone loss, fatigue, anxiety, low absorption of Zinc, increased chance of heart attacks and water retention. The presence of xenoestrogens, which means estrogen that is not produced within the body, is disrupting the natural hormonal balance and leads to the early onset of andropause. These foreign hormones are the result of our constant exposure to various products of the modern society. A brief list of xenoestrogen sources would include:

• Pesticides

• Herbicides

• Plastic wrappings

• Plastic drinking bottles

• Meat from animals raised on hormone-rich food

• Detergents

• Pollution

Doctor Allan Lieberman, from the Center for Occupational & Environmental Medicine, stated a couple of years ago that the accumulation of xenoestrogens in the body starts in infancy and is compounded by modern life. “The combined use of pesticides in growing the food and soft plastics in transporting and packaging the food raises our exposure to endocrine disrupters”, says doctor Lieberman. There are several things anybody can do to limit the severity of hormonal imbalance and its symptoms. These steps are: diet changes, lifestyle changes, exercise and a positive attitude on life. Changing the diet doesn’t necessarily equal dieting. Smoking, drinking or drugs consumption are likely to worsen the andropause symptoms and should be avoided.
 

Published 17th Mar 2010

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