Let's keep it simple. Females and males both reach a midlife crisis. It is not an illness. So just accept the changes that take place in your body as the decades roll by and deal with them. To the degree you prepare yourself in terms of nutrition, attitude and exercise you can enjoy abundant health at any age. You have so much to give and share in this world and this is why God made man in His image. But how do you shape up?
The Flip Side of the Coin
Most people I have to help think that maintaining health is too much of a schlep. They do not want to take responsibility for any decisions regarding their health, let alone hormones as they get older. So women get absorbed in a belief system that tells them they will run out of oestrogen and have to take supplements. Eek! A hot flush and off they go for HRT; commonly known as hormone replacement therapy. Are they warned about side effects and contraindications? No. They become moody, broody, bloated and frigid. Is this the way God designed it?
Males at the Midlife Mark
Men do not ovulate. They do not get hot flushes to announce the end of their breeding cycle. They just keep making testosterone and remain potently fertile for many years. Oestrogen gets made out of testosterone in men and women alike. Ladies use the same system to get their oestrogen. Taking HRT will override this natural mechanism and so for the rest of her life she will need to take oestrogen instead of making it.
The same goes for testosterone and progesterone: take it and you won't make it! Neither will you be able to control it. A build up of testosterone, progesterone or estradiol in the liver leads to hormonal havoc, as you will soon see. Hormonal management is the key to controlling old age, libido, cancer and heart problems. We get a full blown midlife crisis when we treat symptoms of hormonal imbalances with individual drugs like blood pressure medications, anti-depressants, diabetic and cholesterol drugs, steroids and anti-inflammatory agents.
A Badly Managed Midlife Crisis: Case Number 1 – Harry
During Harry's midlife crisis or "male menopause" he was not told how hormones work, where they come from and why it is so dangerous to take medications and hormones without understanding the aetiology of the condition. Men do not run to the doctor the moment they feel hormonal changes taking place. For them there is no HRT panacea that claims to "bail" them out as in the case of their wives. Harry just went to the doctor for a check up and was given drugs in response to high cholesterol and blood pressure readings.
The clincher is that lurking behind such fashionable treatment is the real ugly monster: insulin resistance. The very first symptom of insulin resistance is high blood pressure. The second one is too much low density cholesterol. Both are red alerts for doctors who get panicky about the heart. But for now, this has more to do with the diet.
By midlife most men have eaten in such a way as to develop insulin resistance. Harry ate everything his wife cooked, and lots of takeaways. He loved bread and big desserts. He did not know that his blood type has a serious problem with wheat intolerance. He did not know what his blood type was although he had been in for frequent surgery. He was very fat and never took vitamins because the doctor said it was expensive urine. Sound familiar?
All that carbohydrate and sugar led to high cholesterol as a result of insulin resistance. The third symptom of insulin resistance is elevated blood sugar levels. Yes! Now he takes a medication for diabetes 2. By now the side effects have ganged up against his libido and he is feeling low. No problem, take an anti-depressant. This really sabotages his dwindling sex life but it does not matter because by now the missus is a total turn off. She has similar problems and is as fat as a toad. So for special occasions Harry has to rely on Viagra. It is a costly way to do what should be coming naturally!
Well Managed Midlife Crisis: Case Number 2 – Ben
Ben is in his 60s and his wife keeps watch over him like a hawk. Her medicine comes out of the food she lovingly prepares. In terms of nutrients, it is super-dense. Carbohydrates are kept to a minimum and he lacks nothing. His cholesterol profile is perfect and so is his blood pressure. He never goes near a doctor unless they are friends a social event.
At home the family table groans with vibrant vegetables and succulent morsels that are packed with super nutrients like probiotics. It is his way of life and he hates sweet things. In between meals he is rammed full of fruit, savoury snacks or freshly made health juices. His wife takes pride in listing all the green ingredients, just in case he needs more chlorophyll, antioxidants, enzymes or adaptogens to handle stress and protect the adrenals. He takes a selection of supplements too!
Ben loves Viagra jokes. "Why do you have to get it up – mine does that every morning!" He laughs and wonders if there is an anti-Viagra pill available? That is easy because most of the side effects of medicines these days seem hell-bent on turning the alpha male into a heap of misery and dissatisfaction. Ben has no body part topics to keep up with his peers at the bowling club. Some of the guys are 20 years his junior with a waistline twice as large. They go on about arthritis, diabetes, spinal surgery and dementia and blocked blood vessels.
His bowling partners succumb to either heart attacks or death by cancer or chronic ailments without ever wondering if life could have been different. It is all a question of correct nourishment and a better understanding of the hormones that hit us hardest during the menopause.
Let us Look at Testosterone
Women only need 1% of the testosterone that men have. During ovulation, females rely on oestrogen supplies from their ovaries. After that, they get oestrogen from the same process as men; that of the break down of testosterone into estradiol, a very powerful female hormone. Normally men only convert a tiny amount of testosterone into oestrogen. This is controlled by an enzyme called aromatase.
But in the case of insulin resistance, hyperaromatisation takes place and so they get flooded with more estradiol. Imagine that. Men develop increased breast tissue, huge waistlines, hips and buttocks. They too have water retention and a weakened thyroid output. Think about poor Harry. Normally a healthy liver will break estradiol down into weaker estrogens known as estrone and estriol for safety. But if the liver is congested, then cell proliferators like estradiol return to the bloodstream and cause prostate enlargement (BPH).
That is not the end of the story. Many men then still think they need more testosterone because they are sexually impotent. But any testosterone booster including the herbal "viagra" concoctions get aromatised into even more oestrogen. Hormones are cruel. The liver is where aggressive androgens like dihyrotestosterone (DHT) are controlled by the 5 alpha reductase hormone. But if there is a deficiency of betasitosterol then DHT is unleashed and it too, invades hormonally sensitive areas such as the prostate gland. Frequent hormonal monitoring is essential.
PS. In women with the polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) the same hormonal pathways cause testosterone to behave like this. Please see my article on PCOS for more insight into how hormones behave; especially with regard to insulin resistance that dominates these conditions.
References:
- Zeuinfoservice.com
- Dailymail.co.uk
- Naturalark.com
- Essenceofstressrelief.com
- Stason.org
- Townsendletter.com
- Meridianvalleylab.com
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.
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