Ladies - Is this your husband? The lowdown on Male Menopause!

This is a post I have debated about writing for at least a year.  Probably because it's controversial, and it's happening to me.  This is one of the most difficult things to endure as a man and it's a big wake up call to men my age.  It's the middle age craziness some men experience.  It's been known by many names, but mostly goes by andropause or male menopause.  Despite jokes and ridicule, research proves its existence and it is both a physical and mental phenomenon.  We'll discuss both aspects.

The toughest part of andropause is the mental aspect.  Some men find it quite easy to accept the aging process: wrinkles, abdominal weight gain, muscle mass deterioration, balding, etc.  Others fight every inch of it with cosmetic surgery and hair replacement procedures.  Some men feel the need to buy stuff like new sporty cars or (in more drastic cases) they start dating much younger women.  I can personally attest to the fact that it is tough seeing your youth slowly go away.  However, in the end the aging process will win.  Try not to fight it and accept the fact that you have a certain mental age and not a chronological age.  Whether you believe it or not, what really matters is how old you are mentally and if you ask a woman, most of them will tell you the same thing.      

Physically starting at around age 30, testosterone levels start dropping.  Somewhere around 30 percent of men in their fifties have lowered testosterone levels, which means lowered libido, depression, memory loss, erectile dysfunction and loss of muscle mass (YIKES!).  If you gain fat weight, you may be asking for real trouble!  Excess weight leads to increased levels of a protein that blocks the action of testosterone, making it unavailable to his body.  Please believe me, testosterone does alot of beneficial things in the human body (NOT just the sexual effects) and a loss of this precious hormone's effects is incredibly unhealthy.  

Pay attention: here is how to deal with this nasty condition, guys (and ladies who want to help their men!).

1.  Get up and exercise!!!  It's a must!  It does wonders for the human body and the mind.  Plus for me, I enjoy running and trying to get a 32 year old man to keep up with me ("C'mon, ya young whippersnapper!").  It also increases your bone and muscle strength, heading off muscle wasting and fat building.

2.  Increase sex time.  Men tend to have fewer erections as they get older.  Up to 90% of erectile dysfunction has a physical cause, not a mental one.  Most doctors are in agreement that being able to have decent sex when you are older is more likely if you've continued to keep your equipment in working order by having sex throughout middle age.

3.  Watch your diet and take advantage of the ways that food can help you boost your testosterone.  Drink less alcohol and avoid low-fat, low-protein diets.  Instead, eat more niacin (pill form is available here at the clinic) for a boost in your "good" HDL cholesterol.  Niacin is found in dairy, lean meats, poultry, fish, nuts, and eggs.  Also, use more canola, olive, and safflower oil, and add some garlic and onions to your sandwiches and burgers to get more allicin.  Not sure what allicin is?  Here is the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allicin

 To find out more, this book has lots of great information!