Hormone Replacement Therapy for Men
Testosterone is the principal male hormone responsible for all things ‘Male’. Like all steroid hormones, testosterone is derived from cholesterol and serves to regulate cellular metabolism and overall body function. Some of the things that testosterone is responsible for include maintaining muscle mass, strength, libido, and fat distribution, etc. Unfortunately, due to a myriad of reasons, testosterone declines with age. Low testosterone used to be an issue for older men, nowadays, that is no longer the case.
We have the greatest amount of testosterone receptor in our brain. When our testosterone levels decline, the physical symptoms include weight gain, reduced muscle mass and strength, gynecomastia (‘man-boobs’), and erectile dysfunction (impotence), just to name a few symptoms. The neuropsychological effects of low testosterone include poor concentration, poor memory, and poor sleep, which leads to decreased energy/motivation, depressed mood, and overall diminished work performance. One last thing that your doctor may not tell you, probably because he/she doesn’t know, is that if your testosterone is low, your 56% more likely to die in the next 15 years than your counterpart who has normal testosterone levels. Yes, it’s that important.
Putting things in a more practical manner, let’s say you suffered a musculoskeletal injury or you just had some corrective orthopedic procedure, one of the main indicator of recovery is your ability to undergo a successful rehab program. If your testosterone level and your Growth Hormone level are low and your Thyroid function is poor, you will have a very difficult time building new muscle to help support the injured/repaired structures. You will experience all the pain of rehab without the expected benefits and your recovery will be slowed.
Another practical benefit of hormone replacement includes the enhanced ability to lose weight. Most Doctors recommend that their patients lose weight but fail to understand that weight gain is a hormonal issue. As you age, Insulin Resistance, Leptin Resistance, and Cortisol goes up, leading to obesity. At the same time Testosterone (helps increase muscle mass), Growth Hormone (helps lipolysis -fat breakdown), and thyroid (increases metabolism) decline. Your ability to burn calories is dictated by the amount of lean body mass (LBM) you carry, which is directly affect by Testosterone, GH, and Thyroid levels. If your hormones are suboptimal, you will have suboptimal weight loss results as well, which often leads to failed attempts at weight loss.
In medicine, with increasing knowledge, there are increasing opportunities to do good. There is a whole new world of medical therapies available for those brave enough to engage it, and that’s without even discussing peptides, which are the latest and greatest newcomers to functional medicine/interventional endocrinology.
To your health,
Phillip Castellano MD, ABAAM, FAARM
Phillip Castellano MD is Chief Medical Officer of Castellano Health Institute. Dr. Castellano received his medical degree from University of California, Irvine College of Medicine and is a diplomate of the American Board of Family Medicine and American Academy of Anti-Aging Medicine. Dr. Castellano has over 20 years’ experience treating hormone deficiencies and helping his patients look and feel better while performing at their best. His goal is to make his cutting-edge medical therapies previously available only to the wealthy accessible to all those interested in becoming the best version of themselves.