What men need to know about low testosterone levels

BEVERLY HILLS - In the male body, testosterone is the most important sex hormone.  Testosterone is responsible for development of male characteristics such as body and facial hair, muscle growth and strength, and a deep voice.  Normal levels of testosterone also influence the production of sperm, promote sexual function and promote sex drive.

We now know that some men’s bodies do not make enough testosterone.  These men may experience uncomfortable and sometimes distressing symptoms.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) estimates that 4 to 5 million American men may suffer from low testosterone, but only 5 percent are currently treated.

SYMPTOMS OF LOW TESTOSTERONE

As men get older, the ability to produce testosterone declines.  This decrease in testosterone production is sometimes referred to as andropause or “male menopause.”  If testosterone levels fall below the normal range some typical symptoms may include:

·         Low sex drive

·         Erectile dysfunction ( ED)

·         Increased irritability or depression

·         Fatigue

·         Reduced muscle mass and strength

·         Inability to concentrate

·         Decreased bone density; osteoporosis

In addition to age-related low testosterone, there are certain medical conditions that can cause low testosterone.  These medical conditions can begin in youth or in adulthood, and can affect testosterone levels throughout a man’s life.  Some of these conditions are associated with the testicles, pituitary gland and/or hypothalamus (a part of the brain that controls many of the body’s glands).  Occasionally, the problem can be genetic.

In younger men, low testosterone production may reduce the development of body and facial hair.  Muscle mass and genitals may not develop normally, and younger men’s voices may fail to deepen.

BE SURE TO GET SCREENED

If you experience symptoms associated with low testosterone, you may want to ask your doctor about getting your testosterone levels checked.  Your primary care physician can check your testosterone levels with a simple blood test and treat you if you have low testosterone.  You might also ask your primary care physician about a referral to an endocrinologist or urologist who specializes in treating conditions such as low testosterone.

Regular checkups and age-appropriate screenings can improve your health and extend your life.  Consider adding regular screening for low testosterone to other screenings as part of your checkup.

IF YOU HAVE LOW TESTOSTERONE

If you do have low testosterone, the good news is that the condition is treatable.  There are several FDA-approved testosterone replacement therapies, including:

    * Injections

    * Patches

    * Clear gel that you rub on your arm every morning

Talk to your doctor about which option may be best for you.

 

Reprinted from E-Patient Healthcare

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Melatonin Improves Mood In Winter Depression

PORTLAND - Researchers at Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) have found that melatonin, a naturally occurring brain substance, can relieve the doldrums of winter depression, also known as seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. The study is publishing online this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

The study was led by Alfred Lewy, M.D., Ph.D., an internationally recognized pioneer in the study of circadian (24-hour) rhythm disturbances, such as those found in air travelers and shift workers, as well as in totally blind people.

Lewy and his colleagues in the OHSU Sleep and Mood Disorders Lab set out to test the hypothesis that circadian physiological rhythms become misaligned with the sleep/wake cycle during the short days of winter, causing some people to become depressed. Usually these rhythms track to the later dawn in winter, resulting in a circadian phase delay with respect to sleep similar to what happens flying westward. Some people appear to be tracking to the earlier dusk of winter, causing a similar amount of misalignment but in the phase-advance direction. Symptom severity in SAD patients correlated with the misalignment in either direction.

The treatment of choice for most SAD patients is bright light exposure, which causes phase advances when scheduled in the morning. Because patients know when they are exposed to bright light, however, there is a considerable placebo response associated with it. Melatonin can also cause phase advances, but it has to be taken in the afternoon. The Lewy team used afternoon melatonin to test if it was more antidepressant than melatonin taken in the morning, which causes phase delays.

The researchers randomly assigned 68 SAD patients to one of three treatment groups, taking placebo capsules or melatonin in the morning or afternoon for three weeks. After four years of study, they concluded that, similar to persistent jet lag, circadian misalignment is a major part of SAD.

Most patients, typically phase-delayed types or “night owls,” have misalignment that responded best to taking low-dose melatonin in the afternoon or evening. A longer-than-expected subgroup of SAD patients, phase-advanced types or “morning larks,” responded best to taking low-dose melatonin in the morning. Melatonin did not cause drowsiness, because the doses used were lower than what is usually taken at bedtime.

In addition to bright light exposure, another treatment may be in the offing once low-dose, sustained-release melatonin formulations become available. “However, people in the phase-advanced subgroup should use these treatments at different times of the day than the typically phase-delayed type of patient,” explained Lewy, adding that more research is needed.

Lewy is the Richard H. Phillips Professor of Biological Psychiatry, senior vice chairman of psychiatry, and director of the Sleep and Mood Disorders Lab, OHSU School of Medicine

 

Reprinted from E-Patient Healthcare

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DON'T EAT THESE and have a healthier 2010

1. Canned Tomatoes

The expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A

The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Acidity -- a prominent characteristic of tomatoes -- causes BPA to leach into your food.

2. Corn-Fed Beef

The expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of books on sustainable farming

Cattle were designed to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. A recent comprehensive study found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

3. Microwave Popcorn

The expert: Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group

Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize -- and migrate into your popcorn.

4. Nonorganic Potatoes

The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board

Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes they're treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting.

5. Farmed Salmon

The expert: David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany

Nature didn't intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT.

6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones

The expert: Rick North, project director of the Campaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers.

7. Conventional Apples

The expert: Mark Kastel, codirector of the Cornucopia Institute

If fall fruits held a "most doused in pesticides contest," apples would win. And increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides with Parkinson's disease.

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Help For Headaches

A 2001 Duke University study showed that spinal manipulation (A.K.A. chiropractic adjustment) resulted in almost immediate relief from headaches coming from the neck, had few to no side effects and more relief from tension headaches than typically prescribed medications. This is fantastic news for headache sufferers.

Chronic headache sufferers can sometimes spend years on pain medicines. These meds can cause severe and irreversible damage particularly to the digestive system and liver. Clinical trials and countless studies have proven their danger. Chiropractic care on the other hand may allow you to resolve the underlying cause of your headaches while providing relief at the same time.

Dr. Harris Meyer, San Francisco Chiropractor

415-956-3226 / www.BodyFocusHealth.com

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Christmas Cholesterol Epiphany: 'Myrrh' May Have Cholesterol-Lowering Properties

ScienceDaily — Laboratory experiments suggest that the resin of certain trees of the Middle East, known commonly as the “myrrh” of the Christmas story, may have cholesterol-lowering properties. Research published in the International Journal of Food Safety, Nutrition and Public Health discusses the hypocholesterolemic effects of myrrh and other plant products.

Myrrh is a rust-coloured resin obtained from several species of Commiphora and Balsamodendron tree, native to the Middle East and Ethiopia. It is perhaps best known as one of the gifts of the Magi offered to the infant Jesus, along with gold and frankincense. At the time, myrrh was revered as an embalming ointment and is also an ingredient in incense.

Nadia Saleh Al-Amoudi of the Department of Nutrition and Food Science, at the King Abd Al-Aziz University, in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, explains that myrrh is known to have medicinal properties, including antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effects.

Al-Amoudi also points out that myrrh has been used in a wide range of traditional remedies over the centuries as a mouthwash, for treating sore threats, bronchial congestion, as well as an antiseptic astringent, for soothing cuts and burns, and for various other less well-convincing purposes, such as calming emotions.

"Of all nutrients, fat is implicated most often as a contributing factor to disease," explains Al-Amoudi. Excess fat in the diet contributes to obesity, diabetes, cancer, hypertension and atherosclerosis. So the change that most people should make in their diets is to limit their intake of total fat and so cholesterol, especially as hypercholesterolemia leads to deposits on the inside of arteries, she says. However, certain herbal remedies are thought to help reduce cholesterol levels.

Al-Amoudi has now investigated the potential of myrrh together with other plant materials to see whether they have any demonstrable hypocholesterolemic effect. Esparto grass leaves, halfa, fenugreek seed powder, myrrh resin (from Commiphara myrrh) and various blends of each were tested on laboratory rodents with high cholesterol. She fed the animals various combinations of the plants as part of their normal daily diet and measured blood concentrations of total cholesterol, LDL (low-density lipoprotein) and VLDL (very-low-density lipoprotein), together with TG (triglycerides). She also recorded HDL (high-density lipoprotein).

The concentrations of LDL (known colloquially as "bad cholesterol"), VLDL, and TG all decreased on this diet, while the HDL levels, so-called "good cholesterol" fell.

Amoudi et al. Hypocholesterolemic effect of some plants and their blend as studied on albino rats. International Journal of Food Safety Nutrition and Public Health, 2009; 2 (2): 176 DOI: 10.1504/IJFSNPH.2009.029283

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4-dayer here we come

6 more wonderful hours of helping the sick get well and the well stay well. Then it's preparing for Santa and a relaxing few days w/fam and friends.

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New Study will look at pain and balance problems in older adults

Logan Chiropractic College, along with St. Louis University, has been awarded a $1.2 million federal research grant for a three-<year?> study on the effectiveness of chiropractic care on low back pain and balance among older adults.

Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among older adults, Logan said. Balance-related falls are also the leading cause of institutionalization in the geriatric population and account for $20 billion in related health-care costs every year, the school said.

The grant is from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. Researchers from both schools will examine more than 400 older adults and compare conventional and chiropractic therapies to address low back pain and balance.

By Kavita Kumar

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The Grade is the St. Louis region’s premier blog on education and child welfare. To read other recent posts, go to www.stltoday.com/thegrade.

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Cute...no offense intended

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Free massage for donating food!

Donate food. Spin the Wheel and win a prize. Get a free chair massage.

Justin Herman Plaza right now! Ends 3pm today.

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Mega Food Drive starts in 1 hour

Go to Justin Herman Plaza with your contribution to the SF Food Bank. Activities too. Head there for lunch!

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Report shows chiropractic better value for neck and low back pain treatment

How Chiropractic Helps the Insurance Industry

Report suggests covering chiropractic care of neck and low back pain increases value-for-dollar of health benefit plans.

Insurance companies and others hesitant to expand coverage of chiropractic care should review a copy of a report commissioned by the Foundation for Chiropractic Progress and prepared by Mercer Health and Benefits, a San Francisco-based human resources and financial advisor. The report, "Do Chiropractic Physician Services for Treatment of Low Back and Neck Pain Improve the Value of Health Benefit Plans?" concludes that chiropractic care "is likely to achieve equal or better health outcomes at a cost that compares very favorably to most therapies that are routinely covered in U.S. health benefit plans"…

Study Parameters

Niteesh Choudhry, MD, PhD, assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, and Arnold Milstein, MD, MPH, chief physician at Mercer Health and Benefits, evaluated the peer-reviewed literature and constructed an economic model…

Take-Home Points

• Chiropractic care is widely used, with almost half of all patients with persistent back pain seeking this form of treatment.
• "Chiropractic care is more effective than other modalities for treating low back and neck pain."
• Chiropractic care for the treatment of low back and neck pain "is highly cost-effective, represents a good value in comparison to medical physician care and to widely accepted cost-effectiveness thresholds."
• "Insurance coverage for chiropractic physician care ... is likely to drive improved cost-effectiveness of U.S. care."
• These findings "support the value of health insurance coverage of chiropractic care for low back and neck pain at average fees currently payable by U.S. commercial insurers."

To download a complete copy of the Choudhry and Milstein report, visit www.f4cp.com/MercerReport.htm. To review other recent study findings suggesting the cost-effectiveness and clinical value of chiropractic care, read "The Research You've Been Waiting for? (Aug. 26 issue) and "Cost-Effective Care: The Evidence Mounts" (Sept. 9 issue).

By Peter W. Crownfield, Executive Editor

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Indian food tonight to prevent flu?

How Turmeric and Curcumin Provide Antioxidant Nutrients

These spices are commonly found in Indian food but you can incorporate them into countless recipes.

Antioxidants are the nutrients your body uses to neutralize free radicals and help you potentially slow down the signs of normal aging.

Oxidation by free radicals can damage cells and organs -- and thus impact your aging process -- something I’m sure you’d rather put the brakes on.

Antioxidants are also key nutrients in:

• Supporting your memory function
• Promoting your heart health
• Boosting your immune system (PS—it’s cold and flu season)

The antioxidant content within turmeric comes from active compounds called curcuminoids. These curcuminoids deliver antioxidants that may be:

• 5 to 8 times stronger than vitamin E -- and also stronger than vitamin C
• 3 times more powerful than grape seed or pine bark extract
• Strong enough to scavenge the hydroxyl radical -- considered by many to be the most reactive of all oxidants

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Know about your drinking water

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/business/energy-environment/08water.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

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our elderly patients love the way they feel after adjustments

Did you know seniors can be helped by chiropractic care:
Chiropractic adjustments (spinal manipulative treatment) are recommended by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research for the care of acute low back pain, and the American Geriatric Society Panel Guidelines for the Management of Chronic Pain state that non-pharmaceutical interventions such as chiropractic may be appropriate. Most geriatric health care providers have a limited number of options to offer patients with these complaints. Various chiropractic procedures are available as safe alternatives to drugs and surgery for musculoskeletal complaints in the older patient. Due to the prevalence of these conditions in older patients, and the success of chiropractic in caring for these patients, interdisciplinary geriatric health care teams should include a doctor of chiropractic to better facilitate a more active, healthy, aging society.

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BP & J

Peanuts you may or may not know, are actually legumes, not nuts, which are grown underground as part of a root system. It is primarily due to the peanuts' direct contact with the soil that they can be a health risk. While actual nuts like almonds and walnuts have strong, hard shells that protect them, the legume (peanut) has soft and porous skin. When the environment surrounding the peanut becomes warm, humid and wet -- as it does in most regions of the U.S. where peanuts are commonly grown -- a fungal growth occurs. The fungus itself is not dangerous, but the poison it releases, known as "aflatoxin," is. This cancer-causing agent attacks the liver and is one of the more deadly food-borne toxins in existence.

When it comes to nutrition there is lots of debate on peanuts and especially peanut butter. Speaking as a true lover of the latter myself, I suggest limiting your intake. If it's protein you're after, try a true nut. Almonds in salad are great and almond butter or cashew butter are really tasty in place of peanut butter.

If you do want to try and find the healthiest peanuts, choose organic varieties grown in a region where the soil is dry and aflatoxin has therefore not been reported as a problem, such as New Mexico.

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San Francisco Chiropractor Reports on Asthma--Formaldehyde Connection

Asthma Linked to Formaldehyde Exposure in Clothing and
Common Household Items

There is a significant association between formaldehyde exposure
and childhood asthma according to a recent scientific literature
review by researchers Gerald McGwin, Jr., Jeffrey Lienert, and
John I. Kennedy, Jr.

Roughly 7% of adults and 9% of children suffer from asthma
in the U.S.
Seven peer-reviewed studies examined data showing an
association between formaldehyde exposure and asthma in children.

Many products in the indoor environment emit formaldehyde,
including particle board, urea formaldehyde insulation, carpeting,
and furniture.
Clothing is also treated with formaldehyde.
Mobile travel trailers provided by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) to displaced Gulf Coast residents
have also been shown to contain excessively high levels of
formaldehyde.

Exposure to formaldehyde can cause irritation of the eye, nose,
throat and skin.
Chronic exposure, such as that experienced in the home from
treated furniture and carpets, has been linked with cancer and
asthma.

Many health care providers and lay people have long seen clinical evidence or suspected the conection between formaldehyde (among many other chemicals) and asthma or other respiratory ailments.

"The results of this study provide important evidence regarding the
potential causal link between formaldehyde and asthma in children,"
says McGwin.

Protect children from formaldehyde exposure next to the skin by
buying organic and untreated clothing.
Wrinkle resistant, stain resistant, and permanent press clothes are
treated with formaldehyde and other potentially toxic chemicals.
As a simple test on new clothing, fill a spray bottle with water and
spray a bit on the garment.
If it absorbs, the formaldehyde level is low.
If it beads up and does not absorb, the formaldehyde level is high.

Most furniture is sprayed with potentially toxic chemicals to resist
mold, wrinkles, and stains.
Fire retardants are applied as well.
Look for organic and untreated furniture.
Press wood generally contains a high amount of formaldehyde.
Consider metal and stainless steel options and sew your own
cushions.

Bedding which has not been treated with fire retardants can only be
purchased in the U.S. with a prescription from a doctor or
chiropractor.
If a prescription is not obtainable, consider an untreated mattress
wrapped in wool, which meets the fire retardant laws in most states.

Formaldehyde can also be found in some childhood vaccinations.
Check the ingredients before vaccinating.
There are often other brands which may have little or no
formaldehyde.

The world is a great place to live. It's even better if we take

precautions to avoid harmful substances. It can be done and rewards

can be reaped.

Dr. Harris Meyer is a San Francisco Chiropractor providing Wellness

Services to address the Physical, Chemical, and Stress causes of

health problems. Contact his office at 415-956-3226.

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The Jaw Pain--Neck Connection

The jaw (frequently referred to as the TMJ) is associated with neck function, especially the upper cervical vertebrae. The muscles that move the jaw/TMJ are largely innervated by the 5th cranial nerve, also called the trigeminal nerve. Several studies have found that when stimulating structures innervated by the trigeminal nerve, neck and/or jaw pain was created and vise versa.

Similarly, individuals with jaw problems (called temporomandibular dysfunction or, TMD) often report neck pain. When we open our mouth wide, head-neck extension always occurs followed by head-flexion when we close the jaw. Hence, the neck is always moving when we chew, yawn, talk, and clench our teeth. In fact, all of these every day activities result in jaw, head, neck motion extending from the base of the skull and first cervical vertebra (occiput-C1) and continues down through the entire cervical spine.

It's advisable to carefully diagnose the condition of the neck (cervical spine) in TMJ or jaw pain cases and vise versa in order to formulate the most effective course of action.

Dr. Harris Meyer

San Francisco Chiropractor and Wellness Consultant

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For morning for or after-lunch sleepiness

As I sit here sipping my half-decaf I would not ask you to never drink coffee. However, if you need more than one cup in the morning or any after lunch, try taking vitamin B-12 instead. It's an essential vitamin that we often don't get enough of, it's an anti-oxidant, vital for so many body functions and especially great for energy but without any jitters.

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Garlic Clove Prices Soar Due To H1N1 Say Chinese Authorities

Garlic frenzy in China! More than 1 billion of the world's population believes that the pungent bulb could keep away the H1N1 flu virus. The price in China has risen 40 times.

In recent days, garlic has been selling at 9 yuan (RM4.30) a kg in Shandong, where the food is practically a must for every meal, as compared to 0.2 yuan last year.

China produces about three-quarters of the world's garlic. Argentina and Spain are the next largest exporters. And we thought it all came from Gilroy, California!!

This is not the first time that China has experienced a garlic frenzy, as back in 2003 the herb also rose in price, to about 1.8 yuan a kg, when the SARS epidemic struck.

China's Ministry of Commerce — which tracks rising prices across the country — recently also dismissed garlic as a panacea. It posted an article on its website quoting Chinese traditional medicine experts as debunking the notion that garlic is as good as a flu shot.

But most Chinese apparently do not see any harm in consuming more garlic.

Chinese schools have been hoarding garlic for their pupils to eat, hoping that it could beat off the H1N1 virus. The China Daily has reported that a high school in Hangzhou in eastern China bought 200kg of garlic and made students eat it at lunch to stay healthy.

As a San Francisco chiropractor, I recommend garlic throughout the cold and flu season. By the way, it really needs to be consumed raw to get this benefit.