Category: Hormones

Is it possible to get older without having to experience all of the usual symptoms of aging?

We often think of the search for eternal youth beginning in the 16th century with Ponce de León. Whether the accounts were totally factual or not, it is believed that the Spanish explorer was seeking the mythical fountain of youth when he stumbled upon Florida. In fact, for as long as there have been people on the planet, there has been the desire to remain young and avoid, not just death, but the stages leading up to it.  

The saying about “nothing being certain but death and taxes”, usually attributed to Benjamin Franklin, does not seem as popular as it used to be. Perhaps that is because the taxes part of the statement is subject to a fair amount of resistance. This may be the result of activist movements that claim the government does not actually have the authority to levy taxes or because so many people go to such great lengths to avoid them. Death, on the other hand, is still universally believed to be inevitable, and, with it, all of the unpleasant stages and symptoms of aging.

While few argue that death can be escaped, there are growing numbers of people, professionals included, challenging the belief that aging is something we have no control over. This has nothing to do with magical fountains or deals made with the devil, like the Oscar Wilde novel in which Dorian Gray remained young while his portrait aged instead. Today, we are using cutting-edge science and research focused on reversing the effects of aging caused by a wide range of contributors, some of the more common being stress, environmental factors, weight, smoking, alcohol consumption, poor diet and DNA damage.

Studies on the Aging process

Particularly promising, researchers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) believe that they have discovered a way to reverse the effects of aging by improving the ability of DNA to repair damage. As we get older, the body’s DNA is constantly undergoing damage and repair but, the older we get, the less efficient the repair part of the process is. The UNSW team has identified a substance that, when enhanced, restores the DNA’s former level of ability to make repairs. This research has generated a lot of excitement, including with the folks at NASA who are always working on better ways to keep the astronauts healthy during extended periods of time in space, where the effects of aging are dramatically exaggerated.

The UNSW study is just one of many programs working on the issue of slowing aging and reversing what we have always assumed to be the inevitable consequences of growing older. It simply isn’t true anymore that we have to accept limitations and decreased quality of life. Traditional medicine has done a good job of keeping us alive longer, but what is the point if we do so without being able to enjoy those extra years? The young do not have exclusive rights to good health. Don’t you owe it to yourself to find out just what is available to make you feel, act and look your best?

The Southern California Center for Anti-Aging focuses on the practice of advanced, preventive and regenerative medicine. We strongly believe preventive health should be customized to the individual  in testing and correcting  any chemical, nutritional and hormonal imbalances in the body. Therapy can help with creating the foundation for a healthier and happier life. Getting the body into balance is key to maintaining health. At our clinic, a program will be designed for each patient which might included but not limited to:

• Weight management
• Nutritional counselling
• Vitamin and mineral supplementation
• Exercise
• Detoxification
• Hormone balancing and stress management

Conclusion:

So is aging inevitable? Well, the short answer is yes. Humans have yet to find a real life fountain of youth or defy the restrictions of our mortality. This is probably a good thing. That being said, we have learned how to slow down the inevitable and add quality to our years. To learn more about our programs or if you have questions about any of our services, take advantage of our Free Consultation by filling out our convenient online form below.

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Does excessive and ongoing stress lead to adrenal fatigue?
We talk about stress all the time. Everyone agrees that life often seems out of control and that our stress levels feel like they are constantly rising. In fact, we talk about it so much and relate it to so many parts of our lives that there is a very real danger that we have come to accept ongoing, elevated stress levels as normal. They are not. An article in the Miami Herald reports, “According to the American Psychological Association, chronic stress is linked to the six leading causes of death: heart disease, cancer, lung ailments, accidents, cirrhosis of the liver and suicide. And more than 75 percent of all physician office visits are for stress-related ailments and complaints.”
Stress is the body’s natural reaction to situations that pose some sort of threat, either real or imagined. The “fight-or-flight” response kicks in, which triggers the heart rate to increase, breathing to quicken, blood pressure to rise and muscles to tense, ready for action. In situations where there is some sort of actual threat, this can be the difference between life and death. When stress is routinely triggered, however, it can wear out the different systems of the body and make you sick, both mentally and physically.
One of the reasons that so many people talk about how stressed they are is because of the fatigue that goes with it. It is believed that chronic or excessive acute stress can have a negative effect on the adrenal glands, causing a decrease in adrenal hormones, especially cortisol. This results in what many refer to as adrenal fatigue or adrenal exhaustion.
Symptoms of Impaired Adrenal Glands

When the adrenal glands are not functioning properly, it can lead to a wide range of symptoms. Some of these include:

• Fatigue without an appropriate cause or that does not go away after what should be adequate rest
• Difficulty waking and getting up in the morning
• Feeling stressed and continually “run-down”
• A craving for salty or sweet foods
• Frequent respiratory infections
• Confusion
• Inability to focus
• Memory issues
• Trouble going to sleep or staying asleep
• Weight gain, especially around the waist
• Loss of sexual desire or unable to function

It is essential that the adrenal glands function properly. If they have been negatively affected by stress, they can usually be put right again through some combination of proper nutrition, adequate sleep, regular exercise, supplements and Bioidentical Hormone Restoration Therapy. It goes without saying that a key factor to returning and maintaining healthy adrenal function includes ongoing and effective stress management. If the situation or situations that caused the stress in the first place are not managed in such a way as to remove or, at the least, drastically reduce the triggers, then no amount of exercise or sleep or anything else will be enough. This may require some type of counseling in order to learn how to effectively manage not only the current stress in your life but be prepared for what will undoubtedly be around the corner.
At the Southern California Center for Anti-Aging, we strongly believe correcting imbalances and deficiencies in nutrition, along with improving fitness and balancing and restoring hormones with Bioidentical Hormone Replacement Therapy, can offer help with adrenal fatigue, while creating the foundation for a healthier and happier life.
To learn more or to discuss any of our services, take advantage of our Free Consultation by clicking here to use our convenient online form.

Do men go through menopause like women do?

When you hear someone talking about unexplained emotional outbursts, depression, fatigue, forgetfulness, weight gain and low sex drive, you expect it to be a 45- to 50-year-old woman, right? That’s the normal age range for women entering menopause. What very few people realize and even fewer discuss, especially men, is that those are the symptoms of andropause, more commonly known as male menopause.
There are significant differences between men and women going through this stage or “change”. Women may go through a period of time when hormone production is erratic but when it stops, it stops completely. Diminishing levels of testosterone in men happens at a much slower pace. In fact, for many men, testosterone production peaks at a fairly young age and drops 1 to 2 percent per year after that. Symptoms commonly manifest around the same age as women but can appear earlier or not at all. More often than not, when symptoms do appear they are associated with the traditional “mid-life crisis”.

There is a certain mystique to the classic mid-life crisis, more of a rite of passage than a sign of aging. But it is telling that men often blame it for buying sports cars and having affairs, which are poorly disguised attempts at recapturing youth. The truth is that very few men are willing to admit that there is such a thing as male menopause. The word “andropause” literally breaks down into “andro” which means male and “pause” meaning stopped. Stopped being male? How many men are going to be comfortable talking about that?
To be fair, most women don’t like thinking, talking or dealing with the concept or the reality of menopause, either. No one likes to face the loss of youth and the prospect of growing old. It is important to bring this issue into the public discussion because decreased hormonal levels for men can be responsible for a wide range of issues. A more comprehensive list includes:

• Urinary problems
• Increase in abdominal fat
• Muscle loss
• Decreased sex drive
• Erectile dysfunction
• Reduced motivation
• Nervousness
• Anxiety
• Irritability
• Sleep issues
• Memory loss
• Fatigue
• Gynecomastia (enlarged breasts)
• Hot flashes
• Night sweats
• Decreased muscle strength and stamina
• Mood swings
• Decreased mental clarity
• Depression
• Hair loss

The good news is that there is treatment to reduce many, if not all, of these symptoms. There are few instances when the one-size-fits-all approach is a good idea, and this is definitely not one. Hormonal balance is different for everyone and, at the very least, a thorough examination by a qualified health professional is essential. To make a proper diagnosis your doctor will need to hear about all symptoms, perform a physical exam and order tests to measure testosterone levels and rule out any other possible problems.

Certain lifestyle changes such as a healthier diet and increased exercise may be recommended, as well as hormone replacement therapy. Restoration and optimization with bioidentical testosterone during andropause can relieve many of the symptoms listed about and considerably improve quality of life. Bio-identical testosterone has also been safely shown to reduce the severity of coronary heart disease, osteoporosis and diabetes.
At the Southern California Center for Anti-Aging, testosterone therapy for men is customized and based on symptoms, a physical exam and hormone test results. To learn more about andropause and hormonal replacement therapy, take advantage of our Free Consultation by calling (424) 247-4962 or click here to use our convenient online form.