Hey men! Do you have male hormone imbalances? See if you fit into one of these categories…
Note: Hormone imbalances are NOT normal at any age!
Men just like women can have hormone imbalances, this subject is often more discussed around female hormones than male hormones. Here we will focus on male hormones and what happens when male hormones become imbalanced. Men all have some very important hormones that have many important jobs in keeping men healthy, looking good and feeling good, but what happens when male hormones become imbalanced?
Well, the short answer is lots of problems. Hormone imbalances are signals from your body that something is interfering with your hormonal balance and should be investigated rather than be covered up with HRT (Hormone replacement therapy) Lets take a look at the main male hormones and how they may be influencing your life….
Testosterone Balance
Testosterone is fairly well-known to be the predominate male hormone, this hormone is needed in order to stay healthy, looking good, staying strong and feeling good must stay balanced, however it has become very common for men to end up with unbalanced testosterone which causes men a host of problems.
When testosterone becomes out of balance you can experience both symptoms of testosterone deficiency and or testosterone excess as the hormone starts to become unregulated.
Testosterone Deficiency
Testosterone deficiency means that your testosterone levels are in decline, this is often believed to be the result of aging and considered normal, however it is neither normal and it is often experienced by young men as well as aging men called andropause or ADAM. If you identify with any of the below testosterone deficiency symptoms you can test for testosterone deficiency here. Here are some of the symptoms of testosterone deficiency:
- Fatigue, prolonged
- Memory problems
- Decreased libido
- Muscle weakness
- Heart palpitations
Testosterone Excess
Do you have too much testosterone? When testosterone levels become elevated you can experience testosterone dominance, many of the common male health problems such as male pattern baldness, general health concerns such as moodiness and irritability are linked to testosterone excess. If you identify with any of the below, testosterone excess symptoms you can test for testosterone excess here. Here are some of the symptoms of testosterone excess:
- Acne
- Deepening of voice
- Irritability
- Moodiness
- Loss of scalp hair
- Male pattern hair growth
- Clitoral enlargement (See female hormone imbalances here)
- Insomnia
Testosterone & DHEA Imbalances
Men are more than ever experiencing imbalances related to a combination of testosterone and DHEA imbalances, DHEA is a hormone that supports testosterone production and balances male hormones. An imbalance of these important hormones are responsible for the many symptoms discussed about men these days. Symptoms related to this problems effect men in three ways such as:
Head
- Hair loss (upper)
- Pale look
- Small wrinkles around eyes, mouth & or the cheeks
- Poor moustache and beard growth in men
Body
- Poor muscles
- Gynaecomastia (Man boobs)
- Flabby belly
- Cellulite
- Poor body hair
Mental
- Poor mental strength, hesitating, anxious, hyper emotional
- Poor physical endurance
- Poor libido and sexual potency
(ADAM) Androgen Deficiency & Anxiety
Andropause is said to be the male equivalent of the female menopause. Men’s hormones become in decline and men often experience a lack of confidence which is often what testosterone increases. Men who have androgen deficiency experiences the following symptoms:
- 90% complain of nervousness
- 80% of irritability
- 56% of uneasiness
- 49% of excitability
- 40% of fear
- 34% on unnecessary worrying
All of these symptoms decrease or disappear when the underlying cause is investigated and resolved. Testing for ADAM is the best way to discover if your symptoms are related so that natural therapies can be used to restore hormonal balance and of course confidence.
Do you have ADAM?
By answering the following questions you can establish good reasons for testing for ADAM.
- Do you have a decreased libido?
- Do you have a lack of energy?
- Do you have decreased strength and or endurance?
- Have you lost some height?
- Are you sad or grumpy?
- Have you noticed a decreased enjoyment of life?
- Are your erections less strong?
- Have you noticed reduced ability to play sports?
- Are you falling asleep after dinner?
- Has there been recent deterioration in your work performance?
Causes of Male Hormone Imbalances
There many different ways that male hormones can become imbalanced, here we will look at the most common causes and what you can do to resolve them. The most important thing to remember in regards to male hormone imbalance is that it is not normal, using HRT (hormone replacement therapy covers up the fact that something is interrupting your hormone imbalance and it can be fixed once you know why you have developed the imbalance.
Estrogen Dominance
Estrogen is the predominant female hormone, so when you hear of estrogen dominance we are not talking about men being dominated by women’s hormones. Estrogen dominance is a condition where a male has higher than average levels of estrogen’s in his body, these estrogen’s have built up over time due to a liver problem that has failed to detoxify the excess estrogen’s which leaves them to “dominate” over testosterone which ends up deficient.
It’s important to understand that estrogen is a chemical that is used in literally hundreds of applications to make products such as plastics for example. Testing for estrogen dominance can point out a liver detoxification problem which can be resolved helping you get that excess estrogen out which can restore your valuable testosterone levels to normal.
Nutritional Imbalances
People who experience hormonal imbalances often have serious nutritional imbalances that don’t respond to taking nutritional supplements, these imbalances left unchecked can easily cause hormonal imbalances. Taking a simple hair mineral analysis can help uncover hidden nutritional problems and reveal heavy metal toxicity which is often causing metabolic disorders making it much harder for your body to produce and or maintain hormonal balance. Just one simple mineral imbalances can set up a chain of events that can cause serious hormonal problems including disease.
Thyroid Imbalances
The thyroid and the sex hormones work together, it’s not uncommon for you to have a thyroid problem that is causing your male hormone imbalance. Testing your thyroid hormones can reveal causes behind your hormone imbalance and is often linked to changes metabolism and many other symptoms experienced by male sex hormone problems.
Heavy Metals
Heavy metals can interfere with hormones. Heavy metal toxicity is a very common problem when it comes to hormone imbalance, this is because heavy metals get into the body and interfere with nutritional elements that support hormone production. Men often work in jobs that have them in constant exposure to metals, these can accumulate over time causing toxicity. Taking a hair mineral analysis is a great place to start to discover if heavy metal toxicity is involved in hormonal imbalances.
Metabolic Disorders
Many men have metabolic disorders that cause them to have hormone imbalances, metabolic disorders influence how your hormones work, often these men have trouble with any of the following:
- Weight gain
- Blood sugar imbalances
- Syndrome X
- Infertility (Low sperm count)
- Stretch marks
- Low or poor immunity
- Nutritional problems
- Mental health disorders
Metabolic disorders are very common problems and they can affect a man’s health dramatically. Often men who have a history of any of the above symptoms have trouble metabolizing nutrients, making optimal hormones and usually have trouble detoxifying which makes it harder for them to control excess estrogen’s and maintain optimal testosterone. Choosing the right organic acids test can make a big difference to these men when it comes to hormone balance. An organic acids test can show chemical pathways that are being interfered with and a personalized nutritional program can help restore good health and good hormone regulation. Ask one of our health practitioners about the best test for you here.
Amino Acids
Men naturally seek out foods that are higher in the building blocks known as amino acids such as meat. This is usually because men have different requirements nutritionally than women due to their physical body. Amino acids are extremely important to maintaining and building a mans body including the development of male hormones.
Amino acids can become out of balance and supplementing with protein powders often does not solve an amino acid deficiency. Men who suspect a hormonal imbalance are encouraged to test for amino acid balance, this can highlight severe deficiencies and excess amino acids that may be behind the male hormone imbalance.
Men, don’t ignore your hormones!
Hormone imbalances are a signal from your body to let you know that something is wrong, it is not normal at any age, simply replacing hormones with medications only covers up a potentially serious problem/s that is more often than not preventable and goes a long way to preventing other potentially serious health problems down the track. ask one of our professional natural health practitioners to help you solve your hormone imbalances.