In keeping with my philosophy regarding the use of natural products whenever possible to obtain and maintain health and wellness, we treat this condition using natural testosterone in the form of injections of Testosterone Cypionate. Patients are given a physiologic replacement dose. This dose can be adjusted to allow our patients to receive the optimal benefits of testosterone without the side effects of other forms of testosterone. Patients take an herbal supplement, Saw Palmetto, in conjunction with testosterone. Saw Palmetto decreases the conversion of testosterone to DHT, which can cause benign prostatic hyperplasia. We conducted our own in-house study regarding testosterone supplementation in male allergy patients. The results of the study indicated that the vast majority of patients experienced significant improvement of many symptoms, including fatigue, mental sharpness, memory, abstract thinking, mathematical ability, goal setting, initiative, assertiveness, decisiveness, sense of well being, self confidence, depressed moods, anxiety, irritability, muscle strength and romantic inclinations.

In our medical practice, the diagnosis of hypotestosteronemia is made primarily by taking a thorough clinical history from the patient. Blood tests, including free testosterone levels and less often, luteinizing hormone (LH) and follicular stimulating hormone (FSH) are also helpful in the detection of low testosterone.

The causes of low testosterone are many and varied. Primarily, testosterone declines as men age. Another prevalent reason for the decline in testosterone in males of all ages is the exposure in our environment to petrochemicals. Xenoestrogens are byproducts of the petrochemicals in our environment. Petrochemicals enter our bodies through a variety of mechanisms, including the air we breathe, the water we drink, the foods we eat and the products with which our bodies come into contact, such as lotions and creams. Very simply, when petrochemicals enter the body, they are often converted to Xenoestrogens. Xenoestrogens then disrupt the synthesis and metabolism of the body’s hormones. As a result, males produce less and less natural testosterone. In fact, an article published in Baillieres Clinical Obstetrical Gynecology in 1997 entitled Declining Sperm Quality: A Review of Facts and Hypotheses, stated that there has been a 50% decrease in male sperm count since 1960. Environmental physicians attribute this decline to the growing exposure to petrochemical products and the resulting xenoestrogens. Other causes of low levels of testosterone in males include primary testicular dysfunction, also known as Klinefelter Syndrome, pituitary dysfunction and hypothalamic dysfunction.

Many health food stores carry wild yam creams which contain diosgenin. Diosgenin is termed a phytohormone, which means plant hormone. Often these products are claimed to contain progesterone or progesterone building phytohormones. Diosgenin is not progesterone and cannot be converted by our bodies into progesterone or any other hormone. While some women may experience a partial improvement of their symptoms using wild yam creams, you should not be misled into thinking that this is the same as bio-identical hormone supplementation or replacement.

Many different brands of over the counter progesterone cream products are available. The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) limits the maximum amount of progesterone that can be present per ounce of these creams. The FDA only allows these products to be sold as skin care products. In many of these products the amount of progesterone present is not even listed. The purity of the progesterone in these over the counter creams varies greatly from company to company. Contrary to what some authors have written, progesterone is poorly absorbed through the skin. This is why I recommend slow release BellaFem Progesterone which is released over a twelve hour period in the small intestine.

The use of natural, bioidentical human hormones is not taught in medical schools. You are probably wondering, “Why not?” It is because medical schools have adopted the belief, propagated by the drug companies, that the medical problems of aging can be treated with drugs or surgery. Medical schools do not teach future physicians how to help people get well and stay well. Rather, they teach budding physicians how to intervene when people get sick. The mainstream medical establishment does not view illness as caused by a decline or imbalance of our own naturally occurring hormones. Illness is seen as an opportunity to prescribe drugs. If you do not think that this is the case, then take a look in your medicine cabinet.

When our bodies no longer produce our hormones in adequate amounts to maintain good health, we should restore our faltering hormone levels with the same biologically identical hormones that our bodies currently make. The term bioidentical does not refer to the source from which they are derived. Because the supplemented bioidentical hormone molecules are exactly the same as those which we produce, then they are identical in action. The cells of the human body benefit from the supplemented bio-identical hormones in identically the same way they benefit from the hormones which the human body produces.

The cells of our body have receptors for each of our bio-identical hormones. When we supplement with bioidentical hormone supplementation, then we are replenishing the body with the same identical hormone molecules that our body has always made. Because these hormones are bioidentical they bind quickly to the receptors and cause the appropriate effect. Our body has enzymes which breakdown the bioidentical hormones quickly and metabolize them so that they can be excreted from our system.

Bioidentical hormones are derived from diosgenin, a plant molecule found in soybeans and wild yams. Diosgenin is extracted from these plants and converted into progesterone in the laboratory. Progesterone can then be converted into the three human estrogen hormones, estrone, estradiol, and estriol, and also converted into human estosterone, cortisol, dihydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and pregnenolone.

Counterfeit hormones produced by drug companies have different molecular structures than the bio-identical hormones. They bind to the receptors in our cells in such a way that they are not easily broken down and removed by a woman’s body. It may take several months for the counterfeit hormones to be cleared from the body. This can cause an exaggerated hormonal effect, which can lead to a host of side effects.

Counterfeit hormones, including birth control pills, are produced by pharmaceutical companies and do not occur naturally in the human body. The counterfeit hormones are synthetically produced by making chemical changes to the bio-identical human hormones. The drug company counterfeit hormones are not biologically identical to naturally occurring human hormones. The counterfeit hormones include those hormones commonly used by mainstream medicine for hormone replacement therapy and for birth control. They do produce some effects similar to the bioidentical hormones in a woman’s body but are also associated with numerous side effects, many of which are serious. The counterfeit hormones create a state of estrogen dominance and progesterone deficiency. Common side effects of the counterfeit hormones are headaches, including migraines, breast tenderness, mood swings, fluid retention, weight gain, and loss of libido. They are also associated with an increased incidence of breast cancer, heart disease, strokes and blood clots to the lungs. The numerous and severe side effects of counterfeit hormones are listed in the Physician’s Desk Reference. The counterfeit hormones also prevent the production of women’s own natural female hormones and pheromones making them less attractive to men. There is no reason for any woman to poison her body every day with counterfeit hormones when safe and effective BellaFem Bioidentical hormones are available.

Progesterone has the following effects which counterbalance the estrogen hormones:

• matures the uterine lining preventing excess buildup of tissue,
• inhibits breast tissue overgrowth, preventing fibrocystic breast disease,
• has a diuretic effect which mobilizes fluid, decreasing swelling,
• enhances the action of thyroid hormones, increasing metabolism,
• stimulates the production of new bone, protecting against osteoporosis,
• increases the sex drive,
• protects against breast cancer and uterine cancer,
• thins the blood, preventing blood clots,
• supports the function of the adrenal glands,
• elevates mood, and
• promotes pregnancy.

• stimulate growth of the lining of the womb or uterus,
• cause breast tissue to develop and grow,
• promote fat storage and weight gain,
• promote fluid retention,
• cause thickening of the blood,
• decrease bone loss, but do not stimulate new bone growth
• increase emotional sensitivity,
• activate progesterone receptors,
• inhibit the sex drive, and
  stimulate the production of thyroid binding globulin by the liver, inhibiting the action of the thyroid hormones.
• causes feminization

Progesterone is the hormone secreted by the ovaries after a woman produces an egg during the middle of her menstrual cycle. Progesterone is the dominant female hormone for the last half of the menstrual cycle.

Female hormonal balance between the estrogen hormones and progesterone is essential in order for women to obtain and maintain health and wellness. The three human estrogen hormones have numerous effects on the body which require the balance of progesterone to prevent the hyper effects of estrogen dominance which can lead to a host of health problems. (See What are the Benefits of Progesterone?) Good health occurs when the hormones in the body are produced in adequate amounts and are in balance. Think of this as hormonal harmony, as if the hormones are a symphony orchestra. If one section of the orchestra, say the brass section, is too loud, then this will drown out the other sections of the orchestra and ruin the symphony.