Ft. Lauderdale Bioidentical Hormones Expert, Jeffrey Thackrey, M.D. Discusses How Hormone-Mimicking Chemicals Are Turning Boys Into Girls
An article recently published on NaturalNews.com discussed hormone-mimicking chemicals such as phthalates, bisphenol A (BPA), PVC and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB’s) and how daily contact with these environmental toxins can oftentimes lead to hormonal imbalances and in some cases life-threatening diseases. According to the article, these chemicals build up inside our bodies and are resistant to environmental degradation, meaning that it takes a longer time for residual traces to dissipate. Scientists believe that these “endocrine disrupting chemicals” have attributed to a lower male birth rate, stating that, in the past, approximately 106 male children were born for every 100 females; however, recent studies have revealed that this trend has actually reversed. There’s an overwhelming amount of evidence that suggests that this change is a direct result of xenoestrogens – man-made chemicals that have estrogenic effects throughout the body – being used in the manufacture of a wide variety of consumer-based products.
Read more here: Gender-Bender Chemicals are Turning Boys into Girls
- Click here to register: FREE Ft. Lauderdale Bioidentical Hormone Therapy Seminar
- Contact bioidentical hormones doctors in Ft. Lauderdale and get more information about bioidentical hormone therapy.
- Contact Louisville-area bioidentical hormones expert, Dr. Jeffrey Thackrey
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Testosterone Testimonial
We have placed a really well-thought-out article (a letter to Roanoke Times) on this blog for you to read. It’s about TRT (testosterone replacement therapy). The author is using bioidentical hormones to balance testosterone levels.
Men, you should read this article. It clearly argues that there is a difference, not made clear by many physicians or researchers, between bioidentical and synthetic hormones used in replacement. Most, if not all, problems referred to in the medical and research literature (as this testimonial notes) occur in reference to synthetic products.
Read this article. For my part, I feel it truly reflects my issues and my subsequent resolution of many of them. Just today my primary physician gave me a full physical exam (including extensive blood testing) and everything was good. So good I am able to STOP taking all of the prescription medications she had previously prescribed. (If you don’t understand all of the technical references in the article, not to worry. You will find this read reassuring.)
Here's what Michael McCarty – patient of Dr. Heidi Archer of BodyLogicMD of Vail and Potomac Falls had to say:
"I went to my family doctor, then to a urologist and finally an endocrinologist. I questioned my levels of hormones. In all cases they said, diet and exercise was all I needed. All of them wanted to mask my real problem by prescribing me medications for my ‘symptoms”. They wanted me on medicine for diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol, anxiety and erectile dysfunction. That’s five different medications! I refused to put those toxins in my body. The side effects are many which usually lead to more medication. So, being desperate and knowing what the real problem was, I went to see a doctor from BodyLogicMD, Dr. Heidi Archer. She is in Potomac Falls, VA. The doctors at BodyLogicMD are expertly trained in hormone replacement therapy. Not only that they understand nutrition and exercise. They believe in taking nutritional supplements. They are on the cutting edge of the aging human. Is it expensive? Not at all. I feel better now than at age 25!..."
New test to show my progress on bioidentical hormones
I am about to find out what progress I have made in my bioidentical hormones program to build a healthier body and mind. Let me give you some observations as I experience it and some thoughts I have:
- Overall, I feel better
- I have lost 7 to 8 lbs – I’m moving the belt in the opposite direction than before
- I have stopped taking prescription medication for acid reflux – (two meds)
- I am exercising more – although I had to stop for two weeks due to illness
- I am hoping I can stop taking a medication for high cholesterol because it really makes me feel bad when I take it – I have stopped for a few days and notice the difference
- Libido is better
- Stress hormone (cortisol), I suspect, hasn’t changed that much. It seems I have fewer days of fatigue in the afternoon, but not enough
- I need to do more free-weight lifting exercise to try and build up muscle and get more of my man-belly to turn to good use
- Amazing enough, I feel I look better – not just the weight reduction but “brighter” looking
- I worry about the slowdown in weight reduction – that may be my impatience. I still have at least 10 lbs to lose.
We’ll see what the blood tests show. There are about twelve of them -- when I get blood drawn about halfway through the process I think I’ll have no blood left. I am hoping the testosterone will be increased. I am happy with the diet in that eliminating gluten, dairy and red meat makes my digestion far better – eliminating my irritable bowel symptoms.
No doubt progress has been made. Will likely have to do this for the rest of my life. I still need to get used to it, however.
Exercise – So What’s Up With That?
Let me be honest here, I don’t like to exercise. I like to walk and hike but other than walking my dog, Harriet, not much exercise is happening in my life.
Early on, as I was reviewing some of my blogmates’ posts on MenopauseManiac.com, I saw a video of one of the BodyLogicMD doctors talking to a patient about exercise. The doc was suggesting that the patient should get on a treadmill three or four times a week and walk fast enough to get her heartbeat to over 100 BPM for 20 minutes. O.K. I can do that, but as a man I feel the rate needs to be more like 115 or above. I started with that goal and within a few gym visits I could do that easily – in fact I could increase the rate of the treadmill and still reach that 115 or above heartbeat level. I know that’s good as my body was beginning to accommodate the increased rate.
What’s next is to do something to get the belly weight to be muscle weight. Lifting weights after a 30-minute warm-up on the treadmill is the best way to do that. I made an appointment with my massage therapist, who also teaches exercise training. Tom Bauer (check out the video on this site) suggested before I do the weightlifting that I should do some exercise using an exercise ball to strengthen my core body strength. As one who has had the advantage of Pilates classes, I understood what Tom was saying. I learned those (see video) and we wrote down my starting level to begin with. He also gave me some exercises for my arms, back and chest muscles. I am doing those three times a week – hoping to be on the treadmill more times than that per week.
I have only been doing the core and muscle strengthening for a week. I’ll keep you posted on my progress.
Addressing the whole body’s dysfunction.
O.K. So it’s really important to understand how the body works or doesn’t work or, more importantly, how it tries to accommodate its functions when on the down-grade – getting older. I am not a medical expert (although I was pre-med in college and in the National Guard Medical Corps) but I have learned that as parts wear out, compensation sets in. In many cases of andropause, the goal is to get hormones, nutrition and fitness working closely together toward an optimal level. It’s not enough to just get bioidentical hormone therapy, fitness or nutrition by themselves because they are all connected and must be addressed simultaneously.
So, men, don’t shortchange yourself, as we often want to do. If you want real results, all of these issues must be addressed or the body just reestablishes a new dysfunctional equilibrium.
Test results – Oh My God!
First, let me quickly tell you what I did after signing up with BodyLogicMD. They sent me to a lab with instructions for what blood to have taken for a battery of tests. They also sent me a kit for saliva testing – four small test tubes you fill with saliva and send off to determine your cortisol levels (it’s called the “stress hormone” because it increases blood pressure, blood sugar and reduces immune responses – most importantly it reveals your level of stress). Pay attention to this one, guys!
So, then I went to my BodyLogicMD Doc – that beautiful and fun woman doc I mentioned earlier – Dr. Jennifer Landa in Orlando (poetic, kind of). For over an hour, she reviewed with me the results and gave me a detailed rundown of what I need to do and not do and what I need to take (mostly nutritional supplements or bioidentical hormones).
Second, I had already told her what I thought were important issues I wanted addressed – with her and my help, of course. I mentioned that I had an elevated cholesterol/triglyceride ratio and was taking a small dosage of Crestor. I showed lots of cortisol stress (four hours after I was up in the morning, my cortisol drops to almost zero. Wow!). No wonder I was always feeling tired, needing a nap and having trouble “thinking straight.”
I also told her I knew I was losing muscle tissue and strength. Finally, the obvious: I have that old-man belly I want to get rid of. Those are the essentials.
So, what were the results?
Well, to be brief, I not only have the cortisol issue, but am pre-diabetic, have suboptimal DHEA (the so called “Mother Hormone” – it can adapt to fill the need of other missing hormones – including testosterone (Gents, that’s an important ingredient for good sex, strength, etc.). I am overweight by 20 lbs and need to exercise more. Sound familiar?
So, Dr. Landa gave me the rundown of what I needed to do and take. (Check subsequent posts for more details.) We will have a follow-up in three months – re-testing and checking on progress. I am already looking forward to it.
I know this blog post is missing the maniac touch, but let me tell you after learning about what was and wasn’t happening in this body of mine, I came out of my review session with the good Doc feeling like a maniac! I have to get on it!!
Again, I am committed to this program and will keep you abreast of what’s happening.
So, what’s with the name of this blog?
It was hard to find a name that would work. There was the possibility of Andropause (that’s the actual name for male menopause), but come on, nobody knows what that means. Furthermore, the women have already appropriated a better choice – menopause. We only had one choice: man up (pun intended) and call it MANopause. Besides, as we know from women talking about menopause, all “pauses” aren’t the same for everyone, right? For sure, MANopause and menopause are not very much alike.
I say, let’s get it out there, men. We deserve our own conversation and our own name for this phase of our life cycle. (And as you’ll learn, Andropause doesn’t just affect older men — surprise!) If we talk about this subject enough, maybe it will become as conventional and well-known as menopause is for women.
We added the word Maniac to foster the fun and, sometimes, to acknowledge the downright crazed focus on our body functions. So we call ourselves maniacs to give us some cover for being so vain (and, um, ballsy).
I want to create a space where we can tell it all and stop just accepting the bad things this syndrome can inflict upon us. Screw that! Why should we accept the bathtub- ad solution for erectile dysfunction when we can get to the cause of it and not have to take those medications – with all of their side effects? No more, “Wait honey, I need a break to take a pill.” More like “Honey, let’s get it on now.”
We want those early morning wake-up erections back. I want to feel better – and look as hot as I can. So, let’s MANopause Maniac together here, proudly.
Bioidentical Hormone Therapy… Here Goes!
Trying to live out my life with a healthy dose of taking care of myself. Wow! What a simple concept, right? Wrong.
Belly fat, low energy, arthritis pain, off-and-on depression. Stop! I can’t let that be the life I live if there are choices — and there are.
I admit it, I hate exercise and don’t like being hungry (the on-a-diet kind of hunger). But I am determined to minimize the things I hate by getting back as many of those things I have either lost or dislike living with daily. If I can do that – and diet and exercise are required – I think I can change how I feel about myself.
So, I began this long, life-changing quest last Friday. I was tested to find out how my body-motor is running (that ultimate check-up we all avoid—ESPECIALLY men). Well, guys, the picture isn’t so pretty. The good news is it can be remedied with lots of side positive benefits – including more sex!
BodyLogicMD’s program is specific to bioidentical hormone therapy, nutrition and fitness. They do the testing, and assign you a physician to develop a supportive regime for you to fix, as my 94-year-old mother would say, “what ails you.” I did the tests, and Jennifer Landa, MD gave me the results and a personalized rebuilding plan. I’ll discuss the results — the plan and how it’s going — on this blog.
After getting beyond the overwhelming thing – like learning that the carburetor needs cleaning out, the fuel needs to be upgraded and the tires are almost flat – I am ready to get out of this ditch. I am doing it and I’m going to tell all!
BTW, love my doctor, wow! Everyone should be so lucky to have a beautiful, intelligent, fun woman tell you what you need to do to get back on the road.