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Antiaging
Services
Today we are equipped with sophisticated diagnostic tests to measure declining hormone level as micronutrients, Oxidative stress on the body can also be tested and treated if found in pathological limits. The replacement therapies to correct these deficiencies work in well-documented scientific guidelines.
Menopause Menopause is a natural process that occurs in women’s lives as a part of normal aging. Many women go through the menopausal transition with few or no symptoms, while some have significant or even disabling symptoms. Menopause is defined as the permanent cessation of menstrual periods that occurs naturally or is induced by surgery, chemotherapy or radiation. Natural menopause is recognized after 12 consecutive months without menstrual periods tnat are not associated with a physiological cause. Menopausal transition begins with variations in length of the menstrual cycle. The median age of menopause in women is ~ 51 years (range, 41 to 59 years), but ovarian production of estrogen and progestin begins to decrease years before the complete cessation of menses. Lower levels of circulating estrogen contribute to the accelerated bone loss and increased low-density lipoprotein levels that occur around menopause. The average woman who reaches menopause has a life expectancy of nearly 30 years. The probability that a menopausal woman will develop various chronic diseases over her lifetime has been estimated to be 46 percent for CHD, 20 percent for stroke, 15 percent for hip fracture, 10 percent for breast cancer, and 2.6 percent for endometrial cancer. In North America, an estimated 7-8 percent of people 75 to 84 years of age have dementia, and postmenopausal women have a 1.4- to 3.0-fold higher risk for Alzheimer's disease than do men. The lifetime risk for developing colorectal cancer for a woman in the United States is 6 percent, with more than 90 percent of cases occurring after 50 years of age. Many of these causes of morbidity in older women appear to be influenced by estrogen or progestin. Osteoporosis affects a large proportion of postmenopausal women, and the prevalence of osteoporosis increases steadily with age. In the postmenopausal period, decline of estrogen production is associated with reduction of bone mineral density. Bone density is estimated to decrease by 2 percent each year during the first 5 years after menopause, followed by an annual loss of approximately 1 percent for the rest of a woman's life. On the basis of commonly used criteria, up to 70 percent of women older than 80 years of age have osteoporosis
Hormone replacement
therapy is one of the most commonly prescribed drug regimens for
postmenopausal women. Many women use HRT to treat symptoms of
menopause, but the possible ability of HRT to prevent chronic
conditions, such as osteoporosis, CHD, Alzheimer's disease, and
colorectal cancer, has also contributed to the increase in HRT
use over the past decade. More recently, however, randomized controlled
trials have not only failed to confirm many of these benefits,
but also have shown that HRT use is associated with an increased
risk of adverse events (fatal and non-fatal coronary events, strokes,
clots, and breast cancer). The current thinking is that HRT is
most appropriately used short-term for the treatment of menopausal
symptoms. Somatopause Somatopause is the decline in growth hormone (GH) level that occurs gradually from young adulthood throughout life, and it occurs in both sexes at roughly the same rate. This decline in GH leads to a decline in IGF-1, the hormone-like substance that is made in the liver in response to GH. The decline in IGF-1 also parallels the decline of all the attributes related to testosterone. Reduction of GH (and IGF-1) leads to increase in body fat, waistline, waist to hip ratio (an indicator for risk of heart attack), LDL cholesterol, average days of illness, and hospitalisation rate. The assessment of one's growth hormone secretion is an important part of any anti-aging medicine evaluation for two reasons. The first is that the signs and symptoms of a declining GH level are not as obvious as, for example, the cessation of periods or hot flushes in a women when her estrogen level falls. The second is that with regard to GH, people age at very different rates. While on average the decline is 50% every 7 to 10 years (so that by age 50 the majority of people have significantly lowered GH secretion), a 35 year may have a GH level of an average 70 year old and the same holds true in reverse. Body composition, in particular the amount of abdominal fat, as well as aerobic fitness significantly impact one's GH secretion; the more abdominal fat you have the less GH you secrete, and the more fit you are, the more GH you secrete. Growth hormone makes
sleep better and you awaken refreshed with more energy and improved
aerobic capacity. Average bone density increases over the course
of a year. The skin becomes thicker and smoother with fewer wrinkles.
Spider veins also tend to decrease as a virtue of thickening of
the skin. The cholesterol profile usually improves as LDL cholesterol
generally is reduced with the use of GH. Finally, there is an
enhanced feeling of well being, often described as mood elevation. The impact of decreasing androgens is known as andropause, also called "male menopause" or PADAM – Partial Androgen Deficiency in the Ageing Male. It is a normal part of ageing, although, for some men it is accompanied by a gradual and undesired decline in their sexuality, mood and overall energy. Sometimes it can even expose men to more serious health risks. Starting at about age 30, testosterone levels drop by about 10 percent every decade. At the same time, another factor in the body called Sex Binding Hormone Globulin, or SHBG, is increasing. SHBG traps much of the testosterone that is still circulating and makes it unavailable to exert its effects in the body's tissues. What's left over does the beneficial work and is known as "bioavailable" testosterone. The existence of andropause is recognised by the international medical community. A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report, states that male androgens progressively decline with age. The study tested androgen levels at age 25 and by age 70, androgen levels were only 10 percent of what they were during youth. Andropause is associated with low (bioavailable) testosterone levels. Every man experiences a decline of bioavailable testosterone but some men's levels dip lower than others. And when this happens these men can experience andropausal symptoms. These symptoms can impact their quality of life and may expose them to other, longer-term risks of low-testosterone. It is estimated that 30 percent of men in their 50s will have testosterone levels low enough to be causing symptoms or putting them at risk. Andropause is often underdiagnosed because symptoms can be vague and can vary a lot among individuals. Some men find it difficult to admit that there's even a problem. And often physicians didn't always think of low-testosterone levels as a possible culprit. So these factors often lead doctors to conclude that symptoms were related to other medical conditions (i.e. depression) or were simply related to ageing and often encouraged their patients to accept that "they were no longer spring chickens". When there is less testosterone available to do its work, the testosterone target-organ response decreases, bringing about many changes. There is great variability in testosterone levels among healthy men so not all will experience the same changes to the same extent. But typical responses to low bioavailable testosterone levels include:
Over the past few years, many reports have appeared in the lay press about testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) in healthy aging men. The decision to start TRT is a complex and personal decision. There are many well-documented beneficial effects of maintaining a youthful level of testosterone, and we believe that the preponderance of evidence supports its use in most aging men. But our knowledge is incomplete—as it often is in clinical medicine—and so one must understand the many variables that factor into the decision to start TRT. In various clinical studies, very good responses to testosterone have been reported for men with low-testosterone and they include:
With testosterone therapy, one's attitude improves, reinforcing self-esteem and self-confidence at work, as well as an increased energy at home and in social activities. Most men will feel more vigorous, experience improved energy levels, mood, concentration, cognition, libido, sexual performance and an overall sense of well-being. These effects are usually noted within 3 to 6 weeks. Other potential benefits include maintenance or improvement in bone density, improved body composition, muscle mass and muscle strength, as well as improvement in visual-spatial skills. |
Longevity
research has proven beyond doubt that certain hormones and nutrients
found in our bodies gradually diminish as we age. The first hormone
to be researched in this area was Estrogen the declining level
of which results in a well known condition called Menopause. The
scientists have now discovered that parallel condition in males
also exists. It is called Andropause and because of declining
levels of Testosterone and a similar hormone from adrenal gland
called DHEA (Dehydropiandrosterone ). Declining level of a Growth
Hormones results in condition called Somatopause. The symptoms
are declining sense of well being, reduced energy levels reduced
sexual desire, repeated infections and low immunological status
and decreased muscle mass and increased fat mass. Other hormones
like Melatonin, Thyroid hormones also retard with age.
