Vital Male

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Lifestyle

Hormones 101

 

The primary physiological basis of maleness is the hormone testosterone. This wonderful hormone produces our distinguishing male characteristics, a process that begins very early in fetal development creating the uniquely male brain and determining our sexual characteristics. During puberty as testosterone levels increase boys become men.

 

The production of testosterone in adult males is necessary to drive libido, maintain and gain muscle mass, assist growth hormone, sustain metabolic rates and insure that our thought processes are distinctly male. It is this last little piece of the puzzle that has brought testosterone so much grief in the last thirty years. We are taught as gospel that testosterone causes violent behavior when in fact there is not a shred of evidence to back this statement up. It causes an individual to act on his intellect or his emotions, any emotions, faster and this admittedly has caused some problems.

 

Maybe we should look at why males are so angry if we want to understand the root of the problem. It is very likely that males are angry because there is something wrong. Anger is a means to an end evolutionarily speaking. There may be something wrong with our immediate situation or, perhaps more importantly, with our society. If males had appropriate channels for their anger, like social change, the world would be a better place. Testosterone is a fuel for change, and maybe that is why it has been so demonized by our culture of homogeneity.

 

Testosterone is not just about aggression. It is passion, drive, persistence, altruism and much more. The true question is can we allow the virtuosity of maleness to dominate for the betterment of society or are we going to throw the baby boy out with the bath water. There is not doubt that a balanced social order would empower and respect the feminine equally but we don’t have to drag maleness down in order to achieve that balance. It is well past time for us to step outside of the lowest common denominator solution to social ills. Empowerment does not come through legislation or regulation but through respect, education and hard work.

 

Testosterone is crucial in the regenerative process in the human body and in males in particular. It works in tandem with growth hormone to rebuild tissue and repair the damage incurred through the use of our bodies. Muscle bulk and lean body mass are important aspects of this equation and consequently so are diet and exercise. Diet, exercise and the resulting body composition are all important factors in the production and maintenance of testosterone and growth hormone levels. This magnificent duo is responsible for the general health of males and plays a key role in longevity and a man’s ability to enjoy said longevity.

 

The demonization of traits which are inherently male creates a blind eye towards a pervasive problem in western society. Males are in fact becoming less masculine and no one seems to notice or most certainly care. Part of this is due to conditioning but there is a growing body of evidence to suggest there are other more insidious factors at work as well. Many lifestyle factors play a significant role in the growth and maintenance of the endocrine system. Exogenous factors can easily wreak havoc on the delicate balance of this powerful system of relationships. Soy baby formula is a good case in point.

 

The most serious problem with soy formula is the presence of phytoestrogens or isoflavones. While many claims have been made about the health benefits of these estrogen-like compounds, animal studies indicate that they are powerful endocrine disrupters that alter growth patterns and cause sterility. Toxicologists estimate that an infant exclusively fed soy formula receives the estrogenic equivalent of at least five birth control pills per day. By contrast, almost no phytoestrogens have been detected in dairy-based infant formula or in human milk, even when the mother consumes soy products. A recent study found that babies fed soy-based formula had 13,000 to 22,0000 times more isoflavones in their blood than babies fed milk-based formula. Scientists have known for years that isoflavones in soy products can depress thyroid function, causing autoimmune thyroid disease and even cancer of the thyroid. But what are the effects of soy products on the hormonal development of the infant, both male and female?

Male infants undergo a "testosterone surge" during the first few months of life, when testosterone levels may be as high as those of an adult male. During this period, the infant is programmed to express male characteristics after puberty, not only in the development of his sexual organs and other masculine physical traits, but also in setting patterns in the brain characteristic of male behavior. In monkeys, deficiency of male hormones impairs learning and the ability to perform visual discrimination tasks-such as would be required for reading-and retards the development of spatial perception, which is normally more acute in men than in women.

It goes without saying that future patterns of sexual orientation may also be influenced by the early hormonal environment. Pediatricians are noticing greater numbers of boys whose physical maturation is delayed, or does not occur at all, including lack of development of the sexual organs. Learning disabilities, especially in male children, have reached epidemic proportions. Soy infant feeding-which floods the bloodstream with female hormones that could inhibit the effects of male hormones-cannot be ignored as a possible cause for these tragic developments.

Sally Fallon

 

This is just one of a host of assaults on the production and maintenance of testosterone in the male body. Most men still believe that the more they work out the better when in fact the over-training and blind faith in the importance of cardio cause men to actively deplete their testosterone production.

 

Our diet is also often a problem. Over consumption of carbohydrates creates a cyclical roller coaster of hormonal stress patterns that leave us weak and depleted. The faddish and unsubstantiated low fat diet depletes us of the base nutrients from which anabolic hormones, such as growth hormone and testosterone, are created.

The onslaught of exogenous estrogens in our diet and drinking water is so pervasive that one is well advised to counter act this with a potent anti-estrogen such as saw palmetto

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All is not lost. With the help of independent and iconoclastic researchers and writers such as Rob Faigin , Marty Gallagher, Ori Hoefmeckler, and Pavel Tsatsouline. We have all the tools we need to start living the life we were born to live as vital, happy and fulfilled men.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To contact us: Tao Health Center

512.799.4186

Devon@TaoHealthCenter.com