Natural Hormone Therapy for Senior Men

Just like with women, as men age, they undergo various changes in their bodies. Usually, a man can expect his abdominal fat to increase and his muscle mass to decrease as he gets older. In addition, senior men tend to have a lower sex drive because of a gradual decline in testosterone. As a result, many aging men experience not only depression but also a higher risk of developing heart disease.

Treatment

• Men with low testosterone are often treated with antidepressants and/or cholesterol-lowering drugs. Since there seems to be a correlation between declining hormone levels and age-related conditions like fatigue, diabetes, high blood pressure, and loss of both bone and muscle mass, senior men are more and more often being treated with hormone therapy. Before asking you doctor about hormone replacement therapy, have your hormone levels tested, perhaps several times, to determine a normal range for you. Ideally you will have yourself tested before you are 50 so that you have a baseline reading for comparison.

Natural Choices

• Get a prescription for a variety of natural testosterone drugs after your doctor has determined that your levels are deficient. The options available include oral supplementation tablets, injections, implants, or skin patches.

  Certain nutrients can increase testosterone availability, and natural supplements can be helpful in complementing hormone replacement therapy. One such supplement is zinc. Taking 50 mg/day of zinc can increase testosterone levels and help the body synthesize this hormone. Another supplement to consider is carnitine. Taking 1,000 to 2,000 mg/day of this amino acid derivative may be more effective than testosterone in improving the conditions of depression and sexual dysfunction experienced by senior men. In addition, 500 to 1,000 mg/day of quercetin has the ability to inhibit the synthesis of estrogen, which can be very helpful to aging men. Also, 320 mg/day of saw palmetto and 240 mg/day of nettle extracts can reduce the symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate.

  Antioxidants (including 200 mcg/day of selenium, 400 IU/day of vitamin E with at least 200 mg of gamma-tocopherol, and 5000 IU/day of vitamin A) can increase testosterone production. Cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower, are antioxidants and potent inducers of certain proteins that are believed to suppress the formation of prostate cancer. Either eat these vegetables or take 400 mg/day of cruciferous vegetable extract.

  Other supplements with the potential to help senior men include 850 mg/day of muira puama, 1,500 mg/day of chrysin, 10 mg/day of piperine to enhance the absorption of chrysin, and 15 to 75 mg/day of DHEA.

Precautions

• If you choose any type of testosterone therapy, be aware that it is not safe to use large amounts of this hormone. Increasing testosterone levels can cause certain conditions, like prostate cancer, to worsen. So any man considering hormone replacement therapy should consult his physician first.