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You may remember the ad on TV showing a middle-aged man, a bit overweight and moving slowly, clearly lacking energy and interest in the world around him.
The narrator talks about the chance that he could be suffering from low testosterone. To help make the discussion more palatable to a male consumer, they use the line “Low T – It’s Just a Number”, implying it is not a failure with a guy’s manliness (which it isn’t, of course), it is just a hormone deficiency easily remedied by a drug.
Next, I hope you recall the television ads for attorneys wanting to represent men injured by stroke and heart attack these drugs can cause. Bad news. More bad news is 1 in 4 men over 30 do have low testosterone, and struggle with reduced motivation, self-confidence, and work performance, as well as diminished cardiovascular health.
The good news is there are safe, free solutions to this problem. (In fact, the solution is pretty much the same for most of the health problems we face).
Reduce Stress:The hormone cortisol is released by the adrenal gland with mental and excessive physical stress. Lights late at night also increase cortisol as well as throw off hormonal timing. Cortisol directly suppresses testosterone production, and when prolonged can actually damage the testicular cells, reducing testosterone forever. Meditation, prayer, walking, exercise and slow deep breathing are helpful here.
Eat a Low Glycemic Diet:The high amounts of grains and sugars in the typical diet raises blood sugar which increases insulin. As insulin increases so does cortisol. Your body’s ability to recognize insulin (insulin sensitivity) then drops, resulting in more insulin and cortisol production, less testosterone and one step closer to diabetes.
Exercise with Intensity:A single exercise session to exhaustion has been shown to increase insulin sensitivity and increase testosterone. A great approach is “interval training” – a harder exertion followed by a short rest, then repeated. You can warm-up walking, then walk briskly (or briskly uphill, if more work is needed), for 20 seconds, breathing through the nose. Follow this by a couple of minutes at an easy pace. Repeat 5 times or so.
Get Sun:Sunlight exposure has been shown to increase testosterone. Vitamin D, and other needed hormones are created by sun on the skin, and are shown to increase immune response, help protect against internal cancers as well as diseases like MS, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
The only side-effects from the above actions are better health and happiness. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Dr. Huntington practices Chiropractic, Biomedical Acupuncture and Physiotherapy in Oracle, Az. 520-896-9844 huntingtonchiro@hotmail.com.
John Huntington is a local business owner in Oracle. He is a chiropractor with many years in the community. He writes a health related article in Pinal Nugget.
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