Everyone knows what happens to women when menopause begins when they hit middle age, but people don’t hear or talk much about Male menopause, or andropause.

Andropause is a syndrome related to aging, may begin in men as early as their 40s. Andropause consists of physical, sexual and psychological symptoms that include sexual dysfunction, weakness, fatigue, reduced muscle and bone mass, anemia, diminished reproductive abilities, depression, anxiety, irritability, insomnia, memory impairment and reduced cognitive function.

In short, males have a mid-life crisis caused by declining levels of the dominant male hormone — Testosterone. Testosterone levels begin dropping at a rate of 2 percent per year after age 40. Approximately half the men ages 60 to 80 years old are below normal testosterone levels.

It shouldn’t happen. But it does because of chemicals in drugs we take and the products in our environment.

New studies show that a growing percentage of young men – particularly athletic men — is seeing andropause-like conditions start much earlier and this early onset is likely caused by use of over-the-counter pain relievers containing ibuprofen: Advil and Motrin in the U.S.

These findings stemmed from research into the effects of aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen on pregnant women conducted by the Institute of Research in Environmental and Occupational Health in France. Researchers learned that all three of these drugs affected the testicles of male babies.

According to a report on the study at CNN.com:

All three drugs then are “anti-androgenic,” meaning they disrupt male hormones, explained David M. Kristensen, study co-author and a senior scientist in the Department of Neurology at Copenhagen University Hospital.

The three drugs even increased the likelihood that male babies would be born with congenital malformations, Kristensen noted… Knowing this, “we wondered what would happen in the adult,” he said. They focused their investigation on ibuprofen, which had the strongest effects.

What researchers learned was that the men taking ibuprofen had their levels of testosterone dropped while their levels of luteinizing hormones – secreted by the pituitary gland – increased, which created an imbalance. This imbalance created a condition associated with impaired fertility and depression and increased their risk for cardiovascular events like heart attack and stroke. These side effects are not even listed as ibuprofen side effects at Drugs.com.

Male fertility has been decreasing for generations. In a Florida study I told Bob Livingston Letter® readers about way back in 1996, we learned that in the year 1929, the average young American male adult produced 100 million sperm cells per milliliter of semen. In 1973, 44 years later, the average sperm count had dropped to 60 million/ml. By 1980, the average count was down to 20 million/ml. Incredible!

More recently, the Journal of Human Reproduction Update found that the sperm counts for men in North America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand experienced a 52 percent decline in sperm concentration and a 59 percent decline in total sperm count over a 40-year period ending in 2011.

Environmentally, our bodies are being inundated with synthetic estrogens – called xenoestrogens — that are making their way into our bodies pretending to be biological estrogen. They are found in our soil, water, air, food supply, personal care and household products. And all of these products reach us with government approval or government sanction.

These xenoestrogens are negatively affecting the reproductive health of men, according to a study published in Environmental Health Perspectives. The study found that instances of testicular cancer and male reproductive disorders are increasing because of exposure to “supranormal levels of estrogens.” Additionally, xenoestrogens are causing a rise in instances of gynecomastia – man boobs – in boys and men.

Along with these physical changes, xenoestrogens create radical emotional changes as well, likely leading to the increase in male homosexuality and the mental illness of gender dysphoria.

As testosterone levels decline, male virility begins a gradual decline attended by distinct and visible health problems.

It’s a double negative to lose testosterone and gain estrogen. The negative is further compounded by the xenoestrogens mentioned above. This excess estrogen begins to show in unnatural weight gain, especially around the mid-section.

More to the point, female and male menopause seem to be triggered at the same time as natural testosterone and progesterone decline. At the very same time, men—and especially women—begin the onset of estrogen dominance.

To combat the problem of estrogen dominance, begin by throwing the ibuprofen out of the medicine cabinet, get your testosterone levels tested and take steps to restore hormonal balance.  But know this: the definition of healthy levels of testosterone according to mainstream medicine are very low. They want you to think a level of 270 ng/dl is acceptable for the average male. But that’s at the very bottom of the average level of all adult males. In fact, levels of 800 ng/dl or higher are much better.

And many women produce no testosterone at all because their bodies have been so overwhelmed by xenoestrogens. The testosterone level in adult women should be at 30 ng/dl or above.

Hormone skin creams are simple, effective and low-cost. In men, natural testosterone minimizes risk factors for heart attack by reducing cholesterol and triglycerides, angina, atherosclerosis, high blood pressure, and helps normalize blood clotting and obesity.

Natural testosterone and natural progesterone should be used by both men and women. But only one-tenth as much testosterone should be used by women. Natural testosterone (androsome) is protective for both sexes.

Hormones should be used over time for many years to maximize health. A hormone is not a temporary fix and must be used consistently over time for optimum benefit.

The treatment of cardiovascular disease with testosterone is not new at all. In the 1930s, the Germans were using testosterone to successfully treat vascular disease.

They learned early on that impotency is a hormone imbalance as well as a vascular problem and that testosterone therapy not only helped impotency but also libido. For it is well known that libido declines with testosterone in men and women.

Testosterone then directly affects sexuality, provided of course that the penile arteries have not become seriously occluded.

Testosterone use is focused on vascular disease and libido enhancement. There is a second part to testosterone therapy. It’s called L-Arginine and it makes the perfect magic duo.

L-Arginine, an amino acid, along with testosterone (androsome), is a natural therapy for your heart, your cardiovascular system and erectile dysfunction.

L-Arginine opens blood vessels, increasing blood flow. It is directly linked to the relief of atherosclerosis, diabetes, blood clots, infection, heart failure and especially impotency. It specifically applies to erectile dysfunction in men and low libido in men and women.

Natural therapies are pronounced and permanent. Prescription drugs only mask symptoms. Which would you rather have?

Here are some clinically proven benefits of L-Arginine:

• Seven grams of L-Arginine per day improved blood flow in men aged 55 to 77 with elevated serum cholesterol and early coronary artery disease.
• L-Arginine supplementation reduced pathological increases in the thickness of plaque-lined vessel walls in people with elevated cholesterol and arteriosclerosis.
• L-Arginine lowered plasma cholesterol levels in patients with advanced hypertension.
• L-Arginine infusion has the same effect in cardiovascular patients as cholesterol-lowering drugs.
• Seventeen grams of L-Arginine per day given orally to elderly patients for 2 weeks resulted in a significant improvement in their lipid profile with no adverse side effects.
• 4 grams L-Arginine given 3 times a day significantly enhanced coronary artery blood flow in heart patients.
• Seven grams of L-Arginine improved blood-vessel relaxation in young men with elevated serum cholesterol and coronary artery disease (in as few as 3 days).

Though many feel the magic benefits of androsome and L-Arginine very quickly, some may experience benefits over a month or several months. The salient point is that these two supplements may take a little time to achieve optimal benefits. We emphasize this for those looking for a “drug effect” or similar “silver bullet.” Natural substances begin to work immediately, but the effects may not be felt until sometime later.

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