Is Your
TESTOSTERONE Getting the Job Done?
Find out the potential causes of this common male health problem
efore we tackle the numerous causes of low testosterone (low T).... what are the symptoms of low T? Men usually equate low libido and sexual dysfunction with low testosterone. But long before sexual issues arise, men may experience poor sleep, loss of strength and decreased vitality. If you feel over the hill, consider that it may be due to low testos- terone. Severe fatigue—especially after exercising—and muscle weakness could be due to low T. Irritability, feelings of be- ing overwhelmed, sadness, poor concen- tration and even memory lapses are also symptoms of low T. If men are experienc- ing sexual dysfunction, they probably have a lot of other symptoms from low testos- terone. Low testosterone is also associated
B
with high cholesterol, hypertension, ac- celerated heart disease, bone loss, prostate cancer and prostate enlargement. If you have any of these illnesses you need to be screened for low T. Low testosterone is increasingly com-
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mon. In fact, studies have shown that, on average, men's testosterone levels have dropped dramatically over just the past few decades. In 2002, 65-year-old men had testosterone levels approximately 15 percent lower than 65-year-old men in 1987. That same age group would have even lower levels today. There are many different reasons why men experience low testosterone, and it's not just a matter of age.
Disturbances throughout the body can
result in lower testosterone levels in men of any age. It helps to think of the testos- terone production in your body as a com- pany, where each employee and division's role is critical to completing the final product: healthy testosterone function.
When the CEO Can't Communicate It may surprise you to learn that prob-
lems of low testosterone can sometimes start in the brain rather than the testicles. Over the past decade, neurosurgeons have noticed a connection between head inju-
ries, like concussions, and low testoster- one.
Head injuries may bruise the under-
side of the brain where the hypothalamus is located. It controls basic functions like hunger, thirst and sleep. And on the very bottom of the hypothalamus sitting right on the inside of the bottom of the skull, is the CEO of testosterone production in the body. This portion of the brain decides how much testosterone will be made and gives the order to middle
management...the pituitary gland.
If CEO is bruised or damaged, it will send a weak signal to the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland produces a number of endocrine hormones—including lutein- izing hormone (LH), which is required for testosterone production. Because this hormone middleman receives its marching orders from the CEO, it may produce lower LH when the brain is injured. And if the pituitary gland makes less LH, the testicles will not get the orders to manu- facture sufficient amounts of testosterone.
Low testosterone can be caused by any number of factors.
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