Testosterone – yes or no?

Just as oestrogen production declines in women as they reach menopause, so does testosterone production slows down in men as they too approach middle age. Women have physical symptoms to show them that their oestrogen levels are declining, but men generally do not have such markers.

The idea of a ‘male menopause’ is a popular one – the clinical term is “andropause – but there’s little evidence to back it up. However, the makers of popular ‘libido’ supplements have not let that get in the way of a potential market and there are a number of herbal products on sale that are aimed at men. It is true that some men do report sexual dysfunction or lack of desire, fatigue and weakness as they age, but most of these physical complaints are more often the influence of lifestyle factors such as diet, stress and inactivity.

The next step up from the freely available sexual dysfunction  is to take additional testosterone which may promise more energy, strength and virility – but rarely deliver. In fact, it can positively be dangerous. Although most healthy middle-aged men taking this hormone may experience a placebo effect at best, they do run an increased risk of prostate problems at worst.

Taking additional testosterone should only be undertaken if you have thoroughly discussed it with your doctor and they feel it would be appropriate for you.

By the way – it’s not just men who take testosterone, women also produce it in smaller amounts in their bodies and at menopause some women take it to increase libido and energy. However, my friend and colleague, Dr Bond and I used to run menopause seminars together and while we were watching the women seating themselves, we would look round the room and could easily identify the women who were on testosterone. They did not look ‘sexier’, but were instantly recognizable to those who knew what the signs were and it was not a particularly attractive look. Women too should only take it on their Doctor’s recommendation and always at the stated dose.

8 ways to prevent heartburn

Heartburn can be mildly unpleasant to really distressing, and although most people experience it occasionally it is when it is more frequent that you need to take action. If you are always carrying a packet of Rennies in your pocket, or some other over- the-counter medicine, then it is time start tackling the probable cause. Symptoms of heartburn include:

- Chest pain, especially while lying down at night
- Sour taste in the mouth
- Coughing, wheezing, hoarseness
- Aggravation of asthma
- Sore throat
- Regurgitation of food or liquid

If you suffer from it frequently – twice a week or more – then first visit your doctor to rule out any other issues, such as angina, which has similar symptoms. What you may be suffering from is gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. This condition occurs in people whose lower oesophageal sphincter doesn’t close properly, and that means that the acid from your stomach is able to flow back into the oesophagus, which can irritate its delicate lining, and that is what causes the pain.

The condition can also be triggered, or made worse, by a number of factors, perhaps something in your diet, stress, smoking, some medications and pregnancy can all trigger or worsen symptoms.

An alternative approach is to take some responsibility for the condition yourself and try the following approaches:

1 Keep a food and beverage journal. It can help you track and avoid triggers.

2 Eat small, frequent meals, not one huge one

3 Wear loose clothing and maintain a healthy weight to prevent stomach constriction and help reduce GERD

4 Avoiding lying down after eating, a gentle stroll or doing the washing up is a much better idea

5 Practice relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises or meditation

6 Sip chamomile tea as it can help soothe inflamed tissue in the oesophagus – adding some honey could improve the taste and give you extra immune support

7 If you usually sleep on your back, or on your right, try switching to sleeping on your left side. This may help move acid away from the entrance of the oesophagus and be enough to prevent it backing up

8 Experiment with DGL (deglycyrrhizinated liquorice), this is a supplement proven to be effective against GERD – but not if you have high blood pressure as liquorice can raise it

Ovarian cancer risk from food

There is news this month of a surprising finding from the results of an eleven year study on diet and cancer occurrence in the Netherlands. This was a long-term study of nearly 63,000 women who faithfully filled in dietary questionnaires for the whole of that period and what researchers found was a link between a greatly increased risk of ovarian and endometrial cancers with certain dietary habits.

The ‘guilty party’ is Acrylamide, which is a chemical produced when starchy foods like potatoes are baked, fried or roasted, but does not occur with boiling. It was first detected in food in 2002; prior to that, acrylamide was believed to be a solely industrial chemical and a number of previous studies have implicated it as a carcinogen.

Unusually, the problem is compounded if the women had never smoked as statistically the non-smokers from the women in the study were even more susceptible. They had a 99 percent higher risk of endometrial cancer and a 122 percent higher risk of ovarian cancer among those with the highest acrylamide intake. By contrast, the smokers had a 29 percent higher risk of endometrial cancer and a 78 percent higher risk of ovarian cancer, though why this should be the case the research hasn’t yet thrown up.

While some scientists have hypothesized that the human body may detoxify acrylamide when it is ingested in food, or that human intake is too low to pose health risks, the current study suggests that even at dietary doses, acrylamide is a human carcinogen.

What can you do? As ever, balance is the answer. If it is frying, baking and roasting are the culprits then reduce the amount of times you have potatoes, or other starchy foods, done in this way. Enjoy your new potatoes steamed or boiled with some herb butter and keep the roasties and chips to an occasional treat.

4 steps to manifesting for free

There has been a lot in interest in the last year on what is called ‘cosmic ordering’ which basically means putting your request out to the Universe, God or whatever your belief system encompasses and waiting for it to turn up. In personal development circles the idea of manifestation – which is what is was called before it got a cool title and sold a lot of books – has been around for a long time. It relies on the fact that what you think about, and put energy into, is what you attract. On the simplest level, if you are single you tend to see happy couples everywhere, if wanting a family you see babies and children wherever you go. You haven’t consciously thought about it, there are no more couples, babies and children than there ever were – you are just focused on noticing them. I have used manifestation many times in my life from wanting to find the perfect place to live to wanting to go on a cruise – though I might have overdone it on that one this year as I have just been booked to speak on my 6th one! It’s not difficult, and if you have something you want to manifest in your life let me offer you – free – a simple four point plan to help you do it. The only thing that you need is a pen and a notebook and a commitment to follow this exercise every day for at least 30 days, or until you get your result. It usually happens well within that time frame, but let’s start out being realistic. What you are doing is creating your future – actually something you do every day anyway but this way you are doing it with a conscious intent to produce something you really want.

Step 1: Open the notebook and you are going to write down what is it that you want to create, and how you feeI about it. For example, given the state of the economy you might want to create some more money in your life. It is important you write in the present tense as if it is already happening, so you might write, “I am making £500 (or whatever you want), and feel relieved and excited about my life, and look forward to more fun in the days to come.” Your objective is to make the £500 a day, but you want to act as if you already have it – assume it is yours now. This is pretending, if you like, but what we think is as real to our subconscious as a physical event. If we think we have that money we are putting the energy in place to attract it. You don’t have to believe it, you just have to practice it = ‘act as if’.

Step 2: This is where it starts to sound new age and weird, but keep going anyway – what have you got to lose? Now write in your book “I support myself in making £500 a day, and am grateful for my life and income.” The key part of step two is, “I support myself in,” whatever it is and then being grateful for your life. A key element in manifestation is gratitude, so please don’t skip this part.

Step 3: This is where you can let yourself go and really enjoy yourself. What you are now going to do is describe, and write down, all your feelings, and what is going on in your life. So what difference will that £500 a day make to you? It’s not just about the money but about what it is going to do for you – see yourself enjoying the benefits of it, visualise really strongly your bank account with an entry each day of £500 going in. For example, you might write, “I am so happy that I am now making £500 a day. I feel so relieved. I am more relaxed. I can pay all my bills. I can do almost anything I want to.” See it running like a movie in your mind and really focus on all the feelings, the colours, the sounds for a few minutes every day and then write down what that experience was. This is not journaling, this is you specifically seeing yourself having whatever you want to manifest, fully experiencing it and writing the whole thing down every day. What will happen is that you become comfortable and familiar with the idea of having that amount of money every day and that in itself will remove any barriers of fear or unworthiness that you might unconsciously have set up.

Step 4: is where you get to say thank you for the lovely experience you have just had of seeing yourself enjoy what are manifesting. Say thank you to the Universe, Higher Power, Your God, Goddess or whatever you pay attention to. Don’t thank them in the future, again make it as if it has already happened, such as “Thank You so much for letting me make £500 a day and I’m very, very, very grateful for this opportunity. Thank you.”

Repeat Steps 1-4 every day for a month, and let me know what happens.

Want to boost your IQ

Exercise is the keystone for healthy living, but it is not often advocated to help you to boost your IQ. We already know that older people who exercise three or more times a week have a significantly reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia. Whatever your age, if you exercise regularly you have a 30 to 40 percent lower risk of dementia, and even as little as 15 minutes of exercise, three days a week, cuts your risk significantly. One short, brisk, walk every day can make a real difference, but what is new is that recent studies have shown that some forms of exercise may actually help you think better, while others have little or no impact on your brain matter. Here’s three suggestions for what works, and what doesn’t, for those ‘little grey cells’.

Aerobic Training:
In 2006, Arthur Kramer of the University of Illinois used MRIs to prove that aerobic exercise builds grey and white matter in the brains of older adults. Later studies found that more aerobically fit schoolkids also perform better on cognitive tests. Widely accepted now that aerobic exercise is one of the best things you can do to stay mentally agile into old age.
Impact on intelligence: STRONG

Weight Training:
It might make you feel good to have ripped muscles, but researchers have found only the most tenuous link between heavy resistance training and improved cognitive function.
Impact on intelligence: NEGLIBIBLE

Yoga:
You need as much oxygen as you can get, particularly for brain function, but under stress we tend to hold our breath and reduce our intake which can certainly affect our memory. Yoga can break that habit by helping you learn to breathe correctly which results in less stress and more oxygen.
Impact on intelligence: POSSIBLY STRONG

Make your own summer sunshine

Lazy summer days call for a long, cool drink and home made lemonade really sums up the essence of summer. Full of vitamin C, it will top up your immune system, and with the addition of some organic honey and stimulating ginger you will get a good dose of B vitamins too so make up a jugful and head for the garden.

Honey Ginger Lemonade – Ingredients

1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup peeled fresh ginger slices
2 sprigs fresh mint
2 cups still water 4 cups ice cubes

Instructions:

Put the juice, honey, ginger, and chopped sprigs of the mint in a large jug and stir, pressing the mint and ginger down to break them up and release lots of their flavour. Add the water, stir until the honey dissolves, then add the ice, strain into long glasses, add a sprig of mint for decoration, sit back and relax.

By the way, if you suffer from hayfever then use a locally produced honey to help build up your resistance – it really will make a difference.

Tips for prostate health

June 9-16 2008 is Men’s Health Week, and you may never think about your prostate until it forces itself on your attention by frequent trips to the loo. Being a great believer in prevention, pass on these tips to help yourself, and others. There are 7 in total, one for every day of Men’s Health Week.

The condition known as BPH (Benign prostatic hyperplasia) is a non-cancerous enlargement of the prostate gland, common in men in the Western world aged 50 and over. While the actual cause is not completely understood, experts believe it is closely linked to hormone levels and they of course are influenced by diet and lifestyle. To reduce the risk of BPH, try these:

1 Eat a diet low in saturated and trans-fats, focusing instead on the much healthier monounsaturated and omega-3 fats

2 Japanese women suffer few menopause symptoms, believed to be due to their diet being high in soy products. Now it seems that Asian men have a lower risk of BPH which some researchers believe is related to their high intake of soy foods – so add in some soy milk or yoghurt to your diet

3 Avoid symptom triggers such as caffeine and alcohol, because they increase your need to urinate and can also irritate the bladder.

4 The pressure from constipation may make the symptoms of BPH worse so avoid constipation by increasing the amount of fibre in your diet.

5 Have regular health and prostate check-ups from your late forties onwards

6 Try saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) or male supplements for prostate which contain it. Often recommended for men who have prostate problems, saw palmetto does not shrink the size of the prostate, but it often helps promote healthy function and decreases symptoms. The best form to use is an extract standardized to 85-95% total fatty acids. Use 160 mg twice daily

7 Make herbs and nutrients such as green tea extract, stinging nettle root, ginger, rosemary, zinc, lycopene, and selenium part of your regular diet as they have all have been shown to help maintain and promote normal prostate health

Salad days

One good thing about hot weather is that it encourages us to eat more healthily. Even if you are not a fan of what my father persistently referred to as ‘rabbit food’, once the temperature rises it is an option that many people look on more favourably. If it’s not one of your personal favourites, could you learn to at least look on it with kindliness as eating just one salad a day really is amazingly good for you.

A study conducted by the UCLA School of Public Health and Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center has just revealed that those who eat salads and raw vegetables have considerably higher levels of vitamins C, E, B6, and folic acid — key nutrients in promoting a healthy immune system and reducing the risk of obesity, heart disease and other chronic illnesses.

Just one salad a day goes a long way to meeting the Government’s recommended daily allowance of vitamins and minerals – and that RDA is well below what any nutritionist would recommend so maybe two salads a day? In the USA, less than 50% of the population meets the daily recommendation for vegetables, and I suspect the Brits are not too far behind them. What is particularly deficient in the average diet are the vital water-soluble vitamins C and B complex which need to be ingested daily as the body does not store them. The raw vegetables in salads provide a good source of these vitamins, plus you get fibre for better digestion and antioxidants for boosting immunity.

Interestingly, clinical trials have shown that adding salad dressing increases the absorption of certain nutrients which require oil to be fully metabolised – these include A, D, E and K. Choose olive oil or omega 3 and 6 oils from flax seed or a similar source for the most benefit.

Home help for athletes foot

This common fungal infection thrives in warm, damp environments, such as the locker rooms, health clubs, public showers, and indoor swimming pools. If you have any of the following symptoms, it is important to check with your doctor first because your symptoms may be caused by another condition and you want to rule out that possibility before treating the condition yourself:

** Itching, burning, or stinging between the toes or on soles of the feet.

** Scales, cracks, cuts, peeling skin or blisters between the toes or on soles of the feet.

** Skin dryness on the sides or bottom of the foot

If the infection spreads to under the toenails, causing thick, crumbly, discoloured, or separated toenails, it is called onchomycosis and it can be very difficult to treat.

The best home help for Athlete’s Foot is Tea Tree Oil, not least because it is the most commonly used home remedy because of its antiseptic qualities and ability to kill many bacteria and fungi. Tea tree oil has a long history of traditional use in Australia – where it originates from – as a remedy for skin infections and it was also used by the British Army to help deal with Trench Foot in the First World War.

Prevention

Once you have treated the condition, here’s how to avoid repeat infection:

- Keep your feet thoroughly dry, especially between your toes

- Wear only cotton socks and change them daily

- Moisture and heat cause the athlete’s foot fungus to thrive, so where you can, avoid tight, closed-toe shoes and wear loose fitting shoes or sandals

- Never go barefoot in public places like showers at the gym or theswimming pool, wear flip-flops or jelly sandals

- Use a foot powder to keep feet dry

- Wash socks in the hot water setting of the washing machine to kill off any bacteria.

Natural insect repellants

If you are trying to live a more natural lifestyle then it makes sense to try and avoid the chemical insect repellents that are on the market. The most common of these are based on DEET (diethyl-meta-toluamide) which is a very effective insect repellent developed in America some years ago but which can cause irritation to eyes, lips and other sensitive areas. Formulas usually have an oily feel and can cause skin reaction with some users and DEET damages certain plastics and fabrics. It is also less effective in low concentrations, but there is an increased reaction risk in high concentrations and it has a strong ‘chemical’ smell.

Natural insect repellents are usually based on the essential oils of Citronella, specific varieties of Eucalyptus, geranium, lemon grass, cedar or soy. One analysis of various plant essential oils found catnip oil to be promising for mosquitoes – or rather for avoiding their bites. Oil of Lemon Eucalyptus is often included in natural formulations and the active compound in the plant, extracted from the leaves and twigs, is thought to be p-menthane-3, 8-diol which can be chemically synthesized. The oil is thought to repel mosquitoes, biting flies and gnats and, according to Consumer Reports in the US, a lemon eucalyptus product called Repel received a higher overall score than the 7% DEET insect repellents tested.

Some natural repellents also make use of pyrethrins, which are naturally-occurring compounds with insecticidal and repellent properties. They are found in pyrethrum extract from certain chrysanthemum flowers and are safer to use on children, pets and plants. Pyrethrins are biodegradable and safe in normal use because of their low toxicity to mammals and the fact they don’t accumulate in the body. Although generally harmless to clothing and plastics, caution must be used if applied before going in the water as they are harmful to fish and amphibians.

Modern formulations have improved the effectiveness and reduced the need for frequent re-application and the use of micro-encapsulation technology has resulted in some almost odourless repellents. Their advantage is that they are not sticky; are environmentally friendly; safer on sensitive skins and most can be used on children. There is much less potential for skin irritation and they are much less harmful to plastics and fabrics.

There are a couple of websites I suggest you go to look for natural insect repellents who are based in the UK. The first is the Deetfree Natural Insect Repellent which is based on natural oils including Rosemary, Sage, Artemesia, Chrysanthemum Parthenium, Tea tree Oil, Lemon Eucalyptus Oil), Calendula, Lavender, Wild Mint and Thyme. www.naturalcollection.com.

Another effective natural alternative is based on an old Indian herbal recipe used for generations to stop insects biting both humans and animals. It is made without using any chemicals (including no DEET, Citronella, or CFC’s) and instead has ingredients that include Neem oil (a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits and seeds of an evergreen tree – Neem Azadirachta indica) plus Bergamot, Rosemary, and Eucalyptus. This one also comes as a handy pocket size spray, details on their website at www.neemco.co.uk

Finally, would you believe an Avon product has many supporters as being a great mosquito repellent? Apparently the Avon Skin So Soft Dry Oil Spray contains citronella so you can ward off the mosquitoes and condition your skin at the same time! It is being used by some customers on their pets, dogs, cats, and horses to keep the flies away – and presumably to keep them smelling sweet.

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