LifeCare Chiropractic

The Best Chiropractic Care in Mesa, Arizona

Men's Health

Ultra-Low-Dose Oral Contraceptive Effectively Treats Acne – (09-10-01)

by

Ultra-Low-Dose Oral Contraceptive Effectively Treats Acne

Many times, acne can be caused by excess testosterone. In today’s lifestyle patterns, high insulin levels can effect the conversion of estrogen into testosterone effectively increasing testosterone levels. One of the best ways to approach acne actually comes from within…balancing insulin levels, restoring health of the GI tract (probiotics, glutamine…), Vit A, essential fatty acids… Giving estrogens in this study may work by blunting the difference between estrogen and testosterone levels in the body, but does not actually work by lowering the excess testosterone.

Fertil Steril. 2001;76(3):461-468 An ultra-low-dose oral contraceptive has been shown to be just as effective in treating acne as pills with higher doses of estrogen, according to a study published in the September issue of Fertility and Sterility. “Our study confirms that an oral contraceptive containing only 20 micrograms of estrogen — the lowest dose on the market today — is effective in suppressing androgen production and reducing acne lesions,” said Diane Thiboutot, MD, lead study investigator and associate professor of medicine at Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania. “This clinical trial is good news for women because it shows that we now have more birth control choices that are not only 99% effective in preventing pregnancy, and offer numerous other health benefits, but can also treat acne lesions without causing a change in weight — a common estrogen-related side effect,” said Dr. Thiboutot.”In addition, the choice of a low-dose contraceptive resulted in a low occurrence of estrogen-related side effects like nausea, headaches, and breast tenderness, in addition to weight gain,” she added. “If women experience fewer side effects and can treat their acne, they may be less likely to discontinue pill use, to switch to a less effective method of birth control, or to use no birth control at all.”

Mushroom Inhibit Aromatase, Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation – (12-10-01)

by

Mushroom Inhibit Aromatase, Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation

Aromatase is the enzyme that converts testosterone to estrogen at the cell. This study demonstrates one particular mushroom’s ability to block this enzyme and potentially lover risk of breast cancer. This may also be effective with estrogen dominant PMS as well.

nutrition.org — Abstracts: Grube et al. 131 (12): 3288

Read entire article here

Deleterious effect of sex on athletic performance – (03-18-01)

by

Deleterious effect of sex on athletic performance

Being involved in athletics most of my life, from gymnastics to fighting in the ring, I have heard the promotions for abstination numerous times. However, as it turns out, this recommendation is about as weak as many other athletic-related dogmas. This review shows no reduction in sports performance with intercourse.

Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 2000; 10:233-4 The evidence supporting the deleterious effect of sex on athletic performance is about as substantial as a negligée, according to a recent review. Athletes as mismatched as Muhammad Ali and Marty Liquori advocated sexual abstinence the night before competition. Does sex have a detrimental physiological effect on competitors? Is sex mentally bad? Or, as Casey Stengel suggested in more laymanly terms, is sex just a marker for other behavior that hurts performance? (Stengel said, “It’s not the sex that wrecks these guys, it’s staying up all night looking for it.”) The literature is not exactly bulging with evidence. Only three scientific studies have investigated the topic, note authors Samantha McGlone and Ian Shrier, MD, PhD. The results (all in cross-over trials) suggest that sex has no impact on physical measures such as grip strength, balance, lateral movement, reaction time, or aerobic power. (See McGlone and Shrier, 2000.)”All of these studies showed that sex the night before competition does not alter physiological testing results,” they observe. What about the influence of sex on competitive stress? Sports psychologists generally believe “there is an optimal level of alertness/anxiety before a competition, and a poor performance will result from either being too anxious or not alert enough,” note the authors. Under this theory, sex might be beneficial for a stressed athlete, yet deprive another athlete of a needed night’s sleep.”Clearly, there is a need for more research on this topic,” conclude McGlone and Shrier. Future investigators will have plenty of methodological issues to ponder (e.g. is a repeated-measures cross-over design appropriate?). And, as one veteran team physician noted, “probably a lot of willing subjects.”

The Andro Project – (12-07-00)

by

The Andro Project

I just find this so entertaining. The use of androstenedione supplements (i.e. Mark McQuire) shows no evidence of increasing testesterone levels. On the contrary, many studies have now confirmed that it will raise estrogen levels, can even lower testosterone levels and alters blood lipid levels that may increase a male’s risk for heart disease. I’ve said it many times before…hormones and hormone precursors are not something to “dabble” in without competent physician supervision.

The Andro Project: Physiological and Hormonal Influences of Androstenedione Supplementation in Men 35 to 65 Years Old Partic .

Read entire article here

Androgen deficiency and replacement on prostate zonal volumes – (05-17-01)

by

Androgen deficiency and replacement on prostate zonal volumes

This is an interesting article that should make many of those in the “if hormonal levels are lower as we get older, we must replace them to youthful levels for anti-aging” group think twice.

In this study, androgen levels (i.e. testosterone) had no effect on the size of the prostate as patients got older. Thus, using testosterone replacement therapy to maintain a healthy prostate may not be backed by the research.

Synergy : Clinical Endocrinology 54 (4), 437-445

Read entire article here

Folic acid enhances endothelial function and reduces BP in smokers – (12-12-02)

by

Folic acid enhances endothelial function and reduces BP in smokers

While this is a neat concept, the important item I wanted to point out was the dose of folic acid used–5 mg. That is over 10 X the current dosage recommended for women of child bearing age to lower risk of neural tube defects. Really starts putting into perspective just how useless the RDAs of vitamins are, huh?

Synergy Abstract

Read entire article here

Cognitive and psychological outcomes of exercise – (08-30-02)

by

Get With the Program – and Stay on It!

The phrase “use it or lose it” can apply to almost anything. And Researchers in Ohio have found that this phrase rings especially true when it comes to maintaining good exercise habits. Simply put, if you start exercising and then stop, or only exercise sporadically, you’ll lose the physical gains you’ve made along the way – and you could lose some of the accrued psychological benefits as well.

Scientists looked at the exercise habits of 28 people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a lung disorder. Participants completed a 10-week exercise rehabilitation program and were given a home exercise program to continue on their own. A year later, the researchers contacted the participants to see if they had continued exercising.

At the end of the initial program, all of the participants showed gains in physical endurance, as well as in cognitive and psychological functioning. Subjects who continued to exercise during the following year maintained these benefits, but those who had stopped exercising regularly showed “significant declines” on all physical and mental tests.

The message here is simple: If you want to improve yourself, physically, mentally and emotionally, start an exercise program and stick with it. Your doctor of chiropractic can help design an exercise program that will help you get your mind and body in better shape over the long haul.

For more information on the benefits of exercise click here.

Reference:Emery CF, Shermer RL, Hauck ER, et al. Cognitive and psychological outcomes of exercise in a 1-year follow-up study of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Health Psychology November 2003;22(6).

 

Sex hormone binding globulin as prepubertal marker for hyperinsulinaemia – (01-10-02)

by

Sex hormone binding globulin as prepubertal marker for hyperinsulinaemia

This is an interesting article that may give us some insight on preventing the startling rise in Syndrome X prevalence. Exactly what role SHBG plays is not yet known, but lower levels may increase free concentrations of hormones such as testosterone, and this hyperandrogenicity may be the real player. Either way, I feel that finding markers for those at risk so they can make lifestyle changes would be a moot point if everyone make healthier lifestyle choices…

ADC — Abstracts: Galloway et al. 85 (6): 489

Read entire article here