Men…this blog is for you (and the women that love you).
I recently met with a new patient and like many of our new patients, he was frustrated. Very frustrated. Why? Well, despite being referred to multiple doctors, he still had some of the same symptoms he originally presented and nobody seemed to be able to put it all together for him. He flat out said, with much enthusiasm, “ I need a new head coach!”
That comment stuck with me. It wasn’t that it was a new concept. As a functional medicine practitioner, that’s exactly what we do. We piece together all of the seemingly unrelated signs, symptoms and events in your health history to create a “play by play re-run” of your life. As a new patient at CentreSpringMD, we take an extensive history, ask pertinent questions to connect with you on a personal level and perform basic and advanced integrative testing to identify the “key players” involved. When we have all the right information, we can partner together to create a winning game plan.
So, what motivates some of our male patients to seek our services? Their wives! In all seriousness, it’s true. A study in the journal Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, entitled “Differences between Male and Female Consumers of Complimentary and Alternative Medicine in a National US Population” revealed that women were three times more likely than men to seek out CAM (complementary and alternative medicine).
Another interesting difference was that women were more likely to seek CAM for general wellness, to improve energy, reduce stress, improve sleep, and improve ability to cope with their health issues. Compared to women who use CAM , male CAM users only reported higher CAM use to improve athletic or sports performance.
Although many men also deal with decreased energy, stress, and weight gain, they typically ignore their symptoms until they are severe or it affects their “pursuit for masculinity”, aka their libido, muscle mass or ability to dominate in the gym or on the field. Usually, that will motivate a man to seek some answers and options for treatment. The problem is that many look for the quick fix instead of trying to understand the underlying issues that created the problem in the first place.
Taking an integrative approach, we can identify what hormonal imbalances may be present, what nutritional deficiencies may need correction, and how detoxification issues, and problems with the gut, diet, sleep and stress play a role.
Did you know that increased stress can increase cortisol levels which increases fat accumulation around the midline? Although this is unwanted by most, it is your body’s way of adapting to stress to protect and insulate your vital organs. Increased fat accumulation can then cause testosterone to be aromatized into estradiol, causing decreased libido, growth in breast tissue, loss of muscle mass, fatigue, and emotional imbalances. An imbalance of testosterone and estradiol in men can also increase the risk of developing cancer, heart disease and diabetes.
So, if you’re a man and want to get your “edge” back, come in for a comprehensive evaluation at CentreSpringMD. We will listen to what is important to you and give you the answers you’re looking for. Let us be your “head coach” when it comes to your health and wellness!
