WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.320 --> 00:00:04.599 If men have high estrogen in their system, the organic 2 00:00:04.719 --> 00:00:07.200 soy can help. It is protective. 3 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:10.279 So when you know you hear sometimes people say a lot, 4 00:00:10.279 --> 00:00:12.519 I don't want to have soy it's going to give 5 00:00:12.599 --> 00:00:16.280 me boobs or something like that. I mean, is that? 6 00:00:17.079 --> 00:00:22.079 Is that a myth? You're listening to the Plant Based 7 00:00:22.120 --> 00:00:25.359 Diet podcast where we talk about all things plant based. 8 00:00:25.559 --> 00:00:28.120 I'm mister Garfin, the host of this show and founder 9 00:00:28.160 --> 00:00:31.399 of Alternative Food Network. Join me in my amazing array 10 00:00:31.440 --> 00:00:35.240 of guests who are a mix of healthcare professionals, industry executives, 11 00:00:35.560 --> 00:00:38.200 and people with an interesting story to tell about their 12 00:00:38.200 --> 00:00:41.479 plant based journey. Let us help you with your journey 13 00:00:41.520 --> 00:00:44.719 wherever you're at to learn the what wine, how to 14 00:00:44.799 --> 00:00:48.840 eat plant based And we're back with our second of 15 00:00:48.880 --> 00:00:53.560 two episodes about hormone balancing with doctor Rose Kumar. You've 16 00:00:53.600 --> 00:00:56.399 heard of metopause, but did you know there's a male version. Two? 17 00:00:57.079 --> 00:01:01.079 Maybe you've noticed it yourself, lower energy stuff, burton belly fat, 18 00:01:01.560 --> 00:01:04.359 and you just assume it's getting older. But what if 19 00:01:04.400 --> 00:01:09.079 it's your hormones. Today we're talking about andropause, sometimes called 20 00:01:09.159 --> 00:01:13.359 male metapause. My guest, doctor Kumar, is board certified in 21 00:01:13.439 --> 00:01:17.280 internal medicine. She's an integrated physician and an expert in 22 00:01:17.319 --> 00:01:22.319 bioidentical hormone balancing for female and male patients. In the 23 00:01:22.359 --> 00:01:25.719 episode preceding this one, I chatted with doctor Kumar about 24 00:01:25.760 --> 00:01:29.079 balancing hormones for women in their mid thirties and up. 25 00:01:29.359 --> 00:01:32.599 This one for men will be just as informative and helpful. 26 00:01:33.079 --> 00:01:35.359 We'll break down what's really going on in your body, 27 00:01:35.480 --> 00:01:38.439 what symptoms to watch for, and what you can actually 28 00:01:38.480 --> 00:01:41.120 do about it so you can feel like yourself again. 29 00:01:41.799 --> 00:01:44.280 If you know someone who you think should hear this episode, 30 00:01:44.280 --> 00:01:47.159 please copy the link and share the episode. And if 31 00:01:47.159 --> 00:01:49.959 you haven't already followed this series, please go ahead and 32 00:01:49.959 --> 00:01:52.959 click that little plus sign or the follow button wherever 33 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:56.239 you listen to podcasts. A quick reminder that we have 34 00:01:56.280 --> 00:01:59.680 a free monthly newsletter that includes our latest Alternative Food 35 00:01:59.680 --> 00:02:04.920 Network episodes, recipes, and occasional giveaways. To subscribe for free, 36 00:02:05.040 --> 00:02:09.000 go to Alternativefoodnetwork dot com and click the newsletter sign 37 00:02:09.039 --> 00:02:13.680 up button. And now for today's episode, Hi doctor Kumar, 38 00:02:13.879 --> 00:02:17.360 welcome back, Thank you, thank you for having me esther. 39 00:02:17.960 --> 00:02:20.639 You know, the episode that we did on female hormone 40 00:02:20.680 --> 00:02:24.159 balancing has been so well received so far, so I 41 00:02:24.199 --> 00:02:27.960 wanted to let you know that. And I'm very excited 42 00:02:27.960 --> 00:02:31.560 to do this one on male hormone balancing, like we 43 00:02:31.639 --> 00:02:35.319 started the last time. Give people a basic knowledge about 44 00:02:35.479 --> 00:02:39.240 male hormones. What are they and where are they produced? 45 00:02:39.960 --> 00:02:44.199 So male hormones. The primary hormone in a man is testosterone. 46 00:02:45.080 --> 00:02:48.639 The secondary hormone is estrogen, and they're produced by the 47 00:02:48.719 --> 00:02:53.639 leading cells in the testicles that are programmed to produce testosterone. 48 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:58.400 Testosterone is a very important hormone in men. I was 49 00:02:58.400 --> 00:03:02.360 not taught anything about this in my training, and I 50 00:03:02.719 --> 00:03:06.759 fell upon this because I'm interested in hormones because they're 51 00:03:06.840 --> 00:03:12.439 so important. And I remember when doctor Bredson's book The 52 00:03:12.520 --> 00:03:16.680 End of Alzheimer's came out and a lot of the 53 00:03:16.800 --> 00:03:21.599 interest in dementia came out, and they were talking about 54 00:03:21.879 --> 00:03:25.719 how testosterone is a key hormone in cognition in men, 55 00:03:26.479 --> 00:03:29.879 and I became very curious, you know, what is this. 56 00:03:30.039 --> 00:03:33.240 I was never taught about this. I was only taught 57 00:03:33.280 --> 00:03:35.680 about you know, you give testosterone to people who have 58 00:03:35.759 --> 00:03:40.719 Kleinfelters because they don't produce testosterone, or in testosterone deficiency 59 00:03:40.800 --> 00:03:44.400 as a pathology. When I was at Stanford. In my 60 00:03:44.520 --> 00:03:47.719 third year of residency, there was an article that was 61 00:03:47.840 --> 00:03:52.520 produced that was published that said men are losing fertility 62 00:03:52.840 --> 00:03:58.639 in LA and the cities of California from hormone disruptors 63 00:03:58.680 --> 00:04:02.240 in the environment. So I was what twenty all of 64 00:04:02.319 --> 00:04:06.159 twenty seven years old, saying what are hormone disruptors and 65 00:04:06.360 --> 00:04:10.479 why does that affect fertility? And so all of that 66 00:04:10.599 --> 00:04:12.680 kind of came back to me and I started to 67 00:04:12.759 --> 00:04:18.399 really explore what is going on here? And now thirty 68 00:04:18.519 --> 00:04:22.959 years ago that was underway, and we've had so many 69 00:04:23.079 --> 00:04:27.759 more impurities and environmental toxins that have built up in 70 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:32.439 our environment and caused disruption in female hormones. Now, why 71 00:04:32.439 --> 00:04:36.319 wouldn't that affect men? And so I started checking testosterone 72 00:04:36.360 --> 00:04:39.560 levels because that's not something that we typically do in 73 00:04:39.600 --> 00:04:44.240 our physical exams, you know, pre physical exam labs and 74 00:04:44.759 --> 00:04:47.519 low and behold. You know, in my practice, in my 75 00:04:47.600 --> 00:04:51.360 clinical practice, I found that the majority of men that 76 00:04:51.399 --> 00:04:55.399 were in their forties and above had low free testosterone level. 77 00:04:55.759 --> 00:04:59.759 What is what is low free testosterone means ERA number. 78 00:05:00.079 --> 00:05:02.800 There's not one number. It really depends on the lab. 79 00:05:02.959 --> 00:05:06.079 So the lab will different labs have different ranges of 80 00:05:06.160 --> 00:05:11.480 total and free testosterone. So testosterone as a hormone is 81 00:05:12.240 --> 00:05:16.920 available to the body as a free and total level. 82 00:05:17.360 --> 00:05:20.839 What is the free level? The free is the testosterone 83 00:05:20.839 --> 00:05:27.240 that is not bound by a protein that's bioavailable two 84 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:32.879 men's cells. Just like in women, free testosterone is also 85 00:05:32.959 --> 00:05:38.639 bioavailable to her cells and is an important yet tertiary 86 00:05:38.639 --> 00:05:44.240 hormone for women. Not all women need testosterone. In women 87 00:05:44.279 --> 00:05:49.000 that have PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome, their testosterone levels 88 00:05:49.040 --> 00:05:51.959 are very high. Their estrogen levels are low. Well in 89 00:05:52.040 --> 00:05:55.560 midlife men, especially in America, especially what I see in 90 00:05:55.600 --> 00:06:00.720 my practice, the free testosterone levels are low in men. 91 00:06:01.399 --> 00:06:05.600 So then the question becomes why, what is going on 92 00:06:05.879 --> 00:06:08.920 and what is causing this to happen. Now, we know 93 00:06:09.040 --> 00:06:13.399 that environmental toxins damage the lead ex cells of the 94 00:06:13.439 --> 00:06:17.600 testicles and cause of reduction and testosterone production, But so 95 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:21.680 do our diets. And that's the point that you and 96 00:06:21.759 --> 00:06:24.800 I are here to talk about, is what can we 97 00:06:24.879 --> 00:06:28.639 do to improve the diets of men so that their 98 00:06:28.680 --> 00:06:34.240 testosterone levels improve. Not all men will have improved testosterone 99 00:06:34.279 --> 00:06:37.160 levels with dietary changes and moving to a whole food, 100 00:06:37.160 --> 00:06:39.720 plant based diet, which we'll talk a little bit about 101 00:06:39.759 --> 00:06:44.000 as to why that works. But it's a very important 102 00:06:44.040 --> 00:06:47.800 component of the foundation of the body. If your foundation 103 00:06:47.879 --> 00:06:50.920 of the body is not healthy, you're not going to 104 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:56.279 have a chance of improving anything. So that's the foundational piece. 105 00:06:57.079 --> 00:07:00.079 What is the imbalance that occur as I go, I 106 00:07:00.160 --> 00:07:05.120 understand that low testosterone, but what's the imbalance? Do they 107 00:07:05.160 --> 00:07:06.439 have more estrogen? 108 00:07:07.480 --> 00:07:11.120 So there's many ways that the imbalance occurs in men. 109 00:07:11.600 --> 00:07:15.279 And just let's just take one step back and talk 110 00:07:15.319 --> 00:07:18.439 about why testosterone is important in men. What is the 111 00:07:18.480 --> 00:07:23.319 function of it? Well, the function of testosterone is neuroplasticity, 112 00:07:23.560 --> 00:07:28.639 it's cognitive clarity, it's memory, its stacks memory. It influences 113 00:07:28.639 --> 00:07:31.319 the hippocampus and the brain that is the memory center 114 00:07:31.360 --> 00:07:36.800 of the brain. It all of the muscle receptors have 115 00:07:36.879 --> 00:07:42.519 receptors for testosterone, So testosterone enhances muscle growth and muscle 116 00:07:42.560 --> 00:07:46.879 tone in men. And it's like it's that primary hormone 117 00:07:46.959 --> 00:07:50.519 in almost every cell of a man's body has testosterone receptors. 118 00:07:51.120 --> 00:07:55.639 We know the most important things that testosterone does in 119 00:07:55.680 --> 00:07:59.240 male bodies. And the brain is like sort of the 120 00:07:59.279 --> 00:08:04.240 area we want to really protect from low testosterone now, 121 00:08:04.560 --> 00:08:09.079 estrogen is important in men also, but it's of secondary importance. 122 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:13.879 So how does imbalance occur. Well, either men will have 123 00:08:13.959 --> 00:08:19.079 a high estrogen, low testosterone, or a really low testosterone 124 00:08:19.480 --> 00:08:24.120 that causes that imbalance to occur. So, if your testosterone's 125 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:29.439 really low, you're going to have high estrogen relative to testosterone. 126 00:08:29.839 --> 00:08:33.639 If your testosterone's normal and your estrogen's really high, you're 127 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:37.559 going to have an imbalance between estrogen and testosterone. And 128 00:08:37.679 --> 00:08:40.600 where does that high estrogen come from and the low 129 00:08:40.639 --> 00:08:45.120 testosterone come from. Well, the standard American diet, which maybe 130 00:08:45.159 --> 00:08:50.159 the standard Canadian diet also is high in processed foods 131 00:08:50.200 --> 00:08:54.000 and meat and sugar in foods that don't have a 132 00:08:54.039 --> 00:09:00.399 lot of nutrient density. Nutrient dense foods support a lytic 133 00:09:00.519 --> 00:09:06.759 cells to produce testosterone, specifically vitamin D, zinc, magnesium. These 134 00:09:06.759 --> 00:09:10.360 are all cofactors that are really important in testosterone production. 135 00:09:11.240 --> 00:09:15.200 So men that are eating a processed diet or a 136 00:09:15.279 --> 00:09:20.240 diet that is not prolific in plants and vegetables are 137 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:23.960 not going to have the cofactors that support the production 138 00:09:24.039 --> 00:09:28.759 of testosterone, and so the testosterone levels will drop. Even naturally, 139 00:09:28.799 --> 00:09:33.360 testosterone levels drop as men age at age thirty and beyond, 140 00:09:33.559 --> 00:09:37.679 like one percent reduction and testosterone per year on average 141 00:09:37.720 --> 00:09:40.679 in men, So they have to do the things that 142 00:09:41.039 --> 00:09:46.960 are needed to support testosterone production. Working out supports testosterone production, 143 00:09:47.440 --> 00:09:50.639 So when you work out, your testosterone levels go up. 144 00:09:50.759 --> 00:09:53.200 If you don't work out, if your sedentary and eating 145 00:09:54.200 --> 00:09:58.240 a sort of a non nutrient dense diet, your testosterone 146 00:09:58.399 --> 00:10:02.200 production is going to tank. And I became even more 147 00:10:02.240 --> 00:10:09.600 interested after COVID because inflammation reduces testosterone production, and COVID 148 00:10:09.759 --> 00:10:12.639 is an inflammatory virus, and a lot of the men 149 00:10:12.720 --> 00:10:17.320 that had COVID have inflammation in their bodies even post COVID. 150 00:10:18.720 --> 00:10:23.600 And so if men, for example, are inflamed and testosterone 151 00:10:23.960 --> 00:10:27.639 production is low and then they drink alcohol, which a 152 00:10:27.720 --> 00:10:31.279 lot of them do as a normal part of their lifestyle. 153 00:10:31.879 --> 00:10:36.440 Alcohol also damages lighting cells, but it also reduces the 154 00:10:36.519 --> 00:10:41.519 clearance of estrogen, so that can create an imbalance also 155 00:10:41.600 --> 00:10:44.840 in the body of men. And so here we're looking 156 00:10:44.879 --> 00:10:49.159 at you like a healthy, whole food, plant based lifestyle 157 00:10:49.840 --> 00:10:55.960 that with minimal alcohol use can actually shift that hormone balance, 158 00:10:56.559 --> 00:10:59.080 and that is what we're trying to achieve. 159 00:11:00.480 --> 00:11:05.679 A couple questions at what age should men start to 160 00:11:05.720 --> 00:11:09.000 think about this and perhaps go to see their doctor. 161 00:11:09.600 --> 00:11:13.000 So for men, I don't know that there's a defined 162 00:11:13.159 --> 00:11:17.120 age to check it. I start checking it around age 163 00:11:17.519 --> 00:11:21.639 mid forties is when I check the testosterone level. And 164 00:11:22.559 --> 00:11:26.440 if a man comes in and they have anxiety or depression, 165 00:11:26.799 --> 00:11:29.639 or their mood is down, or they're gaining weight or 166 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:35.480 they're developing gynecomastia or breasts, something's off. So if a 167 00:11:35.559 --> 00:11:38.399 man starts to feel the mood is a big tip 168 00:11:38.440 --> 00:11:42.279 off that the testosterone levels may be dropping because the 169 00:11:42.360 --> 00:11:46.559 testosterone does assist in that sense of vitality, that sense 170 00:11:46.600 --> 00:11:50.919 of well being, and when those levels drop, the mood 171 00:11:51.080 --> 00:11:53.840 is the first thing that can you know, kind of 172 00:11:53.840 --> 00:11:58.320 indicate that there's a hormone imbalance. And so men should 173 00:11:58.919 --> 00:12:02.279 if that happens in a man's early forties, even they 174 00:12:02.320 --> 00:12:05.919 should have their physicians check a free and total testosterone level. 175 00:12:06.399 --> 00:12:09.559 Okay, So that was actually my next question. When they 176 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:12.440 go to their doctor, what should they should be asking 177 00:12:12.519 --> 00:12:17.240 for free and total testosterone anything else that should be checked. 178 00:12:17.600 --> 00:12:20.480 What should be checked also is a d GA level 179 00:12:20.600 --> 00:12:25.399 and an estrogen level for men, So the dh because 180 00:12:25.440 --> 00:12:31.200 then the the you can actually look at, you know, 181 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:35.080 is there an imbalance. The DHA is a hormone produced 182 00:12:35.080 --> 00:12:39.440 by the adrenals. It's an important hormone for men and 183 00:12:39.519 --> 00:12:44.720 for women that offers resilience, but it's also a precursor 184 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:49.039 to testosterone. So like, if you're really stressed, either the 185 00:12:49.120 --> 00:12:52.240 DHA is going to be really high and with chronic stress, 186 00:12:52.279 --> 00:12:55.879 and I think we address this in the last episode 187 00:12:56.000 --> 00:12:59.799 the if you're really stressed, that the DHA can go 188 00:13:00.120 --> 00:13:04.960 way up and convert into testosterone. But if you're chronically stressed, 189 00:13:05.039 --> 00:13:07.480 the DHA can go down, and that's what we call 190 00:13:08.080 --> 00:13:12.159 adrenal burnout and a lot of people are suffering from 191 00:13:12.200 --> 00:13:16.279 that now. So the DHA sulfate would be a good 192 00:13:16.600 --> 00:13:20.639 hormone to check along with the testosterone level, so the 193 00:13:20.679 --> 00:13:24.919 physician can see is it the low DHA that's causing 194 00:13:25.039 --> 00:13:28.799 a reduction in the testosterone because the precursor for testosterone 195 00:13:28.840 --> 00:13:32.000 is low, or are there other factors that could be 196 00:13:32.039 --> 00:13:36.159 causing that. So you can see it gets complicated, but 197 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:39.720 it's important for a physician to be able to help 198 00:13:39.759 --> 00:13:43.960 their male patients. This is a very important aspect of 199 00:13:44.200 --> 00:13:46.279 men's health that is really not addressed. 200 00:13:47.039 --> 00:13:51.759 Yeah, and likely as women, they have to find someone 201 00:13:51.759 --> 00:13:53.399 who knows what they're doing exactly. 202 00:13:53.759 --> 00:13:57.720 Yeah, because it's become an industry now, So it's really 203 00:13:57.759 --> 00:14:02.679 important to have like a scientific, evidence based approach versus 204 00:14:03.600 --> 00:14:06.080 run to like the first thing that's going to increase 205 00:14:06.120 --> 00:14:10.720 your tea, because that itself can create an imbalance. 206 00:14:11.399 --> 00:14:13.039 And what are some of the things that you do 207 00:14:13.159 --> 00:14:16.159 for your patients. If there's a male who comes in 208 00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:19.960 and you've done some testing, what are some of the 209 00:14:20.039 --> 00:14:21.840 options for them? 210 00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:27.200 So if their testosterone is low, for example, I will 211 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:32.039 put them on a bioidentical testosterone which is plant based 212 00:14:32.200 --> 00:14:36.639 that is compounded in the compounding pharmacy. It's non petroleum 213 00:14:36.720 --> 00:14:42.879 based like the regular pharmaceutical testosterone, and it is bioidentical 214 00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:47.480 to their body's testosterone. So I will order that through 215 00:14:47.480 --> 00:14:50.960 the compounding pharmacy and then check their level in a 216 00:14:51.000 --> 00:14:54.240 couple of months to see if I've been able to 217 00:14:54.919 --> 00:14:58.720 bring their level to like mid range. Depends on the man. 218 00:14:59.080 --> 00:15:02.039 So some men and feel great even if it's a 219 00:15:02.080 --> 00:15:05.639 little bit above the low end of normal and all 220 00:15:05.679 --> 00:15:09.799 their symptoms go away. Some men need a higher free 221 00:15:09.840 --> 00:15:14.240 testosterone level in order for their vitality to return, and 222 00:15:14.360 --> 00:15:17.519 over time they may not need that, but initially they may, 223 00:15:17.960 --> 00:15:21.720 so again, this is a really customized approach to each male. 224 00:15:22.440 --> 00:15:26.799 And so that's where I start, along with the education 225 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:30.919 of a plant dense diet that they need to be 226 00:15:31.000 --> 00:15:34.000 on in order to support the metabolism of those hormones. 227 00:15:35.000 --> 00:15:39.919 And if someone doesn't want to go on bioidentical hormones 228 00:15:40.000 --> 00:15:44.080 or any kind of hormones, is there anything else maybe 229 00:15:44.159 --> 00:15:46.440 naturally that they could do well. 230 00:15:46.639 --> 00:15:51.919 Exercise and then make sure the vitamin D level is normal, 231 00:15:52.200 --> 00:15:54.840 make sure the zinc level is normal, that they're getting 232 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:58.159 plenty of zinc in their diet because those two. Vitamin 233 00:15:58.240 --> 00:16:02.320 D is considered a hormone now because it really enhances 234 00:16:02.399 --> 00:16:07.840 the production of testosterone, but it also reduces the activity 235 00:16:07.919 --> 00:16:12.600 of the protein that binds testosterone because if the testosterone's bound, 236 00:16:12.720 --> 00:16:16.759 it's not bioavailable to the cell, and so vitamin D 237 00:16:16.919 --> 00:16:20.639 kind of balances that free and total testosterone so that 238 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:24.799 it's more bioavailable to the cell. And magnesium does the 239 00:16:24.840 --> 00:16:28.919 same thing. So I'll start them on magnesium. I'll make 240 00:16:28.960 --> 00:16:31.720 sure their D level is normal, they'll go on a 241 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:34.679 zinc supplement, or make sure that they're eating foods that 242 00:16:34.759 --> 00:16:39.399 are prolific in zinc such as such as you know, 243 00:16:39.720 --> 00:16:44.960 nuts seeds, hemp. Hemp seeds are really a great source 244 00:16:45.000 --> 00:16:47.919 of zinc. Well, beef is a great source of zinc, 245 00:16:47.960 --> 00:16:50.559 but look, hemp seeds do a better job. You know, 246 00:16:50.600 --> 00:16:54.200 they're equivalent in terms of the amount of zinc that 247 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:59.840 they hold without the saturated fat. Why because saturated fat 248 00:17:00.039 --> 00:17:04.599 reduces testosterone because it interferes with the biome and the 249 00:17:04.599 --> 00:17:10.279 metabolism of the hormone. So make sure they're getting plenty 250 00:17:10.279 --> 00:17:15.319 of Lentils that are soaked are cooked for a long time, 251 00:17:15.440 --> 00:17:21.519 because lentils have a certain anti nutrient phytate in that 252 00:17:21.519 --> 00:17:25.240 that actually interferes with the absorption of zinc. So if 253 00:17:25.279 --> 00:17:29.839 you're cooking it correctly, you'll actually absorb the zinc in legumes, 254 00:17:29.880 --> 00:17:31.799 which are prolific in zinc. 255 00:17:32.240 --> 00:17:34.920 What about canned lentsils, you. 256 00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:37.240 Know, I don't know the answer to that. I don't 257 00:17:37.279 --> 00:17:40.720 know how the canned are made, so I never eat 258 00:17:40.759 --> 00:17:44.880 canned lentils. Lentils are easy to cook. 259 00:17:44.920 --> 00:17:47.960 So you're a proponent of the dry. Okay, so dry 260 00:17:48.119 --> 00:17:48.720 and soaked. 261 00:17:49.119 --> 00:17:51.839 It's a little more work, but not a lot, and 262 00:17:51.880 --> 00:17:55.599 it's a lot tastier. I know, what's going into it. 263 00:17:56.400 --> 00:17:59.680 And since we're talking about food now like we did 264 00:18:00.319 --> 00:18:04.039 in the female bouncing hormone episode, what are some other 265 00:18:04.240 --> 00:18:09.599 foods that you recommend when it comes to bouncing hormones 266 00:18:09.640 --> 00:18:12.519 for males I their situation. 267 00:18:12.839 --> 00:18:16.680 Yeah, So, if we're looking at a whole food plant 268 00:18:16.680 --> 00:18:22.359 based diet, lots of nutrient dense greens, they're really important. 269 00:18:23.400 --> 00:18:28.119 Fiber foods that are fibrous like again, nutrient dense greens, 270 00:18:28.279 --> 00:18:33.000 and complex carbohydrates like beans and lentils, and seeds, nuts 271 00:18:33.079 --> 00:18:37.920 and seeds, so cashews, almonds, and then seeds, pumpkin seeds, 272 00:18:38.039 --> 00:18:41.440 pine nuts, some pine nuts, pinenuts are very high in fat, 273 00:18:41.839 --> 00:18:47.880 avocados and as well as you know, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds. 274 00:18:48.440 --> 00:18:53.559 Those are a diet that is high in those foods 275 00:18:54.119 --> 00:18:58.079 provide fiber to the microbiome and your microbiome, which is 276 00:18:58.119 --> 00:19:02.359 the gut flora. They do all the heavy lifting and 277 00:19:02.440 --> 00:19:07.119 all the work to balance hormones. So that is an 278 00:19:07.319 --> 00:19:11.480 essential component of the body that works in tandem with 279 00:19:11.559 --> 00:19:15.839 the liver. The liver deactivates the amount of hormone that 280 00:19:15.960 --> 00:19:21.359 is not necessary and it works with the gut biome 281 00:19:21.799 --> 00:19:26.240 to create balance in the body. So if we eat 282 00:19:26.279 --> 00:19:30.200 foods that nourish the liver, that keep it clean, that 283 00:19:30.279 --> 00:19:34.319 nourish the microbiome, and then you exercise. I mean, so 284 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:38.279 what we're talking now is a very simple lifestyle. These 285 00:19:38.279 --> 00:19:42.680 are lifestyle changes that can enhance the production of testosterone 286 00:19:43.079 --> 00:19:46.480 and then do that for two months, three months, and 287 00:19:46.519 --> 00:19:50.440 then check your levels and see if they've improved. So 288 00:19:50.559 --> 00:19:54.880 that would be the way that if you don't want 289 00:19:54.920 --> 00:19:58.200 to go on hormones, you have to improve your lifestyle 290 00:19:58.759 --> 00:20:02.200 in order to or ans it in order to bring 291 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:06.440 your hormones back into balance or actually improve the production 292 00:20:06.599 --> 00:20:08.480 of testosterone. 293 00:20:08.839 --> 00:20:13.279 And one last question on the food side of things. 294 00:20:13.319 --> 00:20:16.400 In the other episode we did for female hormones, we 295 00:20:16.440 --> 00:20:21.079 talked about non gmo organic soy. When it comes to men, 296 00:20:21.920 --> 00:20:23.279 should they be eating. 297 00:20:23.519 --> 00:20:28.279 The same thing, same thing because men too are producing estrogen, 298 00:20:28.880 --> 00:20:34.440 and organic soy non gmo protects the estrogen receptors from 299 00:20:34.799 --> 00:20:40.160 too much estrogen stimulation. So if men have high estrogen 300 00:20:40.359 --> 00:20:44.359 in their system, the organic soy can help. It is 301 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:48.079 protective on the receptor where the too much estrogen is 302 00:20:48.119 --> 00:20:50.279 bombarding and stimulating that receptor. 303 00:20:51.759 --> 00:20:53.880 So is it a myth? Then when you know you 304 00:20:53.960 --> 00:20:57.519 hear sometimes people say, well, I don't want to have soy, 305 00:20:57.559 --> 00:21:01.680 it's going to give me boobs something like that. I mean, 306 00:21:01.799 --> 00:21:03.640 is that is that a myth? 307 00:21:04.640 --> 00:21:07.440 I'm pretty sure it is because alcohol will give you 308 00:21:07.480 --> 00:21:11.720 more boobs than SOI will. SOI does not create boobs. Okay, 309 00:21:11.799 --> 00:21:14.039 so he protects you from developing boobs. 310 00:21:16.160 --> 00:21:18.519 I don't think I've ever talked about this on the show. 311 00:21:18.559 --> 00:21:23.079 But Okay, as a male, well yeah, well this is 312 00:21:23.079 --> 00:21:26.480 what they're worried about, right, they don't think they should 313 00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:27.240 eat any soy. 314 00:21:27.599 --> 00:21:31.160 I think it's important for men and women to have 315 00:21:31.319 --> 00:21:35.519 like a basic understanding of physiology. We all have a body. 316 00:21:36.160 --> 00:21:39.960 We should kind of understand like the basics of how 317 00:21:39.960 --> 00:21:42.680 our body functions. I mean, I actually have a webinar 318 00:21:42.839 --> 00:21:48.119 on my website called how the Body Works and how 319 00:21:48.160 --> 00:21:50.640 all the systems work in sync together. It's a very 320 00:21:50.680 --> 00:21:55.240 basic webinar. It's free so that people can learn, you know, 321 00:21:55.599 --> 00:21:58.160 what does it How do these systems in our body 322 00:21:58.160 --> 00:22:02.400 work together. It doesn't talk scifically about soy and mail boobs, 323 00:22:02.759 --> 00:22:05.960 but it talks about like the different systems and how 324 00:22:06.000 --> 00:22:09.279 they work and sync together. And you know, sadly, I 325 00:22:09.319 --> 00:22:12.359 think that most people don't have any idea, Like we're 326 00:22:12.359 --> 00:22:16.039 not taught in school and health class how the body works. 327 00:22:16.599 --> 00:22:19.160 And I think that it's since we all have a body, 328 00:22:19.720 --> 00:22:23.160 we should have a basic knowledge of how our body works. 329 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:26.680 And you know, social media has done a disservice to 330 00:22:27.720 --> 00:22:31.920 the health industry, and I'll call it an industry because 331 00:22:32.400 --> 00:22:37.640 you know, anything that has a majority opinion for some 332 00:22:37.839 --> 00:22:42.319 reason ends up becoming truth and that is not and 333 00:22:42.480 --> 00:22:48.359 it's not really scientific because if a hundred people say 334 00:22:48.400 --> 00:22:51.640 that soy is bad, and then everyone starts believing that 335 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:56.039 soy is bad, but the data shows otherwise, and so 336 00:22:56.160 --> 00:22:59.960 people before people believe what they hear through social media 337 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:04.240 or through the media, they should look things up and 338 00:23:04.440 --> 00:23:08.119 you know, do their homework or ask their physician or 339 00:23:08.799 --> 00:23:12.559 you know, there's so many ways to vet the information 340 00:23:12.720 --> 00:23:15.279 that you're getting because we at the end of the 341 00:23:15.359 --> 00:23:17.200 day want to do what's good for our body. 342 00:23:18.119 --> 00:23:21.559 Well, I'm happy to add the link to your webinar 343 00:23:21.720 --> 00:23:24.359 in the show notes just as a resource for people, 344 00:23:24.400 --> 00:23:27.279 the one that you were mentioning on physiology. If someone 345 00:23:27.319 --> 00:23:30.279 wants to read up on this more, this episode is 346 00:23:30.359 --> 00:23:32.319 peak their interest. They want to know more. Is there 347 00:23:32.359 --> 00:23:37.920 any research evidence based research that you can direct someone to. 348 00:23:38.640 --> 00:23:42.960 I can send you some links afterwards after the show 349 00:23:43.119 --> 00:23:46.839 that people can access. There's really not a whole lot 350 00:23:47.720 --> 00:23:51.440 researched on, you know, say, testosterone and men, because it's 351 00:23:51.599 --> 00:23:57.160 really not been a interesting science in men's health and 352 00:23:57.200 --> 00:24:00.160 women's health. Because it's not this is not normalized in 353 00:24:00.200 --> 00:24:03.519 primary care. Most primary care physicians don't know what to 354 00:24:03.559 --> 00:24:07.000 do with this. Integrative physicians, we do our best to 355 00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:11.960 provide safe information that's evidence based for our patients. But 356 00:24:12.519 --> 00:24:17.200 really women have not been studied well in terms of bioidenticals. 357 00:24:17.599 --> 00:24:21.640 Men have not been studied in terms of bioidenticals and testosterone. 358 00:24:21.880 --> 00:24:27.200 There's information about on the NIH website. PubMed has information 359 00:24:27.480 --> 00:24:32.119 about testosterone and cognition. I would invite men to look 360 00:24:32.160 --> 00:24:36.880 at Dave Bredson's book The End of Alzheimer's just as 361 00:24:36.920 --> 00:24:40.759 a preventative. It's got so much incredible information in it 362 00:24:40.960 --> 00:24:46.400 about how neuroplasticity is connected directly to testosterone levels in men. 363 00:24:47.000 --> 00:24:50.799 And in my practice, in my clinical experience, the men 364 00:24:50.880 --> 00:24:54.400 that I've seen that have mild cognitive impairment and low 365 00:24:54.480 --> 00:24:58.640 testosterone levels, I've changed their diets. I've put them on 366 00:24:58.720 --> 00:25:02.359 testosterone've put them on if they need it, and within 367 00:25:02.759 --> 00:25:08.839 months their cognition has improved. I mean it's almost miraculous, 368 00:25:09.559 --> 00:25:13.279 but it's really not a miracle. It's good science, it's 369 00:25:13.319 --> 00:25:14.119 good medicine. 370 00:25:15.359 --> 00:25:18.960 That's amazing. And before we end the show, I do 371 00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:22.039 want to address one I don't know if you'd call 372 00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:24.559 the elephant in the room, but we didn't talk about 373 00:25:24.559 --> 00:25:28.279 it in the other episode. The cost of. 374 00:25:28.079 --> 00:25:30.440 The cost of testosterone. 375 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:34.640 BHRT even going to integrate to physicians. I mean, it's 376 00:25:34.720 --> 00:25:39.319 outside the financial capabilities of people. A lot of people 377 00:25:39.440 --> 00:25:42.880 just can't afford to go see an integrated physician the 378 00:25:42.920 --> 00:25:47.720 bioidentical hormones. So how much does that cost relative to 379 00:25:47.839 --> 00:25:51.400 let's say something that's FDA approved or even something over 380 00:25:51.440 --> 00:25:52.319 the counter. 381 00:25:52.759 --> 00:25:55.720 So over the counter testosterone. I would not do any 382 00:25:55.880 --> 00:26:00.240 over the counter supplements for hormones because they're unregulated. And 383 00:26:00.319 --> 00:26:03.160 even if it's cheaper like DHA you can get it 384 00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:07.480 over the counter, it's disastrous to take it without regulation 385 00:26:07.720 --> 00:26:12.480 and without checking levels. So that's one thing. Testosterone per se, 386 00:26:12.640 --> 00:26:15.119 as far as I know, is not available over the counter. 387 00:26:15.559 --> 00:26:20.200 In terms of FDA approved testosterone. It is way unaffordable 388 00:26:20.559 --> 00:26:25.359 it's like two hundred dollars a month, and most insurances 389 00:26:25.400 --> 00:26:29.200 will not cover that because this is not a normalized 390 00:26:29.599 --> 00:26:34.519 issue in men. So unless you have like a disease 391 00:26:34.839 --> 00:26:37.160 that is where you're or a condition where you're not 392 00:26:37.279 --> 00:26:42.440 producing testosterone for regular preventative improvement of your levels, it's 393 00:26:42.480 --> 00:26:47.440 not covered. So the compounding pharmacies, they vary from pharmacy 394 00:26:47.480 --> 00:26:50.960 to pharmacy in terms of cost. The compounding pharmacy that 395 00:26:51.119 --> 00:26:54.680 I use, it's about thirty dollars a month, so it's 396 00:26:54.799 --> 00:26:59.359 way cheaper than the FDA regulated testosterone, which smells bad 397 00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:05.359 and is trolleium based. Like integrative medicine, it's the variance 398 00:27:05.400 --> 00:27:08.839 in cost for a physician is mind boggling. I'm the 399 00:27:08.960 --> 00:27:13.440 cheapest deal in TEL. I mean I've christ myself in 400 00:27:13.480 --> 00:27:16.519 an affordable way so that people can access me, because 401 00:27:16.519 --> 00:27:19.440