Fort Lauderdale bioidentical hormones expert Dr. Jeffrey Thackrey debunks some of the common myths associated with andropause – the male menopause – on WSFL’s The Morning Show. As men age, their testosterone levels naturally decline – some more than others. Andropause symptoms include low libido, weight gain, muscle loss, hair loss, irritability, night sweats, memory loss and gynecomastia – or “man-boobs.” During the segment, Dr. Thackrey touched upon how balancing hormones can not only mitigate symptoms of hormonal imbalance, but also improve men’s overall health, including their cardiovascular health.

 

Dr. Thackrey helps men balance testosterone levels naturally, through personalized wellness programs, consisting customized nutrition and fitness regimens, stress reduction techniques and bioidentical hormone therapy, when necessary. Bioidentical testosterone therapy is administered transdermally (through the skin) using creams or gels, by injection or via pellet therapy. The delivery method is determined by the patient's needs and preference.

 

Transcript:

 

Host, Eugene Ramirez: Thank you Dave. You hear about women going through hormonal changes later in life but the truth is the ladies aren’t the only ones. Men actually go through these changes as well. It blows my mind because I never heard about it before, but it exists. And Dr. Jeffrey Thackrey from BodyLogicMD of Ft. Lauderdale is here with me now. Let’s talk a little bit about that male menopause this is not a myth it is a reality.

 

Dr. Jeffrey Thackrey: It is a reality and I guess you’re a little bit on the young side of it so far to of paid any attention to it but it can happen in men it’s a little bit more gradual.

 

Host, Eugene Ramirez: How early?

 

Dr. Jeffrey Thackrey: Usually in the mid- thirties or later.

 

Host, Eugene Ramirez: Okay, how do you compare this to menopause in women? What exactly is male menopause?

 

Dr. Jeffrey Thackrey: Well the decline in men is more commonly an issue of testosterone decline, where as in women it is a more complex decline or imbalance in several hormones. And men can also get other hormones involved in andropause besides just testosterone men can have changes in their adrenal function and we have measured cortisol levels. We also can get some decline in thyroid function in men although it is less common than it is women.

 

Host, Eugene Ramirez: You say can have, can have, do not all males go through male menopause, only some men go through male menopause or does everybody.

 

Dr. Jeffrey Thackrey: Everybody is going to have some decline in their testosterone level; it is kind of a fact of life. What the level of symptoms is that you get from that is what is unique to the individual.

 

Host, Eugene Ramirez: So what are these symptoms? Do your patients go in there and say hey doctor this is happening to me. What causes you to think oh it must be male menopause.

 

Dr. Jeffrey Thackrey: Yeah, a lot of the guys have done research before they came trying to figure out why is my libido declining, why am I tired all the time, why am I moody and maybe even moving toward depression, some men will get a sleep disruption not really a sleep apnea but it is a disruption in their sleep, guys that work out a lot will notice that they are not getting the same results from doing their weights at the gym that they used to.

 

Host, Eugene Ramirez: How serious is this. Is it just going to have an effect on your performance at the gym or sexually and that’s it or could it be more life threatening than that.

 

Dr. Jeffrey Thackrey: Well there are two aspects to it. 1 that you are mentioning there is the quality of life you know, people just aren’t enjoying certain aspects of their life. And there are some preventive health benefits keeping testosterone levels healthy with the cardiovascular system, in particular the free testosterone level that we measure in blood is actually an independent risk factor in the severity in cardiovascular disease.

 

Host, Eugene Ramirez: So how do you treat this?

 

Dr. Jeffrey Thackrey: Well there are a number of ways to treat it. You initially of course do the testing and see what levels are low and if a man is a candidate for testosterone therapy there are 3 main methods of replacement that I use in my practice. One is transdermal which is creams or gels that are applied to the skin on a daily basis.

 

Host, Eugene Ramirez: And that just absorbs

 

Dr. Jeffrey Thackrey: It absorbs across the epidermis in the capillary blood flow of the skin. The second method is the old fashion injection method. That you use a needle and you inject yourself, generally, once a week.

 

Host, Eugene Ramirez: I’m going to go with the first one, if that’s okay. And there is another option.

 

Dr. Jeffrey Thackrey: And the third option is a pellet. A pellet is a little, grain of rice like testosterone pellet and it is placed under the skin subcutaneously in a local anesthetic procedure that I do in the office.

 

Host, Eugene Ramirez: Alright, excellent information learning a lot this morning here on the morning show. Thank you doctor.

Dr. Jeffrey Thackrey: My pleasure.

 

Host, Eugene Ramirez: To get more answers to your health questions just head on over to your south florida.com/health for all your health needs right on your website (www.bodylogicmd.com).

 

About Dr. Thackrey
Dr. Jeffrey Thackrey, a 1979 graduate of Ohio State College of Medicine, has completed residencies in Anesthesiology (Ohio State University-1983) and in Occupational Medicine (University of Massachusetts -1998). He is Board Certified in Occupational and Environmental Medicine and has a Master’s Degree in Public Health.