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Anyone following the adventures
of the characters in the movie Sex
and the City II observed Carrie
Bradshaw and Mr. Big facing a new
dilemma in their relationship. Carrie found it frustrating observing her
husband more interested in lying on
the couch than taking her out. What
a change from what he used to love
doing! Mr. Big faced an emotional
storm when his wife noticed he was
more excited about the TV remote
control than focusing his attention
on her beautiful body.
The writers of Sex and the City
II found a way for us to relate to
the characters in the movie. I am a
physician and not a movie critic but
I can tell you that Carrie’s dilemma with Mr. Big hits a high note with
my male and female patients at
Water’s Edge Clinic!
“I am so tired of us not having any
fun together as we used to,” is one
of the most common complaints I
hear from my female patients age
40+. “He used be so much more fun
to be around”.
From my male patients age 40+,
I often hear: “I don’t think I am
depressed, but I am not excited
about many things anymore.” “I
would love to have sex but I am too
tired after work.” “All I like to do
is to have some down time now.”
“I am not interested in social things
anymore.”
About 35% of patients at Water’s
Edge clinic are males with the following
chief complaints:
Chronic feeling of tiredness; inability
to tolerate stress as they
used to when they were younger;
inability to multitask; slower recovery after work out; low libido; night sweats (yes, men too can
suffer from night sweats and hot flashes); mood swings; apathy;
depression; muscle loss; weight
gain and inability to lose weight
with changes in diet and increased
exercise; inability to sleep though
the night; feeling not refreshed in the mornings; elevated cholesterol;
elevated blood pressure; and
chronic allergies.
The important thing I see in all 40
something male patients is hormonal
imbalance. Chronic stress, unbalanced
diet and chronic inflammation
by the mid 30’s take a significant
toll on their bodies. The constant
signals of stress shift their hormonal
secretions to elevated production
of stress hormones and decreased
production of healthy sex hormones.
When the level of the most important
male hormone, Testosterone, is
starting to decrease is when symptoms of male hormonal imbalance
become prominent and affect the
quality of life. Testosterone plays a
dramatic role protecting men from
multiple health issues like muscle
loss, lower sex drive, elevated
cholesterol, high blood pressure and
cardiovascular disease, diabetes and
cognitive decline. Note: men usually
do not develop cardiovascular disease
and myocardial infarctions until they are in their 40’s. That’s why,
after 40, hormones must be kept in
balance to protect a man’s health.
What if Mr. Big had a chance
to get treated with Bioidentical
hormone Replacement Therapy
and brought his testosterone to
optimum levels? Would he still reach
for the TV remote control instead of
reaching for Carrie?
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