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In 2014, Indian sprinter Dutee Chand was barred from competing in the Commonwealth Games, an international sporting tournament between former territories of the British Empire. Chand hadnt dopeda rampant problem in the sportor consumed any illicit substances.

But officials deemed that Chand, who was not favored to win the competition, had a seemingly unfair advantage: her body naturally produced a lot of testosterone.

At least, thats according to a regulation issued by the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF). Suspended in 2015 by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the regulation was aimed at females whose bodies produce unusually high levels of androgens, a group of hormones that includes testosterone. Concerned in part that this condition, called hyperandrogenism, gave female athletes an unfair competitive advantage, the IAAF ruled that if athletes were unable to prove their body was incapable of using the testosterone, women with over 10 nanomoles of testosterone per liter of blood would either have to undergo surgery or take hormone suppressants before they would be allowed to return to competition.

IAAF president Sebastian Coe announced last summer that the governing body would appeal the CAS's suspension.

Men typically have much higher testosterone levels then women, and the IAAF believes that this is part of the reason why, on average, elite men outperform elite women by about 10% in track and field events. Take, for example, Genzebe Dibaba, an Ethiopian distance runner who holds five womens world records between indoor and outdoor track and field. While Dibaba runs a blazing fast 4:13 mile, all twelve American high school boys at this years Brooks P.R. Invitational, the premiere high school meet of the summer, bettered Dibabas fastest career time. It would seem that we segregate men and women in track and field events with good reasonotherwise, one of the best female milers the world has seen in years would struggle to compete in national meets at the high school level.

The IAAF argues that to uphold the integrity of womens athletics, testosterone levels require greater scrutiny. The organization has until today to present evidence to the CAS that they hope will convince the court to reinstate the regulation.

Its expected that the IAAF will include in its package of evidence a study published earlier this month in the British Journal of Sports Medicine that links testosterone levels to athletic performance in a subset of womens track and field events. While the authors conclude that their findings suggest that female athletes with high testosterone levels have a competitive advantage in these events and imply that they support the IAAFs regulation, other scientists argue that the study is limited, lacks conclusive evidence, and that these conclusions about the researchs broader implications are unsubstantiated.

Most experts agree that the IAAFs body of evidence is unlikely to convince the CAS to end the suspension. But the bans ethical complications are manifoldand thats where opinions differ.

Just about everyone agrees that the sports governing body should regulate athletes use of unnatural substances, like steroids. But to what degree should they control what occurs naturally in peoples bodies?

Sorting people into one of two of categories isnt easy, because sex is not a neat binary of male and female, says Katrina Karkazis, an anthropologist, bioethicist, and senior researcher at Stanford Universitys Center for Biomedical Ethics whose research focuses on intersex traits. Scientists used to think people could either have an X and a Y sex chromosome, and were therefore male, or two X chromosomes, and were therefore female. But as Karkazis explains in her 2012 paper in The American Journal of Bioethics, those arent the only two options. Some people are born with two X chromosomes and one Y chromosome. Also, not everyone has the same sex chromosome pairing in every cellsome people have some cells with an XY pairing and other cells with an XX pairing.

There are also at least five other markers of sex, including hormones, internal genitalia, and external genitalia, and the way that these markerslike chromosomesexpress themselves is also not black and white. To further complicate things, a person might have one of these markers present as male, another presentas female, and a third presentas something in betweenan intersex trait.

Sports governing bodies struggled for decades with what to do with athletes who cant be sorted into one of these two categories, resulting in numerous horror stories. Jaime Schultz, a professor of kinesiology at Penn State, described in The Conversationnude parades in the 1960s in which female athletes were forced to present themselves naked to gynecologists at the 1966 European Championships and the 1967 Commonwealth Games. Later, the IAAF switched their chromosome testing to a less invasive but still ethically questionable cheek swabbing.

The IAAF and International Olympics Committee (IOC) ended systematic sex testing in the 1990s. But individual athletes have still been subject to scrutiny by the sports governing bodies, most recently Chandthe Indian sprinterand South African 800-meter runner Caster Semenya. Because of her dominant performance at the 2009 World Championships and her stereotypically masculine build, Semenya, a teenager at the time, was reportedly subjected to a two-hour examination during which doctors put her legs in stirrups and photographed her genitalia. After the championships, intensely intimate details about Semenyas body became a topic for public debate and scrutiny, Karkazis wrote in her 2012 paper.

Semenya, competing here in Berlin in 2011, won the gold medal in the 800 meters at last summer's Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

After Chand appealed the 2014 ban, the CAS reinstated her and suspended the hyperandrogenism regulation. The CAS wrote in its decision that the Hyperandrogenism Regulations are based on an implicit assumption that hyperandrogenic females enjoy a significant performance advantage over their non-hyperandrogenic peers, which outranks the influence of any other single genetic or biological factor. It gave the IAAF two years to gather evidence supporting this assumption.

Joanna Harper, a medical physicist and the only transgender person ever to be an advisor to the IOC on matters of gender and sport, says that the IAAF is likely to include a study by Stphane Bermon, a physician and exercise physiologist, thats receiving a lot of public attention.

The study divided athletes in each track and field event at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships into three groups based on their fT levels (fT stands functional testosterone, or testosterone that the body can use). The authors then tested for a statistically significant difference between the average times of athletes in the upper third of fT levels and those in the lower third. It concluded that female athletes with high fT levels have a significant competitive advantage over those with low fT in five track and field events, and that this advantage should be considered by those writing legislation.

While its published in the peer-reviewed and highly respected BJSM, the study has raised a few eyebrows. Schultz is skeptical of the researchs merit because of the authors ties to the IAAF. Bermon, the lead author, is a member of the IAAFs Medical and Antidoping Commission, and co-author Pierre-Yves Garnier is the Director of the IAAFs Health and Science Department. Schultz says that the federation has been clear that it intends to return to court with proof that testosterone is linked to improved athletic performance, so the IAAF has a vested interest in producing results that favor the regulation. Its very clear that the article is written with a purpose of[defending] that particular regulation, Karkazis echoes. They have a dog in this fight. Neither author was available for comment.

Beyond the conflict of interest, Garniers reputation has recently taken a hitaccording to Reuters, the IAAF suspended Garnier last summer for allegedly receiving cash payments in a cover-up of Russian doping cases.

Three statisticians who did not contribute to the researchDorit Hammerling of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, Joe Guinness of North Carolina State University, and Richard Smith of the University of North Carolinasay that the paper does have some statistical merits. They wrote in a group email with NOVA Next that the paper successfully demonstrates a measurable difference in performance between female athletes with high testosterone and those with low testosterone in the five relevant events.

But these findings do come with a few caveats. First, the authors ran tests on 43 events (21 womens and 22 mens events), so its possible that a few of the five statistically significant results are due to random error. Second, the authors didnt account for the fact that almost a fifth of the female athletes competed in both World Championships, so a significant number of subjects are counted twice. The authors also only had access to one time and one fT level for each athlete, so they could only analyze a narrow sliver of each athletes career. Smith thought a different type of analysis would have been better given the limited amount of available data, but he said that would require a much higher level of statistical expertise than is show in the rest of the paper. Smith said he would have liked to see the analysis performed excluding known dopers, whose artificially boosted T levels could have skewed the results.

While the authors are justified in arguing that they found five significant results, some of their other claims are harder to defend. Smith points out that theres a difference between a statistically significant result and a practically significant result. Two runners can have different times without one having a significant competitive advantage over the other. And while most in the track and field community would consider the two-second difference found between low-T 800 meter runners and high-T 800 meter runners to be significant, thats only the authors best guess for the time differenceit could be a difference as small as a fraction of a second, or as large as four or five seconds. As Smith says, the broader implications are unclear.

This distinction is pivotal for the IAAF. Karkazis says the CAS didnt say you needed a statistically significant finding, but a finding of a performance difference of a particular magnitude, a magnitude that the study did not find. The three statisticians agree that the paper doesnt [settle] the issues regarding athletes such as Chand or Semenya whose eligibility to participate in female events has been challenged.

Finally, while the authors make clear in one part of the paper that what theyve found is merely a correlation and that they cant conclude that the higher fT levels are causing the better performances, their implication that this evidence is in support of the regulation makes it sound like they actually have found causation. Karkazis says that these are conclusions that support the regulation but which the science itself in the study doesnt support.

Harper acknowledges the limitations of the study but argues that youd see even a more robust difference between the low T and the high T athletes if the authors had more data to work with. Much of the performance difference between men and women can be prescribed to testosterone differences, she says.

But Karkazis begs to differ. There are plenty of studies that show a much more complicated and equivocal relationship than what policy makers would like to claim, she says.

Schultz agrees, saying that so many different variablesinternal and externalhave to align for top performance. But Harper argues that its misleading to compare testosterone advantages to other natural advantages, saying the advantages of testosterone far outstrip those of other biological components. She references as evidence studies conducted in Germany in the 1970s and 1980s showing that increases in exogenous testosterone were spectacularly effective at improving performances in elite female athletes.

The IAAF claims that the hyperandrogenism regulation protects the integrity of female athletics and promotes fair sport. But Karkazis says that by focusing on testosterone, a singular biological component, the IAAF overlooks not just other biological factors, but also inevitable social and economic inequalities in athletics. Athletes in richer countries, for example, have access to better training facilities, coaches, and equipment, and can afford to dedicate more time to training. Professional athletics will always be littered with people who have incredible genetic gifts and socioeconomic benefits. The existence of professional sports itself may even dependon that un-level playing field.

Regardless of where experts align themselves in the debate over testosterone, most seem to agree that the IAAFs package of evidence will not be enough to convince the CAS to reinstate the hyperandrogenism regulation. Ross Tucker, an exercise physiologist and strong advocate for the regulation, wrote on his blog The Science of Sport following the publication of the new Bermon study that the IAAF evidence does not go far enough, either in terms of the depth or the range.

To reduce an athletes excellence to her androgen serum level or to disqualify an athlete because of her biology doesnt strike me as appropriate, says Schultz. Karkazis, too, argues that women shouldnt be forced to undergo medical treatment just so they can continue to compete. The athletes that were talking about are no different than any of the other women who are born and lived as women for their entire lives. And I just cannot for the life of me see a reason to treat those women differently.

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Should Testosterone Be Regulated in Female Athletes? - NOVA Next

On his radio program last week, right-wing commentator, conspiracy theorist and Donald Trumpobsessed sycophant Wayne Allyn Root heaped praise on new White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci for the vulgar tirade he recently unleashed against several of his own White House colleagues.

Root, who just last month repeatedly voiced his disgust that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand had cursed during a speech, couldnt stop praising Scaramuccis vulgarity or his amazing manliness.

It looks like were getting the trannies out of the military and were getting the real men in the White House, Root crowed as he bragged that he, like Scaramucci, grew up in New York and therefore knows how to fight and has no problem knocking peoples teeth out.

Real men with testosterone, thats what needs to run America, he said. Hes my kind of guy, hes a real man with testosterone We finally got people in office with personality instead of a bunch of country club losers and the whole world is freaking out that Trump is going to block transgenders from being in the military and that youve got guys like Trump and Scaramucci with our locker room conversation. You know what? This is the real world! Wake up. This is how you become successful. Ive made millions of dollars in the business world and everyone Ive dealt with talks like this.

In private, this is how guys talk, Root continued, and unfortunately, we have a society that doesnt want men to be men anymore. You want men to be women! Im sorry, men arent supposed to be women, men arent supposed to be gay, men arent supposed to be transgender, men are men! And you gotta let us be. We like football, we like wrestling, we like MMA, we like boxing, we like beautiful women in bikinis and we say it out loud and if you dont like it, we dont really give a damn. Thats what guys are like and Anthony Scaramucci and Donald Trump and Wayne Root are men and you know what? Tough.

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Wayne Allyn Root Is Thrilled That 'Real Men With Testosterone' Are Running The White House - Right Wing Watch

Very few men relish the thought of their hair deliberately falling out as they age. Up to 20% of men beginning already in their twenties will have male pattern baldness, with the rate increasing among men with each decade of life. Whether a man tries to fight his baldness in every way he can or embraces it with pride, what is known is the possibility of a potential connection between male pattern baldness and prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related death in men. It occurs more frequently in the developed world but is the most common cancer in men in 84 countries.

A recent study found that male pattern baldness appears to be a strong and independent risk factor for prostate cancer. The study published in the Canadian Urological Association Journal enrolled 394 patients who were to have a prostate biopsy but with no history of prostate cancer. Researchers also noted their male pattern baldness which was determined by looking at a validated Norwood score rating it as either no balding, frontal balding, mild vertex balding, moderate vertex balding, or severe vertex balding.

The connection between male pattern baldness and prostate cancer

Androgenic alopecia, or male pattern baldness, is the most common type of hair loss in men. More than 50% of all men over the age of 50 will be affected by male pattern baldness to some extent.

The cause of baldness in men usually is a family history of baldness or the male sex hormones call androgens. Androgen is a Greek word meaning man-maker which definitely rings true for the male species. The most potent androgen is testosterone which is responsible for deepening a mans voice, increasing his muscle mass, and strengthening his bones.

Testosterone can also be converted into another type of androgen called dihydrotestosterone (DHT). DHT can cause acne in addition to putting hair on a mans chest but with a tendency to reduce hair on a mans scalp. Even though male pattern baldness and prostate cancer are two separate conditions, DHT stimulates the growth of prostate cells that contributes to benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in older men.

The relationship between prostate cancer and male pattern baldness is the fact that prostate cancer is a hormone-dependent disease and most hair loss in men is caused by androgenic alopecia due to the hormones of androgens. What are known risk factors for prostate cancer and male pattern baldness is aging of men and androgens, with androgens implicated in the development of both conditions.

Results of the study

Of the 394 male participants, 194 men or 49.2% had cancer and 110 or 27.9% had a Gleason score of 7 or higher at biopsy. The data analysis showed that the higher the grade of male pattern baldness as measured by the Norwood scale, the higher the risk of developing prostate cancer. It was also found that higher-grade prostate cancer was associated with a higher grade or more severe type of baldness which was not found with the milder forms of baldness.

Male pattern baldness and prostate cancer may share the same manner of the development of the disease. Some of the proposed causes behind both prostate cancer and male pattern baldness are androgens, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF- 1) and micro RNAs. It is also known that men with vertex baldness have a significantly higher association of free testosterone, DHT and a DHT/testosterone ratio. In addition men with high levels of IGF-1 have been shown to have an increased risk of developing prostate cancer when compared to men with low IGF-1. There was no association between male pattern baldness and prostate volume.

Findings from a larger study

Another study in 2016, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology followed a sample of 4,316 men of which 107 deaths were attributable to prostate cancer, did make links between specific types of hair loss and those who developed the disease. The researchers explained that they found an increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer only in men with a very specific pattern of hair loss baldness at the front and moderate hair-thinning on the crown of the head. Other types of hair loss patterns appeared unaffected.

The scientists with the study hypothesized that androgens such as testosterone, are thought to underlie both male baldness and prostate cancer progression. Depending on the pattern of male baldness appeared to determine the aggressiveness of prostate cancer.

In conclusion

At this time, it is too early to definitively state that male pattern baldness can be considered an independent risk factor for prostate cancer. It appears that male pattern baldness could be a strong independent risk factor for prostate cancer but both studies did state that further research is necessary before it can be validated as such.

At this time, men with any degree of baldness should not be additionally concerned about their individual risks of developing or dying from prostate cancer as these results should be interpreted in a cautious manner. But men with concerns should discuss this with their physician about when and how frequently to undergo prostate cancer screening.

Patients newly diagnosed with prostate cancer can contact world-renowned prostate cancer surgeon and urologic oncologist, Dr. David Samadi. For a consultation and to learn more about prostate cancer risk, call 212-365-5000.

Dr. Samadi is a board-certified urologic oncologist trained in open and traditional and laparoscopic surgery and is an expert in robotic prostate surgery. He is chairman of urology, chief of robotic surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital. He is a medical correspondent for the Fox News Channel's Medical A-Team. Follow Dr. Samadi on Twitter, Instagram, Pintrest, SamadiMD.com and Facebook

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The link between baldness, testosterone and prostate cancer | www ... - Western Queens Gazette

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OHIO CITY The Ohio City Park Association and the Lambert Days Committee has finalized plans for the 2017 festival.

Lambert Days is always the third full weekend in July. This years dates are July 21-23. This is also the 50th anniversary of Ohio Citys celebration of the life of John W. Lambert and his invention of Americas first automobile.

This years edition of Lambert Days will feature a communitywide garage sale. For more information, contact Laura Morgan at 419.965.2515. There will also be food all weekend in the newly renovated Community Building on Ohio 118.

Friday, July 21

Festivities start off with a steak dinner (carryout is available), starting at 4 p.m. Friday. Ohio Citys American LegionHarvey Lewis Post 346 will have aflag-raising ceremony at 5 Friday evening, while kids games and inflatables will also open at 5. At 6 p.m., the Lambert Days Wiffleball Homerun Derby will take place. For more information, contactLorenzo Frye 419.771.7037.

There will also be entertainment at 6 p.m. featuring Cass Blue. At 7, there will be a adult Wiffleball tournament. For more information, contact Brian Bassett419.203.8203. A Texas Hold em Tournament will begin at 7 p.m. Friday, along with Monte Carlo Night, which begins at 8 p.m. For more information, contact Jeff Agler at 419.513.0580.

Entertainment for Friday night starts at 8 and will be the band Colt & Crew. There will also be a fireworks display at 10:15 p.m. Friday (Saturday night is the rain date).

Saturday, July 22

Saturday morning begins with a softball tournament at 8. For more information, contact Brian Bassettat 419.203.8203. There will also be a coed volleyball tournament that starts at 9 a.m. Saturday. For more information, contact Tim Matthews at 419.203.2976. The Lambert Days Kids Wiffleball Tournament starts at 10 a.m. Saturday. For more information, contact Lorenzo Frye at 419.771.7037.

Kids games and Inflatables continue at 11 Saturday morning. Cornhole tournament registration and 3-on-3 basketball tournament registration start at noon, while both tournaments begin at 1 p.m. For more information on cornhole, contact Josh Agler at 567.259.9941 and for 3-on-3 basketball, contact Scott Bigham at 419.953.9511.

The Hog Roast Dinner starts at 4 p.m. Saturday and carryout is available. There will also be music under the tent by Jeff Unterbrink at 4. Bingo will start at 5 p.m., and the night ends with entertainment by Megan White and Cadillac Ranch.

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DELPHOS A Delphos couple were injured in a home invasion assault that occurred Saturday morning.

David and Dianna Allemeier of 209 S. Pierce St. in Delphos were both taken to St. Ritas Medical Center in Lima for treatment of injuries received when a man gained entry to their home and reportedly assaulted them.

Delphos Police were first called out at 6:05 a.m. Saturday on a report of a suspicious person in the 300 block of Jackson Street who was knocking on doors and then walking away. However, while en route to that call, officers were informed that a man had been injured and was bleeding in the 200 block of Pierce Street.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found Allemeier bleeding from an injury to his neck. The Delphos resident said he received the injury from a man who had gained entry into his home.

Officers approached the residence and found the back door unlocked and a lot of blood at the scene. The home was secured and a K-9 and Crime Scene Unit sought from the Allen County Sheriffs Office.

Allemeier then said his wife was still in the house and officers then entered and found Mrs. Allemeier, who was also injured, in the bedroom area of the residence.

After the Allemeiers were transported to the hospital, a K-9 search was made of the area, and the house was processed by an Allen County sheriffs deputy.

No information was released on whether items were taken from the Allemeier house.

Police are currently seeking a young, skinny white male with black hair, possibly wearing cutoff shorts. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Delphos Police Department or Allen County Sheriffs Office.

The investigation is continuing, with no further information forthcoming at this time.

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Canadian pharmacy nolvadex - Nolvadex during testosterone cycle - Van Wert independent

VW independent/submitted information

DELPHOS A Delphos couple were injured in a home invasion assault that occurred Saturday morning.

David and Dianna Allemeier of 209 S. Pierce St. in Delphos were both taken to St. Ritas Medical Center in Lima for treatment of injuries received when a man gained entry to their home and reportedly assaulted them.

Delphos Police were first called out at 6:05 a.m. Saturday on a report of a suspicious person in the 300 block of Jackson Street who was knocking on doors and then walking away. However, while en route to that call, officers were informed that a man had been injured and was bleeding in the 200 block of Pierce Street.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found Allemeier bleeding from an injury to his neck. The Delphos resident said he received the injury from a man who had gained entry into his home.

Officers approached the residence and found the back door unlocked and a lot of blood at the scene. The home was secured and a K-9 and Crime Scene Unit sought from the Allen County Sheriffs Office.

Allemeier then said his wife was still in the house and officers then entered and found Mrs. Allemeier, who was also injured, in the bedroom area of the residence.

After the Allemeiers were transported to the hospital, a K-9 search was made of the area, and the house was processed by an Allen County sheriffs deputy.

No information was released on whether items were taken from the Allemeier house.

Police are currently seeking a young, skinny white male with black hair, possibly wearing cutoff shorts. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Delphos Police Department or Allen County Sheriffs Office.

The investigation is continuing, with no further information forthcoming at this time.

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Cialis daily testosterone - Cialis daily cost canada - Van Wert independent

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By Dr. Mercola

Testosterone is an androgenic sex hormone produced by the testicles (and in smaller amounts in womens ovaries), and is often associated with manhood. Primarily, this hormone plays a great role in mens sexual and reproductive function. It also contributes to their muscle mass, hair growth, maintaining bone density, red blood cell production, and emotional health.

Although testosterone is considered a male sex hormone, women, while having it at relatively low levels, are more sensitive to its effects.

While conventional medical thought stresses that testosterone is a catalyst for prostate cancer,1 even employing castration (orchiectomy) as a form of treatment, recent findings have shown otherwise.

The prostate gland requires testosterone for it to remain at optimal condition

Testosterone levels in men naturally decline with age beginning at age 30 and continue to do so as men advance in years.

Aging-induced testosterone decline is associated with the overactivity of an enzyme called 5-alpha reductase, which converts testosterone into dihydrotestosterone (DHT). This process simultaneously decreases the amount of testosterone in men, putting them at risk for prostate enlargement, androgenic alopecia (hair loss) and cancer.

Unfortunately, widespread chemical exposure is also causing this decline to occur in men as early as childhood, and is completely impacting their biology. Recently, for instance, both statin drugs and the active ingredient in Roundup herbicide were found to interfere with the testicles ability to produce testosterone.2

The escalating amount of chemicals being released into the environment can no longer be ignored, as these toxins are disrupting animal and human endocrine systems.

Whats even more alarming is that many of these endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) have gender-bending qualities.

EDCs are everywhere. They lurk inside your house, leaching from human products such as personal hygiene products, chemical cleansers, or contraceptive drugs. They also end up in your food and drinking water, causing you to unknowingly ingest them.

EDCs pose a threat to mens health as they interfere with testosterone production, causing men to take on more feminine characteristics.

Heres one proof: in a number of British rivers, 50 percent of male fish were found to produce eggs in their testes. According to EurekAlert,3 EDCs have been entering rivers and other waterways through sewage systems for years, altering the biology of male fish. It was also found that fish species affected by EDCs had 76 percent reduction in their reproductive function.

Sexual development in both girls and boys are occurring earlier than expected. In a study published in the journal Pediatrics,4 boys are experiencing sexual development six months to two years earlier than the medically-accepted norm, due to exposure to hormone-disrupting chemicals.

Some boys even develop enlarged testicles and penis, armpit or pubic hair, as well as facial hair as early as age nine! Early puberty is not something to be taken lightly because it can significantly influence physical and psychological health, including an increased risk of hormone-related cancers. Precocious sexual development may also lead to emotional and behavioral issues, such as:

Pregnant or nursing women who are exposed to EDCs can transfer these chemicals to their child. Exposure to EDCs during pregnancy affects the development of male fetuses. Fewer boys have been born in the United States and Japan in the last three decades. The more women are exposed to these hormone-disrupting substances, the greater the chance that their sons will have smaller genitals and incomplete testicular descent, leading to poor reproductive health in the long term. EDCs are also a threat to male fertility, as they contribute to testicular cancer and lower sperm count. All of these birth defects and abnormalities, collectively referred to as Testicular Dysgenesis Syndrome (TDS), are linked to the impaired production of testosterone.5

Phthalates are another class of gender-bending chemicals that can feminize men. A chemical often added to plastics, these endocrine-disrupting chemicals have a disastrous effect on male hormones and reproductive health. They are linked to birth defects in male infants and appear to alter the genital tracts of boys to be more femalelike.

Phthalates are found to cause poor testosterone synthesis by disrupting an enzyme required to create the male hormone. Women with high levels of DEHP and DBP (two types of phthalates) in their system during pregnancy were found to have sons that had feminine characteristics Phthalates are found in vinyl flooring, detergents, automotive plastics, soaps and shampoos, deodorants, perfumes, hair sprays, plastic bags and food packaging, among a long list of common products. Aside from phthalates, other chemicals that possess gender-bending traits are:

It may be unlikely to completely eliminate products with EDCs, but there are a number of practical strategies that you can try to limit your exposure to these gender-bending substances. The first step would be to stop using Teflon cookware, as EDCs can leach out from contaminated cookware. Replace them with ceramic ones. Stop eating out of cans, as the sealant used for the can liner is almost always made from powerful endocrine-disrupting petrochemicals known as bisphenols, e.g. Bisphenol A, Bisphenol S.

You should also get rid of cleaning products loaded with chemicals, artificial air fresheners, dryer sheets, fabric softeners, vinyl shower curtains, chemical-laden shampoos, and personal hygiene products. Replace them all with natural, toxin-free alternatives. Adjusting your diet can also help, since many processed foods contain gender-bending toxins. Switch to organic foods, which are cultivated without chemical interventions.

As mentioned above, your testosterone stores also decline naturally as you age. However, there are methods that can help boost your levels. Below are some options you can consider:

If you suspect that you have insufficient testosterone stores, you should have your levels tested. Issues linked to testosterone decline include:

A blood test may not be enough to determine your levels, because testosterone levels can fluctuate during the day. Once you determine that you do have low levels, there are a number of options to take. There are synthetic and bioidentical testosterone products out on the market, but I advise using bioidentical hormones like DHEA. DHEA is a hormone secreted by your adrenal glands. This substance is the most abundant precursor hormone in the human body. It is crucial for the creation of vital hormones, including testosterone and other sex hormones.

The natural production of DHEA is also age-dependent. Prior to puberty, the body produces very little DHEA. Production of this prohormone peaks during your late 20s or early 30s. With age, DHEA production begins to decline. The adrenal glands also manufacture the stress hormone cortisol, which is in direct competition with DHEA for production because they use the same hormonal substrate known as pregnenolone. Chronic stress basically causes excessive cortisol levels and impairs DHEA production, which is why stress is another factor for low testosterone levels.

It is important not to use any DHEA product without the supervision of a professional. Find a qualified health care provider who will monitor your hormone levels and determine if you require supplementation. Rather than using an oral hormone supplementation, I recommend trans-mucosal (vagina or rectum) application. Skin application may not be wise, as it makes it difficult to measure the dosage you receive. This may cause you to end up receiving more than what your body requires.

I recommend using a trans-mucosal DHEA cream. Applying it to the rectum or if you are a a woman, your vagina, will allow the mucous epithelial membranes that line your mucosa to perform effective absorption. These membranes regulate absorption and inhibit the production of unwanted metabolites of DHEA. I personally apply 50 milligrams of trans-rectal DHEA cream twice a day this has improved my own testosterone levels significantly. However, please note that I do NOT recommend prolonged supplementation of hormones. Doing so can trick your body into halting its own DHEA production and may cause your adrenals to become seriously impaired down.

Prostate hyperplasia (BPH), or simply an enlarged prostate, is a serious problem among men, especially those over age 60. As Ive pointed out, high testosterone levels are not a precursor to an enlarged prostate or cancer; rather, excessive DHT and estrogen levels formed as metabolites of testosterone are. Conventional medicine uses two classes of drugs to treat BPH, each having a number of serious side effects. These are:

According to Dr. Rudi Moerck, an expert in chemistry and drug industry insider, men who have low levels of testosterone may experience the following problems:

Instead of turning to some drug that can only ameliorate symptoms and cause additional complications, I recommend using a natural saw palmetto supplement. Dr. Moerck says that there are about 100 clinical studies on the benefits of saw palmetto, one of them being a contributed to decreased prostate cancer risk. When choosing a saw palmetto supplement, you should be wary of the brand, as there are those that use an inactive form of the plant.

Saw palmetto is a very potent supplement, but only if a high-quality source is used. Dr. Moerck recommends using an organic supercritical CO2 extract of saw palmetto oil, which is dark green in color. Since saw palmetto is a fat-soluble supplement, taking it with eggs will enhance the absorption of its nutrients.

There is also solid research indicating that if you take astaxanthin in combination with saw palmetto, you may experience significant synergistic benefits. A 2009 study published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition found that an optimal dose of saw palmetto and astaxanthin decreased both DHT and estrogen while simultaneously increasing testosterone.6 Also, in order to block the synthesis of excess estrogen (estradiol) from testosterone there are excellent foods and plant extracts that may help to block the enzyme known as aromatase which is responsible producing estrogen. Some of these include white button mushrooms, grape seed extract and nettles.7

In addition to using bioidentical hormones or saw palmetto, there are two nutrients that have been found to be beneficial to testicular health and testosterone production.

Zinc

Zinc is an important mineral in testosterone production.8 Yet, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey found that about 45 percent of adults over 60 have low zinc levels due to insufficient intake. Regardless of supplementation, 20 to 25 percent of older adults still had inadequate levels.9

It was found that supplementing with zinc for as little as six weeks has been shown to improve testosterone in men with low levels. On the other hand, restricting zinc dietary sources yielded to a drop in the production of the male hormone.10 Excellent sources of zinc include:

You may also take a zinc supplement to raise your levels. Just stick to a dosage of less than 40 milligrams a day. Overdosing on zinc may cause nausea or inhibit the absorption of essential minerals in your body, like copper.

Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency is a growing epidemic in the US, and is profoundly affecting mens health. The cholesterol-derived steroid hormone vitamin D is crucial for mens health. It plays a role in the development of the sperm cell nucleus, and helps maintain semen quality and sperm count. Vitamin D can also increase your testosterone level, helping improve your libido. Have your vitamin D levels tested using a 25(OH)D or a 25-hydroxyvitamin D test. The optimal level of vitamin D is around 50 to 70 ng/ml for adults. There are three effective sources of vitamin D:

Learn more about how to optimize your vitamin D levels by watching my 1-hour lecture on vitamin D.

Research presented at the Endocrine Societys 2012 conference discussed the link between weight and testosterone levels. Overweight men were more prone to having low testosterone levels, and shedding excess pounds may alleviate this problem. Managing your weight means you have to manage your diet. Below are some ways to jumpstart a healthy diet:

It is ideal to keep your total fructose consumption, including fructose from fruits, below 25 grams a day. If you have a chronic condition like diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol, it is wise to keep it below 15 grams per day.

For a more comprehensive look at what you should or shouldnt eat, refer to my nutrition plan.

Unlike aerobics or prolonged moderate exercise, short, intense exercise was found to be beneficial in increasing testosterone levels. The results are enhanced with the help of intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting helps boost testosterone by improving the expression of satiety hormones, like insulin, leptin, adiponectin, glucacgon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), cholecystokinin (CKK), and melanocortins, which are linked to healthy testosterone function, increased libido, and the prevention of age-induced testosterone decline. When it comes to an exercise plan that will complement testosterone function and production (along with overall health), I recommend including not just aerobics in your routine, but also:

For more information on how exercise can be used as a natural testosterone booster, read my article Testosterone Surge After Exercise May Help Remodel the Mind.

The production of the stress hormone cortisol blocks the production and effects of testosterone. From a biological perspective, cortisol increases your fight or flight response, thereby lowering testosterone-associated functions such as mating, competing, and aggression. Chronic stress can take a toll on testosterone production, as well as your overall health. Therefore, stress management is equally important to a healthy diet and regular exercise. Tools you can use to stay stress-free include prayer, meditation, laughter, and yoga. Relaxation skills, such as deep breathing and visualization, can also promote your emotional health.

Among my favorite stress management tools is the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), a method similar to acupuncture but without the use of needles. EFT is known to eliminate negative behavior and instill a positive mentality. Always bear in mind that your emotional health is strongly linked to your physical health, and you have to pay attention to your negative feelings as much as you do to the foods you eat.

References:

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How to Deal with Testosterone Decline - Mercola.com

By Dr. Mercola

Although often associated with men, the hormone testosterone is important to the health of both men and women. As you age the level of testosterone naturally produced by your body tends to decline.

Other environmental factors, such as exposure to statin medications and the herbicide Roundup, may also trigger a decline in hormone production.1,2 A low testosterone level in men is associated with prostate enlargement, androgenic alopecia (hair loss) and certain types of cancer.

Women naturally have lower levels of testosterone throughout their lives; their bodies are more sensitive to the hormone, and their health depends on the balance between estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

The resulting imbalance when women use hormone replacement therapy during menopause is one theory behind the increased rates of breast cancer experienced by those women.3

Testosterone plays a key role in the natural production of estrogen, helps maintain bone and muscle mass and contributes to libido.4

You are able to use natural methods to boost your testosterone levels and improve your overall health without triggering an imbalance in the delicate hormonal system in your body.

To produce testosterone, your body requires several different nutrients. Among the nutrients more often depleted are vitamin D3 and zinc.

Zinc is an essential mineral that is naturally present in some foods. Deficiencies can result in a wide range of symptoms because zinc is involved in a number of significant body processes.5,6

Vitamin D can be manufactured by your body when your skin is exposed to the sun. However, many people are deficient in vitamin D because of the number of hours spent indoors and the amount of sunscreen used.

I don't advocate hours of unprotected sun exposure, but your body does require regular unprotected exposure to produce vitamin D and gain other benefits. You can read more about vitamin D deficiency and how it affects your health.

Stress is a natural testosterone killer. When your body experiences stress you release cortisol, a hormone secreted by your adrenal glands. Cortisol reduces the effects of testosterone on your body. If you want to improve the effects of testosterone, then reduce your stress and cortisol levels.7

Testosterone is an important hormone to overall health, strength, sexuality and feelings of well-being. I don't advocate using synthetic testosterone replacement therapy at all.

After testing by your holistic physician and exhausting other means of naturally boosting your testosterone levels, bioidentical hormones may be beneficial. These should generally be used only under the guidance and care of a holistic medicine physician.

Pharmaceutical replacements only address a single hormone without consideration for the balance needed to maintain optimal health. When your body produces testosterone naturally, it will balance the amount produced against other hormones present and required for your health and wellness.

This balance is ideal and reduces the potential that you'll experience significant side effects.

While there are several ways of boosting your testosterone levels, the production of the hormone is dependent on the presence of specific nutrients. Start with incorporating these foods into your nutritional plan.

1. Pomegranate

This beautiful red fruit has been used medicinally for centuries. With high levels of antioxidants, vitamins A, C, E and iron, researchers have found one glass of pomegranate juice a day can increase testosterone levels between 16 percent and 30 percent improve mood, and increase libido.

Blood pressure fell and positive emotions rose as well among those consuming pomegranate juice.8,9 While many of the research studies have looked into pomegranate juice, I strongly suggest consuming the fruit in its whole form instead.

Not only will this give you added fiber (which is found in the edible seeds), but it will ensure that you're not overdoing it on fructose, which is found in high levels in all types of fruit juice. That being said, even the whole fruit is high in sugar and should be eaten only in moderation.

2. Olive Oil

Extra virgin olive oil carries a powerful punch in your quest to increase testosterone. In research, participants who consumed olive oil daily experienced an increase in testosterone levels between 17 percent and 19 percent over a three-week period.10

3. Oysters

Long hailed as a libido-boosting food, these little morsels are high in zinc. You may naturally experience a boost in your testosterone, your libido and your sperm count as a result.

Other foods packed with zinc include sardines, anchovies, cashews and wild-caught salmon. Rawpumpkin seeds are another good source but should be limited to one tablespoon a day.

4. Coconut

Your body requires healthy saturated fats to produce most hormones, testosterone included.

Coconut will help your body's ability to produce cholesterol, necessary for optimal health, help reduce body fat and maintain your weight. Weight control is another natural way of improving your testosterone production.

5. Cruciferous Vegetables

Broccoli and cauliflower may help a man's body excrete excess estrogen and increase the amount of testosterone available to cells. Indole-3-carbinol, a compound found in cruciferous vegetables, may increase the excretion of estradiol (one estrogen hormone) in some men by up to 50 percent, thus increasing the amount of testosterone available.11,12

6. Whey Protein

Whether found in quality whey protein powder or in ricotta cheese, this protein may help restrict your body's production of cortisol and thus increase the effect of the testosterone you are already producing. Whey protein may also help boost testosterone production.

In research from Finland, scientists gave participants 15 grams of whey isolate both before and after resistance exercises. Muscle biopsy showed an increase in testosterone production of up to 25 percent, which was maintained for 48 hours.13

The authors theorized that a greater expression of testosterone in skeletal muscle could allow for greater uptake from the blood. Although important to the production of testosterone, too much protein can have the opposite effect.

A meat-free diet may lower your testosterone production by up to 14 percent, but that doesn't mean you should eat excessive quantities of animal protein, either. Excessive protein intake may contribute to the development of chronic diseases like cancer and even accelerate aging.

Consider reducing your protein levels 1 gram of protein for every kilogram of lean body mass, or one-half gram of protein per pound of lean body mass.

7. Garlic

While this fragrant herb doesn't contain the necessary nutrients to produce testosterone, it does contain allicin, a compound that lowers the levels of cortisol in your body. With your cortisol levels lowered, your body can more effectively and efficiently use the testosterone that is produced.14

Both men and women benefit from adequate production of testosterone. Although known as the "male hormone," women use testosterone to maintain lean muscle mass, feelings of well-being, sex drive and sexual pleasure.15 Leydig cells in the testicles in men and the ovaries and adrenal glands in women are responsible for the production and secretion of testosterone. Symptoms of low levels of testosterone in men and women include:16

Low energy

Fatigue

Higher blood pressure

Decreased strength

Decreased work capacity of muscles

Low sexual desire

Lack of sexual responsiveness

Weaker orgasm

Loss of lean body mass and increase in fat stores

Increased cardiovascular risk

Begin with your nutrition intake to ensure your body has the building blocks to produce testosterone. But, don't stop there! You can increase production and balance your hormonal levels using these five strategies.

1. Weight Loss

Shedding extra pounds may naturally increase your testosterone levels. In a study published in Endocrine, researchers found that weight loss reduced the prevalence of low testosterone levels in middle-aged, overweight men with prediabetes by at least 50 percent.17

2. Exercise

Some studies have demonstrated that testosterone levels are elevated for up to 15 minutes afterexercise and other studies demonstrated this increase for up to an hour.18 The differentiating factors were age, type of exercise, fitness level, weight, and time of day when you exercise.

However, high-intensity exercise combined with intermittent fasting has the greatest potential to increase both your human growth hormone and testosterone levels over longer periods of time.19,20,21

3. Optimize Your Zinc and Vitamin D

These are the nutrient precursors needed to produce testosterone. You may find that you are deficient in these nutrients, as are many people. Zinc deficiency is a global concern and vitamin D deficiency is common in people of all ages.

Based on the evaluation of healthy populations that get plenty of natural sun exposure, the optimal range of vitamin D for general health appears to be somewhere between 50 and 70 ng/ml.

4. Reduce Your Stress Levels

When your body is stressed, your adrenal glands secrete cortisol. In a fight or flight situation, this can save your life. However, under chronic conditions cortisol can reduce the effectiveness of the testosterone your body produces.

Look for stress-reducing techniques that work for you. Yoga, the Emotional Freedom Techniques, exercise, adequate amounts of sleep and relaxation techniques can all help to reduce your stress levels.

5. Reduce Sugar and Carbohydrate Intake

Eating transiently lowers testosterone, but sugar and carbohydrates do the most damage by leading to surges in blood sugar and raising insulin levels. Past research has demonstrated that high levels of insulin reduce blood levels of testosterone.

When men consumed a glucose (sugar) solution as part of a glucose tolerance test, the amount of circulating testosterone in their blood was reduced by as much as 25 percent. Even two hours later, their testosterone levels remained much lower than before the test.22

Originally posted here:

7 Testosterone-Boosting Foods - Mercola.com

Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Merkel's Patient Diplomacy Is Tested by Trump and Putin's 'Axis of Testosterone' Wall Street Journal (subscription) HAMBURG, GermanyThe U.S. president has accused her of ruining Germany. The Turkish president says she harbors terrorists. The Russian president, her spy agencies warn, may be about to interfere in her re-election campaign. In the coming days, ...

The rest is here:

Merkel's Patient Diplomacy Is Tested by Trump and Putin's 'Axis of Testosterone' - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

For his part, Mr. Putin called the dissolution of the Soviet Union the 20th centurys worst catastrophe. His appeal to a Russian public hungering to restore its rightful superpower status has withstood economic privations caused by sanctions imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine.

William Taubman, an expert in Soviet history, said that Mr. Putin tapped into a long Russian preoccupation with being perceived as strong. When they get drunk, Russians will often say, You respect me, dont you? said Professor Taubman, the author of Khrushchev: The Man and His Era and a forthcoming book about Mikhail Gorbachev.

Meetings between world leaders have often been seen through the lens of masculinity (witness Lyndon B. Johnsons oft-quoted remark after the American bombing of Vietnam: I didnt just screw Ho Chi Minh. I cut his pecker off.) That holds particularly true for encounters between Russian and American leaders.

During their kitchen debate in Moscow in 1959, Richard M. Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev stood in an American model kitchen and shook their fingers in each others faces during a fiery exchange about capitalism and communism. Nixon, then vice president, wanted to avoid looking weak as he prepared to run for president; Khrushchev was posturing for both Soviet and American audiences.

Before John F. Kennedys first meeting with Khrushchev in Vienna in 1961, President Charles DeGaulle warned him: Your job, Mr. President, is to make sure Khrushchev believes you are a man who will fight, Professor Taubman recounted in his book. But Kennedy was rattled by their encounter; Khrushchev dismissed him as such a weakling that he went on to miscalculate Kennedys resolve in the Cuban missile crisis.

The Geneva summit in 1985 between Ronald Reagan and Gorbachev may be the encounter with the most parallels to the meeting between Mr. Putin and Mr. Trump, Professor Taubman believes, because the two were geopolitical foes who built a personal rapport that helped end the Cold War.

That, of course, is what some of Mr. Trumps aides appear to fear that the self-proclaimed master dealmaker may actually make a deal that intensifies the suspicions surrounding his circles encounters with Russia. Reagans defenders would hasten to add that dtente with the Soviet Union came only after Reagan talked and acted tough. And in Poland on Thursday, Mr. Trump criticized Mr. Putin in the strongest term hes used to date, although he again declined to state unequivocally that he believed Russia was solely responsible for meddling in the 2016 election.

Even with the long history of swagger, this Russian-American meeting stands out. Its as old as American politics and yet it feels new in this iteration, said Michael Kimmel, a professor of sociology and gender at Stony Brook University and the author of Angry White Men.

Everything is a manhood test. Even CNN has to be wrestled into the ground in a fake match, not a real one. To me, thats the metaphor, the WWE. Its two hyper-idealized versions of masculinity getting into the ring. Everyone loves the over-the-topness of the pretense, because everyone knows no one can get hurt. In this case, someone could get hurt.

So Mr. Trump has set himself up with little room to maneuver. Hes built his brand, and much of his foreign policy, on masculine strength. He lost the handshake contest to Emmanuel Macron of France. And hes walking into a meeting with a country seen by much of the world as an aggressor who has already scored points against the United States with its interference in a domestic election.

The cost of any perceived weakness could be high for both combatants and the projection of masculinity they hold so dear.

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Trump and Putin Meet in Testosterone-Fueled Face-Off - New York Times

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