Renew Man Clinic, Atlanta, GA

Site Visit

• Location: Atlanta, GA
• Date: November 27, 2009
• Web site: http://www.renewman.com
• Site visitor: Emory Oney

Renew Man Clinic specializes in the treatment of Andropause (also known as male menopause). Andropause is caused by a decline in male hormones. According to Renew Man Clinic, testosterone, thyroid, human growth hormone, and DHEA start to decline in the mid-twenties and effects can usually be felt by age 35. Every man will become Andropausal; i.e., no man escapes the effects of Andropause.

Symptoms of Andropause are commonly misdiagnosed and treated as individual symptoms. Depression is often treated by doctors with anti-depressants rather than as an issue of low testosterone. The following is a list of the symptoms of Andropause:

• Decreased energy
• Decreased mental quickness
• Decreased desire for physical activity
• Increase in body fat, particularly around the mid-section
• Night sweats and trouble sleeping
• Mild to moderate irritability
• Depression, or loss of eagerness and enthusiasm for daily life
• Decreased desire for intimacy

The following are summarized quotes from Renew Man Clinic:

"Men are showing symptoms of Andropause at younger ages. http://www.renewman.com/Symptoms-of-Andropause-Male-Menopause.

Ten years ago, it was unusual for clinics to talk with men under age 40. Five years ago, it was unusual to talk to men under age 35. Now they regularly talk with men ages 30 to 35. Men are experiencing the symptoms of andropause at increasingly younger ages.

A study was done in 1982 testing the total testosterone (T) of a cross section of men of varying ages. The average total testosterone was just under 600ng. The test was repeated in 2002 -- the average age was duplicated as closely as possible. The average total T had dropped to just under 400ng. A drop of 200 ng's over a 20 year period. The final question in the second study was "Will men be able to father children in another 20 years?"

Headlines: ABC Evening News, Nov. 3, 2009 -- "BPA Dangers in Your Pantry"

Headlines: Men's Health March 2009 -- "Men's Testosterone Under Attack."

The cause: Pollutants in the environment -- principally petrochemicals. The article from Men's Health sited studies that point to petrochemicals in such things as insecticides and plastics. The ABC News story focused on BPA (bisphenol A) in canned goods, particularly vegetables and fruits. The source -- the insecticides used in growing the produce and from the plastic coating used on the inside of cans.

How it Works: The pituitary/hypothalamus in the brain is like a thermostat. As blood flows through it, it measures several hormones such as testosterone, thyroid, cortisol, etc. As it senses the body's need for these hormones, it puts out a stimulating hormone to stimulate the gland responsible to produce more hormones. E.g., if the pituitary senses a need for testosterone, the pituitary puts out lutinizing hormone (LH) to stimulate the testicles to produce more testosterone.

Petrochemicals cause the pituitary to slow prematurely. As a result, the body produces less testosterone and often less thyroid and cortisol. Many men feel at age 30 to 35 the same way their father did at age 45 and their grandfather did at age 55.

That is the bad news. The good news is that it can be fixed safely and effectively. The only really bad news here is that your father and grandfather did not have "the fix" when they needed it.

Men are learning about age-related hormone decline. They are reading, talking with friends, and feeling symptoms such as decreasing enthusiasm for life, decreasing energy, mental fog, decreasing sex drive and function, to name a few. As expected, they are going to their family doctor for help.

What typically happens:

1) The doctor tests the patient's testosterone and tells him he is in the lower end of the "normal range" and he is fine.

Problem: The lower end is the wrong end of the range. To feel good, a man needs testosterone levels close to or equal to what he had in his "feel good years"-- age 25 to 30.

2) The doctor has spoken with a fellow doctor and read a couple of journal articles and has adopted a one-size-fits-all approach to treatment: 50mg of testosterone cream to be used each morning.

Problem: a) 50mg of testosterone may not be enough, b) the doctor is not checking for possible conversion of testosterone to estrogen -- this can be dangerous, and c) nothing is being done to prevent the testicles from shrinking.

3) The doctor does not test and treat thyroid.

Problem: Treating testosterone and ignoring thyroid is folly. The two are closely related and exist in a 1+1=3 relationship.

An increasing number of men are coming to andropause clinics after they have been to their family doctor as well as sometimes to an endocrinologist or a urologist, because they know they do not feel the way they should. They are frustrated and looking for help.

How many times have you been to the doctor and he/she says that your testosterone level is in the normal range, but you still are feeling the symptoms of low Testosterone (i.e., depression, low energy, lack of libido, non-productive workouts, weight gain, and decreased mental acuity----to name a few)?

On average, a person will see 2-3 doctors before actually finding one that understands how to interpret these levels. In short, these ranges are not Age Stratified. This means that the levels are skewed lower. For instance, a man in his 40s who has a total Testosterone level of 240pg and a free Testosterone of 75ng is considered "normal" because the ranges given are 240-1100pg and 46-250ng for total and free testosterone respectively.

Basically, the low end of the range, 240pg, signifies the average total Testosterone level for a man in his 70s, whereas, the upper end of the range, 1100pg, signifies the average total Testosterone level for a man in his mid 20s. This goes for free T as well.

The theory behind hormone replacement is simple. Two hundred years ago the average lifespan for a male was one-half of what it is today due to advances in science and medicine. Unfortunately, it is going to take millions of years for our hormones to catch up.

Case Study:

I, Emory Oney, in 2000 began to feel many of the symptoms of Andropause, but was not aware of the real problem. Gradually over the years I became very depressed, had night sweats, hot flashes, no libido (sex drive), lacked a zeal for life, gained weight (especially around the stomach), workouts were not productive, and I felt like I was losing muscle instead of gaining it. This while I was working out 1.5 to 2 hours six days a week! Also, I noticed I was much more emotional than I had been in the past. Yes, I could cry at a not so very sad movie.

I went to my primary care physician and described my problem as best as I could, and she prescribed Viagra and offered me an anti-depressant. I refused the anti-depressant because I felt if it was just mental, I would learn to live with the problem. I found out that you have to have sexual desire for Viagra to work, so I was still no better off than I had been before the doctor visit. I also still had all the other symptoms and was beginning to think this was just a part of getting older, and I would have to live with the symptoms.

After reading about low testosterone levels and their possible impact, I went to my primary care physician and requested a testosterone test. The blood test came back that I had very low testosterone (220), but my physician said she could not treat me and sent me to an urologist for treatment. The urologist agreed with her diagnosis and treated my condition with a daily application of testosterone cream.

I thought all was well because I had been diagnosed and was receiving treatment. My symptoms increased, however, and I returned to the urologist for additional testing. My testosterone had gone down instead of up (180) with the daily application of testosterone cream. I was prescribed a new cream for daily application.

After months of treatment I still had all of the symptoms as before and some had seemed to have gotten worse. Also, I noticed my breasts starting to enlarge and become tender. My buttocks seemed to be getting larger, and my testicles were shrinking (Was it my imagination?). What I didn't know was that estrogen was building up in my body from the testosterone cream.

At the encouragement of a friend, I took a saliva test that returned a result of extremely high testosterone; however, my blood tests continued to show low testosterone. It appears the testosterone cream was being converted into estrogen in the liver before being distributed to the rest of my body. I was now worse off than when I started!

I returned to my urologist for further testing to discover my testosterone was now in the acceptable low range (260). The urologist said the other symptoms were just because I was getting older. When I asked about the shrinking testicles, he said it was just because we had had some cold mornings.

In the summer of 2008, I found the Renew Man Clinic web site on the internet and realized my symptoms were consistent with Andropause. I contacted Renew Man Clinic and talked to a male representative who understood my symptoms! In fact, he was using the treatment and had been doing so for years. When I reluctantly told him about my shrinking testicles, he told me that that happens with testosterone treatment unless you are treated with a testicular stimulator. He said "We will plump them right up with a testicular stimulator." Yes, I was not losing my mind! The symptoms were real and not just imaginary!

Renew Man sent me to a local physician who had me take a blood test to see where my hormone levels were. My estrogen was high (69 and should be 20-30) and my testosterone was low (120).

The doctor prescribed a Renew Man protocol designed specifically for me. I started the Renew Man protocol and experienced some amazing results! The protocol involves testosterone replacement, estrogen blockers, testicular stimulator, DHEA, supplements, diet, and exercise. Before the treatment, my stomach had grown to 41.5 inches, my weight had gone up to 218 lbs. (I am 6'2"), and my chest had increased several inches, but it was not muscle.

Within weeks of starting the program I began to feel much better. I had more energy, I was not as depressed, and life seemed better in general. After six to nine months, the depression was gone and I could visibly see a great deal of improvement as well as feeling it.

Oh, I might add that after the testosterone level gets up to a normal range (900-1200), you might want to stop taking the DHEA. It begins to work against the estrogen blocker by causing your body to convert the DHEA to estrogen instead of testosterone, which is no longer low. You will know this is happening if you start to have diarrhea when you take the estrogen blocker.

Discuss any concerns or questions you may have with your physician. Blood tests are done every six months to monitor all hormone and PSA levels with doctor visits scheduled annually unless you need to be seen more frequently.

I have now been on the Renew Man protocol for about year and half. My stomach now measures 33", my weight is 178 lbs., and I have lost body fat as well as increased my muscle mass. I know there may be other clinics that treat Andropause, but I can only relate my experience with Renew Man. I advise anyone who has any of these symptoms like I had; go get treatment as soon as possible. I feel like I have gotten my life back!

~ Emory Oney