New hope for men with sexual incapacities

Alternative medical practitioners have identified erectile dysfunction as the end result of the gradual loss of testosterone which can begin when a patient is in his 30s. Doctors who practice integrative medicine have compensated for the loss of this powerful hormone related to one’s ability to store energy through the use of all-natural bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. They have also seen dramatic life-changing results, according to Dr. Cris Enriquez who heads Rapha Health, a clinic that specializes in longevity medicine.

At Rapha Health in Greenbelt 5, Makati, men complaining of erection problems accompanied by fatigue, loss of memory, joint pains, and stiffness usually undergo a blood test to check their hormone levels. They may then be prescribed topical bioidentical testosterone, so-called because these hormones made from plants mimic those of the body unlike earlier generations of hormones made from synthetic substances and likely to have adverse side effects. The latter include increased incidence of heart attack, stroke, breast and cervical cancer for women.

A study by Danish physician Moller found that bioidentical testosterone replacement also brings about significant declines in cholesterol levels and a general feeling of well-being that would not have been possible with statins, the conventional cholesterol control treatments. The bonus is that replacing testosterone also improves osteoporosis, reduces body fats, improves muscle mass and the symptoms of diabetes, explains Enriquez who is a member of the American College of Cardiology with training from Baylor University Medical Center in Texas and Boston University- affiliated Carney Hospital in Boston. He also trained in pulmonology at Yale University.

Enriquez points out that bioidentical hormone replacement therapy is a pioneering field of medicine accepted in Europe and the US but not widely practiced in the Philippines. While most conventional doctors may check total testosterone levels, only those with special training in longevity or anti-aging medicine will relate the level of this male hormone with the onset of cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, depression, fatigue and erectile dysfunction, among other andropause symptoms. He adds that chelation therapy has a synergistic effect with testosterone by improving circulation to the penis.

To keep himself fit and energetic, the 72-year old continues to rely on bioidentical hormones and regular chelation which efficiently checks inflammation, ‘’the common denominator of many diseases, from hypertension to diabetes.’’ He has since remained asymptomatic and has the energy of someone 10 years his junior.