Have you been feeling weaker lately? That your treasured free-weight routine is no longer as effective? Feeling frail and not as strong as you’ve come to expect? If so, you’re possibly dealing with the frustrating condition that is known as muscle atrophy caused by low hormone levels.
Of course, there are other things (Muscle Atrophy) that can cause muscle atrophy or work in tandem with low hormone levels. Lack of exercise is one. Essentially its use it or lose it. If you have a sedentary lifestyle and don’t exert yourself physically, you shouldn’t expect your physique to resemble that of Superman’s. Having a poor diet also can contribute to muscle atrophy. All those nights you spent eating copious amounts of fast food could cause your muscle mass to deplete. I can understand the plight of trying to avoid fast-food on the way home from work. Additionally, many auto-immune disorders can deplete your muscle mass from multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barré syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis and many others.
Low Hormone Levels Deplete Muscle Mass
Low hormone levels can decrease muscle mass, muscle size and can even increase your body fat. “lower levels of androgens contributed to decreases in lean muscle mass, strength, and size in the first group. Decreases in estrogen seen in the second cohort also caused increases in body fat”[1] Countless studies have established similar conclusions “epidemiological studies have found that lower testosterone levels are related to decreased muscle mass or function”[2] Additionally one of our Simpatra™ providers Dr. Woodford elaborated on how low hormone levels can cause muscle loss “Testosterone regulates the gene that produces muscle myotropic factor and when Testosterone is deficient it can cause muscular atrophy” Having low testosterone levels is usually depicted as making people feel less macho and manly, and there’s good reason for that. When your testosterone is low, you can quickly go from looking like the Brawny man to looking like Kurt Cobain.
How Hormone Therapy Can Help
Countless studies have concluded that supplementing your body with testosterone can help repair muscles and improve your strength. “the combination of testosterone therapy and strength training resulted in an increase in mechanical muscle function and LBM.”[3] Testosterone therapy can also repair the muscles in your spine “a significant increase in paraspinal muscle area has been observed, emphasizing the clinical benefit of adequate replacement therapy”[4] Hormone therapy can also give you more energy leading you to work out more effectively, in turn leading to better results. Hormone therapy has been continuously proven to help patients in regaining their muscle mass and strength who are hormonally deficient.
When to Seek Help
It’s hard to distinguish when someone should seek help. You might be feeling weaker and think nothing of it. Your workout routine might be less effective, but you might chalk it up to other issues. Health and performance issues affect everyone differently, so it’s up to each person to determine whether they should seek help. But, if you’re not feeling like yourself, and feel so weak that you’re concerned, you should likely seek medical help. Many people feel ashamed and self-conscious when they feel weak which may discourage some from seeking medical help. This should not be the case, you shouldn’t feel ashamed if you’re feeling frail, and by seeking medical assistance, you can help yourself get better.
What Now?
A blood test will be able to pin down if any of your hormone levels are irregular. If they are medically irregular, a doctor may recommend bioidentical hormone therapy or BHRT for short. Bioidentical hormones are man-made hormones that are chemically similar to hormones produced by humans. Many argue that BHRT is a more safe and consistent form of hormone therapy.
BHRT therapy is done by implanting hormones in your skin. Implanting hormone pellets is a simple and non-invasive procedure, typically taking less than five minutes. This treatment is called pellet-based therapy and is quickly becoming one of the preferred methods of hormone therapy for both providers and patients. Essentially, a provider will subcutaneously place hormone pellets in your skin. This subcutaneous placement of hormones allows patients to receive a steady flow of hormones 24/7. This constant flow helps you potentially avoid unwanted side effects.
If you’ve decided to pursue Hormone Therapy, it’s critical you find a provider that will dose hormones precisely, and every provider that works with Simpatra™ has access to a cutting-edge dosing technology. This technology eliminates the guesswork when it comes to dosing and allows physicians to accurately dose patients based on each individual’s unique blood tests — ensuring that your treatment will be efficient and effective. Simpatra™ will also provide additional tools that allow for your patient journey to remain consistent throughout the whole process.
Hormone replacement pellets must be of the highest quality to ensure the best results, and all Simpatra™ providers receive their pellets from highly reputable and respected manufactures. To learn more about BHRT or to find a provider near you, visit us at www.simpatra.health.
If you’re experiencing any of these symptoms you might want to take our general wellness quiz.
Disclaimer: The Simpatra website and blog does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
Content from the Simpatra website and blog is not intended to be used for medical diagnosis or treatment.The information provided on this website is intended for general consumer understanding only. The information provided is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice. As health and nutrition research continuously evolves, we do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any information presented on this website.
[1]Miller, V. (2013). Faculty of 1000 evaluation for Gonadal steroids and body composition, strength, and sexual function in men. F1000 – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature. doi: 10.3410/f.718106470.793485694
[2]Hyde Zoë, Flicker, L., Almeida, O. P., Hankey, G. J., Mccaul, K. A., Chubb, S. A. P., & Yeap, B. B. (2010). Low Free Testosterone Predicts Frailty in Older Men: The Health in Men Study. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 95(7), 3165–3172. doi: 10.1210/jc.2009-2754
[3]Kvorning, T., Christensen, L. L., Madsen, K., Nielsen, J. L., Gejl, K. D., Brixen, K., & Andersen, M. (2013). Mechanical Muscle Function and Lean Body Mass During Supervised Strength Training and Testosterone Therapy in Aging Men with Low-Normal Testosterone Levels. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 61(6), 957–962. doi: 10.1111/jgs.12279
[4]Leifke, E., Korner, H., Link, T., Behre, H., Peters, P., & Nieschlag, E. (1998). Effects of testosterone replacement therapy on cortical and trabecular bone mineral density, vertebral body area and paraspinal muscle area in hypogonadal men. European Journal of Endocrinology, 51–58. doi: 10.1530/eje.0.1380051