in this issue

• The Link Between Erectile Dysfunction, Heart Attacks and Your Big Belly: What Most Doctors Won't Tell You (and Don't Know)
  
  
• Women’s Information Exchange Luncheon with Author Genie James, Jacksonville, FL - Thursday, June 19

According to a paper published in the May 16th issue of The Lancet, doctors who ignore or misdiagnose sexual dysfunction in men may miss early indicators for heart failure, depression or other ailments. Physicians are now encouraged to talk to their patients about sexual performance issues as part of a preliminary diagnostic work up but, according to C.W. Randolph, Jr. M.D., “If a doctor just focuses on erectile performance, he or she will miss the underlying health issue and, more than likely, treat the symptom not the cause.”

“When a male patient comes to me complaining about erectile dysfunction, I immediately suspicion that he is suffering from an underlying hormonal imbalance medically termed estrogen dominance,” says Dr. Randolph, co-author of the bestselling book FROM BELLY FAT TO BELLY FLAT. “I look at the size of his belly even before I look at his lab work. Too much estrogen in the human system causes the body to pack on extra pounds around the middle. Indeed, belly fat is a key indicator of "metabolic syndrome," a cluster of abnormalities that include high levels of blood sugar, blood pressure, and triglycerides, as well as low levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol. This combination of risks has an impact on mortality from heart disease.”

Multiple medical studies have shown that men with excess belly fat and a large waist are most at risk for what researchers call ‘all-cause mortality’ -- early death from any cause. The fact that belly fat can trigger cardiovascular problems is also why a large belly has been linked to erectile dysfunction.

“What’s worse,” continues Randolph, “is that belly fat doesn't just lay idle at your beltline. Researchers describe it as an active "organ" in your body -- one that churns out even more hormones, particularly estrogen, as well as other inflammatory substances. The result: as man becomes fatter and more estrogen dominant, his sexual performance becomes even more impaired. Even worse, his risk for life threatening chronic diseases, such cardiac disease and diabetes, continues to soar. No wonder these men get depressed.”

When asked how his treatment of these men differs from many of his physician peers, Dr. Randolph responded: “Unfortunately, when it comes to erectile dysfunction as a stand-alone symptom or a risk factor for heart disease or diabetes, most doctors were not trained in medical school to diagnose estrogen dominance. As a result, they treat the symptom not the true health issue. I have men walking in my office everyday carrying a bag of prescription medications (such as Viagra or Cialis for erectile dysfunction, beta blockers for cardiovascular concerns, or statins for high blood pressure) when what they really need is help eliminating their bodies’ extra estrogen load so that their symptoms of erectile dysfunction, as well as their risk for heart disease and diabetes, can often be resolved naturally.”

In describing his natural approach to treating men with belly fat and erectile dysfunction, Dr. Randolph offered a 3-Step Process:

1. Test hormone levels and rebalance a man’s hormones via bio-identical hormone replacement therapies. Most men don’t know it but, if a man is over 40 years of age, his hormone production is shifting. The medical term for this male menopause is andropause. Symptoms of andropause include change in libido, weight gain, depression, fatigue, and more.
   
   

2. Even before testing your hormone levels, I can tell you that – if you are a man over 40 years of age – you are estrogen dominant. Your estrogen dominance is a primary reason that you are now more prone to pack extra pounds around your middle. Bio-identical progesterone cream is the first thing you can do to start to neutralize your estrogen dominance and get you ready to slim down. I recommend my Natural Balance Cream for Men.
   
   

3. Follow our unique nutritional program, detailed in FROM BELLY FAT TO BELLY FLAT, to eliminate the body’s extra estrogen load naturally through the bowel.
   
   

4. Take the following supplements to help decrease the body’s extra estrogen load and support overall hormone balance:
   
   Calcium D-Glucarate
   Calcium D- Glucarate is a natural substance that promotes the body's detoxification process and supports hormonal balance. Calcium D-Glucarate facilitates the detoxification process by inhibiting the re-absorption of estrogen-like toxins into the bloodstream, allowing them to leave the body and be excreted in the feces.
   
   Calcium D-Glucarate has been found in animals to lower unhealthy estrogen levels and thereby inhibit the development or progression of cancer. I recommend taking 1000 mg of Calcium D-Glucarate twice daily. Diindolymethane (DIM)
   
   DIM is a phytonutrient akin to the Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C) found in cruciferous vegetables. DIM has unique hormonal benefits. It supports the activity of enzymes that improve estrogen metabolism by increasing the levels of 2-hydroxyestrone, e.g. the “good” estrogen. When taken as part of a healthy diet, I have found that DIM helps support PMS symptoms, fat loss and healthy estrogen metabolism.
   
   In men, DIM also promotes its own metabolism. This means that it allows for greater testosterone activity. Men taking DIM supplements will benefit bio-chemically as DIM promotes optimal testosterone to estrogen ratio. I recommend 200 mg of DIM each day.
   
   The B Vitamins
   The B Vitamins, such as B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12 and folate, do a lot within your body to support estrogen detoxification. Conversely, if your body is deficient in B vitamins, you will have higher levels of circulating estrogens. By now, you definitely know that increased estrogen levels lead to estrogen dominance and estrogen dominance will most certainly lead to weight gain and the inability to get that weight off.
   
   B vitamins also impact estrogen activity for the hormone receptors at the cellular level. Clinical studies have shown that high levels of intracellular (e.g. within the cell) B6 can decrease the binding response at the estrogen hormone receptor site. What happens at the cellular level is sort of like an internal game of musical chairs: If the music stops and B6 sits down in the “estrogen chair” then the estrogen molecule is out of the game.
   
   Because the B vitamins work together to perform such vital tasks at the cellular level, I recommend that you take the entire B-complex, not just one or two of the vitamins. To treat symptoms of hormone imbalance, you will need between 50-100 mg of B Complex that contains 50 mgs of thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niaicin (b3), pantothenic acid (b5), P6, PABA, choline, inositol,; 50 mcg B12, and 400 mcg of folic acid. Vitamin E
   
   I remembered from my little bit of nutritional studies in medical school that, years ago, researchers studied the effects of Vitamin E in reducing the effects of menopause and that most studies found Vitamin E to be helpful. Vitamin E has been shown to reduce PMS related breast-tenderness, nervousness, depression, headache, fatigue and insomnia. I had a hunch I knew why. As I reviewed the more current medical literature evaluating the health benefits of Vitamin E, I was validated when my hunch proved to be correct.
   
   Low Vitamin E levels were linked to estrogen dominance. Furthermore, Vitamin E deficiency has been found to inhibit estrogen detoxification. I recommend taking 800IC per day of Vitamin E; 400 IU in the morning and 400 IU at bedtime.
   
   Calcium – Magnesium Combo
   Most women and men find it difficult to get 1200 – 1500 mg of needed calcium from their diet. As a rule, I recommend supplementing calcium intake with a calcium-magnesium combination supplement.
   
   Magnesium is another supplement that helps the body eliminate excess estrogen. For women, magnesium levels tend to fall at certain times during the menstrual cycle. These shifts in magnesium levels can upset an optimum calcium-magnesium ratio. In proper balance, the body better absorbs and assimilates the calcium it needs and allows calcium to migrate out of tissue and organs where it doesn’t belong.
   
   Without magnesium, calcium may be not fully utilized. Under absorption of calcium can lead to menstrual cramps. Similar to a Vitamin E deficiency, when the body does not have enough magnesium to support calcium absorption, many women report PMS symptoms such as mood swings, fatigue, headaches and sleeplessness.
   
   Premenstrual chocolate craving is a phenomenon that has puzzled a great many physicians. They have been unable to explain why some women have this overwhelming urge to eat lots and lots of chocolate right before their periods yet, at other times of the month, their chocolate cravings remain under control. When I started thinking about it, the PMS- chocolate connection made a lot of sense. You see chocolate is very high in magnesium content.
   
   Keeping an optimal balance of calcium and magnesium is critical for optimal physical functioning and for hormone balance. I recommend that each day you take a calcium-magnesium supplement that combines these minerals in a ratio of two parts calcium (1500 mg) to one part magnesium (750 mg) .
   
   7- Keto Dehyroepiandrosterone (DHEA)
   Dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) is one of the hormones produced by the adrenal glands. After being secreted by the adrenal glands, it circulates in the bloodstream as DHEA-sulfate (DHEAS) and is converted as needed into other hormones. Since it is a precursor to testosterone, DHEA may help build muscle. It is very unusual for anyone under the age of 35 or 40 to have low DHEA levels. As we age, however, the body’s production of DHEA declines, so people over 40 can most definitely become DHEA deficient.
   
   While many anti-aging enthusiasts are familiar with DHEA, far fewer are likely to be as aware of its metabolite, 7-Keto DHEA, which functions within the body to safely boost immune function and help reduce body fat. The term 7-Keto DHEA is in fact a brand name for the chemical compound 3-acetyl-7-dehydroepiandrosterone. Human blood levels of both 7-Keto DHEA and DHEA tend to rise and fall in a similar pattern with age: increasing until the twenties, beginning to decline in the thirties and continuing decline until the levels are reduced by about 50% by age fifty. Clinical studies have shown that, as 7-Keto DHEA levels go down in middle age, body weight tends to goes up.
   
   7-Keto DHEA stimulates weight loss through a process called thermogenesis. This term refers to the creation of heat at a cellular level. The more thermogenesis, the higher the metabolic rate and the more fat that is literally burned up as energy. Studies have also demonstrated that 7-Keto does not accumulate in the body over time and is free of unhealthy side effects.
   
   I have found supplementation with 7-Keto DHEA to be significantly beneficial for increasing the rate at which the body converts stored fat into energy. Because 7-Keto DHEA is a natural hormone metabolite it benefits the body in two ways: 1.) it helps restore hormone balance while, at the same time, it 2.) works internally to melt away those unwanted pounds.
   
   I recommend 100 mg of 7-Keto DHEA per day; one capsule every morning.
   
   Chitosan
   Chitosan is processed from the shells of crustaceans such as shrimp, lobster and crabs. Basically stated, chitosan acts as a super fiber. The swelling action of chitosan creates a sensation of feeling full thereby serving to suppress the appetite. In addition, the super fiber characteristics of chitosan foster a natural cleansing process that is extremely vital to weight loss.
   
   Chitosan is also able to absorb between six and ten times its weight in fat and oils. It then converts the fat molecules into a form that the human body does not absorb. When chitosan causes less fat to enter the body, the body has to turn to previously stored body fat to burn for energy. The net result: weight loss.
   
   Chitosan also acts as a super fiber. I recommend taking 750 mg to 1 gm of Chitosan three times a day with meals.
   
   

   BELLY FAT VALUE PACK
   $112.85 (15% Savings)
   
   Calcium D-Glucarate
   Diindolymethajne (DIM)
   B-Complex
   Vitamin E
   Calcium-Magnesium Combo
   7-Keto DHEA
   Chitosan

   
   5. Stress less and sleep more. Most men aren’t aware how stress and sleeplessness will at a cellular level sabotage their waistlines, their health and their erections. “I don’t expect anyone to get rid of all the stress in this busy world we live in but, in working with hundreds of patients over the years, my wife and co-author Genie James and I have developed some straight forward lifestyle modification techniques that have helped our patients modify their stress levels and, also, sleep through the night. We also outline these in our book.

We Wish You Well!

C.W. Randolph, Jr., M.D. and Genie James, M.M.Sc.
Co-Authors of From Belly Fat to Belly Flat &
Co-Founders of The Natural Hormone Institute of America

Dr. Randolph is a practicing gynecologist and an internationally recognized expert in the field of in bio-identical hormone replacement. He is the Medical Director for the The Natural Hormone Institute of America and is also the author of From Hormone Hell to Hormone Well as well as From Belly Fat to Belly Flat.