• 06May

  Sex and the Elderly

  Orgasm, Relationships, Sexuality No Comments

  An issue handled with great sensitivity

  Living longer means that we are sexual beings longer. Recent studies in the United States and England, provide data that says both sexes are maintaining interest and activity about things sexual well into their eighties or nineties. One study says 26% of people between 76-85 years of age are still sexually active. As you drop to younger generations that number increases.

  Why does this matter? There are many reasons, and Brett Newcomb and I are talking about them this week. Socially where are we when we think about our seventy five year old widowed grandparent living in the retirement home having sex? Where are our grandparents that age with the idea of having sex? What about being married? If your grandfather and some lady he meets at the retirement home want to get married what concerns about that need to be resolved? If they don’t want to get married, but just want to touch each other and have sex, what then?

  There are moral, social, physical, and psychological ingredients facing us about this as we and our parents increase in age. The concern, however, is not just about what we call the elderly. What about those among us who are 45 and over who are single. As we age our patterns for finding sexual partners and for establishing our sexual relationship are different than they have ever been.

  Some numbers to consider: Only 12% of dating men and 32% of single women who are over 45 and dating report that they use condoms for safety. STD illness in this population has increased over 50% in the last decade. Why? One reason is that these generations tend to think about safe sex as meaning how do I prevent a pregnancy? It is about procreative control not about disease. Once we reach an age such as 50 where we are not concerned about having babies (women) then we don’t think about condoms for other reasons. The divorce rate among 60 and up is skyrocketing. It is now over 50% in some areas of the country. Once divorced, those people are not going to give up being sexual. How do we convince them it is possible to be the victim of an STD and that practicing safe sex is still as important as it was in high school?

  There are lots of fascinating and disturbing elements to this story. Listen to our podcast for a stimulating survey of problems more and more of us will be facing as we and our parents get older.
• 23Jan

  Erectile Dysfunction from a Medical Perspective

  Andropause, Bioidentical Hormones, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), Medical Care, Relationships, Research, Sexuality, Symptoms, Testosterone 1 Comment

  What causes Erectile Dysfunction in men? The first of a three part series.

  

  Today is the first of a three part series that Brett and I are doing on the topic of ED in men. Erectile Dysfunction is very common. Most men at some point in their lives experience problems with getting or maintaining a satisfactory erection. Generally it is thought that if this is happening at least 25% of the time, then you have a problem and need to seek treatment.

  Brett and I talk about what causes Ed, and the physical symptoms and manifestations of various problems that lead to the inability to have or maintain an erection strong enough for a fulfilling sexual encounter. Erections are made possible by blood flow to the penis. When there is restriction of blood flow in the pelvic girdle, it becomes difficult to impossible for men to get erections. This restriction can be caused by many things. The most immediate causes are inflammation and cholesterol. The problem does not really start there, it starts for most men when they begin to loose their testosterone. If they replace their lost testosterone with a bio identical replacement (shots or pellets) then it will help by not only improving the blood flow to the penis, but also by increasing the oxytocin. This helps with arousal and emotional focusing on sexual matters as well as by helping the mechanics of the erection work better.

  If the problem is not solved with testosterone then we have to look more at other interventions. The next issue we consider is plaque build up in the vessels of the pelvic area, and that comes from high blood pressure and cholesterol. When there is plaque in the vessels the blood cannot flow properly and there will not be enough volume to maintain an erection.

  Brett and I talk about things that men do that lead to these problems. The first of course, is that by aging they lose their testosterone. But beyond that, they smoke, gain weight, eat poorly (beef, saturated fats, animal fats, etc.) and they don’t exercise. All of these are contributors to the problem of ED.

  One of the interesting things that we hit on is that men often are told that they will have heart attacks and die sooner if they live this way, and they laugh it off. If they are told that they will loose their erectile function and not have sex, they get serious and promise to do anything to be better!

  Finally, we discuss the mechanics of erectile functioning and how procedures like a fem-pop surgery might help, or medicines like beta blockers such as Benicar rather than linisopril, or the use of drugs such as Viagra. We even discuss the issue of dehydration and its impact on erections and sex. Diabetes, which is becoming an epidemic among the aging population of the United States is also a major contributor to ED problems in men.

  If you are a male, and you are having concerns about ED, you will find this podcast of interest and importance. Please listen to it, and come back for the next two weeks as we discuss more about how to treat or deal with ED problems.
• 04Aug

  Doctor–Patient Relationships

  Anti-aging, Medical Care, Relationships, Symptoms, Treatment No Comments

  Insist on quality communication during your doctor visits.

  

  Have you ever wished that your physician would spend a little more quality time listening to you and getting to know your medical issues? This episode talks about how the regulations from insurance companies prevent doctors from taking the time to work on their doctor-patient relationships.
• 20Jul

  Truth About Nursing Homes and Aging

  Dementia and Alzheimer's, Depression, Insurance, Medical Care, Relationships, Treatment No Comments

  Truth About Nursing Homes and Aging

  

  There are ways to avoid the unfortunate circumstance of being a burden on your family in your old age due to your declining health. Find out more about how to prevent such a drastic need for dependency on others.
• 27Jun

  Orgasm and Hormones

  Andropause, Bioidentical Hormones, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), Orgasm, Pellets, Relationships, Research, Sexuality, Symptoms, Testosterone, Treatment No Comments

  How Our Hormones Effect our Orgasms.

  

  How our hormones operate plays an important role in our libido, ability to climax and overall sense of sexuality. This podcast goes into detail of the in’s and out’s of male and female hormones and how it determines ones ability to reach orgasm.
• 21Jun

  The Physiology of the Sexual Experience

  Bioidentical Hormones, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), Menopause, Orgasm, Relationships, Sexuality, Testosterone No Comments

  Sex, Orgasms, and Why Our Bodies Act the Way the Do.

  

  Ever wondered why your body behaves a certain way in sexual situations? This episode of the BioBalance Health Cast discuses the differences in male and female bodies and offer explantations about the sexual life cycle starting as infants and through adulthood.
• 24May

  Arousal and Orgasm

  Andropause, Bioidentical Hormones, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), Menopause, Orgasm, Progesterone, Relationships, Research, Sexuality, Testosterone No Comments

  Bad health and addictions often cause low sexual function.

  

  Download the transcription of this podcast.

  This episode of the BioBalance Healthcast focuses on how people with chronic health problems or complicated medical histories are harder to treat with testosterone replacement therapy. This difficulty leads to a patients struggle to become aroused and then ultimately reach orgasm.
• 12Sep

  Sex – Medical and Psychological Perspectives

  Bioidentical Hormones, Orgasm, Relationships, Sexuality No Comments

  Communication and balanced hormones are keys to good sexual relations.

  

  Download the transcription of this podcast.

  In episode 47 of the BioBalance Healthcast, Brett Newcomb and I discuss aspects of the imbalance in sexual desire that many couples have.

  The idea for this episode came from an inquiry I received from a writer at Ebony Magazine. They wanted to know about what’s normal in sexual behavior and how to deal with an imbalance in desire for sex within a relationship. We discuss in this podcast how some problems and solutions are medical and physical, while other are social and psychological.

  Partners in relationship can come from different mindsets. Some think that sex is dirty, some think it’s only for pro-creation. Sometimes people have more testosterone causing them to have a higher sex drive. Those with a lot of testosterone have a higher sex drive, and that’s a medical problem.

  Another medical cause for lack of libido is drugs. Antidepressant or birth control drugs can affect desire.

  Communication is key to resolving or managing the situation. People often assume the worst of each other’s feelings if we don’t communicate. The results of not communicating can be very serious. Often time, comments come out in a fight.

  Sexual components in communication can include whether or not couples talk during sex, discussion have fantasies for instance. Talking about what satisfies you can help, as long isn’t perceived as a complaint, or a criticism.

  Some of my patients who have gotten counseling and have a potential to return to normal mutually satisfying relations can have medical issues. One of these problems is vaginismus, an involuntary contracting of the vagina. It can take physical therapy helping the woman feel comfortable with her body. Fundamental messages can cause these problems. How we talk to our children about sex is important. Even though sex education in schools can be a good place to teach the biological aspects of sex, the home is the best place to teach young people how sexual relationships should work.

  My job is to make sure there is nothing physically wrong with the couple. A lot of women are inorgasmic. Sometimes the problem is physical, sometimes psychological. Communication is important in all cases because the man can’t read the women’s mind. Women focus on the moment, men are focused on the goal of having an orgasm. Young men are about the orgasm, later more on the intimacy.

  My patients whose sexual problem is caused low or no testosterone can be treated by my bioidentical testosterone pellets and get their sex life back.

  For more information about BioBalance Bioidentical Pellet Treatment, visit the BioBalance Health website.
• 17Jun

  Hormone Imbalance and Intimacy

  Bioidentical Hormones, Estradiol, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), Menopause, Orgasm, Pellets, Relationships, Sexuality, Symptoms, Testosterone No Comments

  Imbalanced Testosterone and Estrogen can create problems for couples.

  
  
  Download the transcription of this podcast.

  On episode 36 of the BioBalance Healthcast, Brett Newcomb and I talk about the affects of hormone imbalance on sexual intimacy and relationships. We also talk about what’s normal in regards to frequency and quality sexual relationships, and how health can be factor in how we perform. Non-health factors can determine whether or not a couple can relate on an intimate level. In such cases, I refer my patients to a counseling professional like Brett.
• 27Mar

  How Aging affects Orgasms

  Bioidentical Hormones, Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), Menopause, Pellets, Relationships, Sexuality, Symptoms, Treatment No Comments

  Treating intimacy problems with bioidentical hormone replacement therapy.

   
  
  Download the transcription of this podcast.

  Podcast episode 25 uses as a resource the book, The Science of Orgasm, written by Barry R. Komisaruk, Carlos Beyer-Flores and Beverly Whipple.

  As we age, Orgasms become less frequent or cease alltogether. An increase in sexual dysfunction after age 50 is normal and is often is due to a hormone imbalance. In situations where hormone imbalance is the cause of the relationship problem, bioidentical hormone replacement is often the solution.

  Sometimes intimacy levels that change with age are due to relationships issues. Just because one or both individuals in the relationship gets their hormones balanced, does not bring the return of the previous levels of intimacy. In Dr. my practice, when balanced hormones don’t solve the problem, I often refer the patient to relationship therapist Brett Newcomb for further help.

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