We should all be as skilled in investigating & treating male hormone imbalances as we are female ones, yet this is often not the case. A lack of confidence in this area, which seems to be an issue for many, in particular will compromise our ability to question male clients comprehensively and effectively about their reproductive health and ultimately reduce our capacity for making good clinical decisions and achieving the best outcomes for them. If you’re female, how would you feel seeing a male practitioner who doesn’t ask you about your menstrual cycle in detail?
Many of us are at risk of committing similar crimes but we need not be.
I always say, if you understand the rationale for why you need to have certain information you can ask anything…and I do (!), from libido (and how to determine if this is coming from physical, emotional or environmental sources) to the details of actual sexual performance and satisfaction. I found myself in exactly one of these conversations the other day with a late 60 something patient of mine and the relief he felt at having a place to talk freely was apparent. If we consider ourselves to be ‘holistic’ in our approach then surely we need to take into account the significant contribution of sexual health in all of our patients and this of course is intrinsically linked to hormonal balance & wellbeing.
Then what do you make of the new information you’ve now got i.e. no libido, or good libido but impaired sexual performance etc? What does it tell you in terms of possible heath indicators & what further testing should it prompt you to request in order to complete the picture? What are the best nutritional & herbal interventions & should we be concerned about the increasing popularity of testosterone replacement therapy…(yes!)?
Men’s reproductive health is not complicated once you learn the language and the landmarks and get some guidance on how to ask the key questions. It’s become a bit of a favourite area of mine to work in and consequently I’m due to come around the country in the next couple of months and chat about it! So if you need some upskilling in male health make sure you catch these half day seminars when I come to your capital city if you can 🙂 For more information contact Nutrition Care on 1800 034 445
Brisvegas 30th May 1-5pm
Sydney 20th June 1-5pm
Melbourne 21st June 1-5pm
Adelaide 27th June 1-5pm
Perth 28th June 1-5pm