Andropause

The 55-year-old man enjoyed physical work on his farm.  He particularly enjoyed working his nephews and other high school students in the hay field.  This was hot, physical work.  Physical labor can be satisfying, at least for some.  The other enjoyment was that he could out work any of the young men.  Well, until one day while unloading at the barn in need of a break,  he though, “I must be losing my edge.”  At that moment one of the boys said, “Can we take a break?”  While giving quiet thanks, the older man said, “Sure, if you have to.”

As men age, sometimes our self-image does not match reality.  We can be overweight and bald and still think of ourselves in our youth.  What a wake up call when we discover that we cannot keep up.  The drive diminishes and we may become content to hold the remote in front of the boob tube. 

Is it time for a tune up?  Men can experience a decline in testosterone as they age.  The book,  "The Youth Effect", by Ronald Brown, MD, is written for women about hormone replacement.  Chapter 9 is for men in “andropause”.  There is the case of Harold, an 88-year-old that was not ready to lose his spark. 

Hormone replacement for men is not as popular as for women, but there are strong arguments for testosterone replacement therapy.  Testosterone replacement for men can contribute to male health including muscle mass, sex drive, mental function, motivation and a general sense of well being. 

Stay Well

Who is Fred Lowry, Jr.?

 This is my inaugural blog that I never imagined would happen.  While computers are very much a part of my life, social media is not. 

I grew up in my father’s drug store.  I can actually remember sweeping the floors with some type of sweeping compound that was thrown on the floor before sweeping.  This should not have made sense to a 7 year old boy in 1962.  I was on the city swim team and was active in Boy Scouts achieving Eagle at 14 years old.  I was taught how to work and as an early teen would ride my bike to housing construction sites and work as common labor clearing lots, cleaning sites, and carrying lumber and shingles.  They rarely let me swing a hammer.  At 16, I drove dump trucks at construction sites.  At 18, the summer before college, I worked on a mill loading dock first shift and in the mill the second shift.  All this was intermingled with working at Lowry Drug and my outdoor love of Quail hunting with our bird dogs.

I graduated from the University of South Carolina and became a pharmacist in 1980 moving back to Statesville to work with my father.  We developed a large medical equipment business.   We also started a home infusion company in 1984 where we prepared sterile IV fluids for home use.  This service included antibiotics, pain management, fluid replacement, biologicals, and total parental nutrition.  We also provided nursing care for these individuals.  At the same time we became more active in regular prescription compounding which is a foundational part of pharmacy.

I became involved in providing “bio-identical” or natural hormone replacement compounds.  At the time, I completely supported allopathic medicine (patented drugs) as the best medicine.  In pharmacy school natural medicine is either implied as weak or a joke.  I personally remember making jokes about homeopathy.  While studying about hormone replacement, I discovered that what I had been taught was “misrepresented.”  I discovered how studies are deceptively presented to sell products at the cost of an individual’s health.  This shook my world!  If this was wrong then what else is wrong?

As you can see my head opened up and I began studying other types of medicine.  I cautiously learned about homeopathy.  I learned more about nutrition and naturopathic medicine.  I have traveled to 3 other countries to learn other systems of medicine and attended numerous seminars.  This led me to becoming a Doctor of Naturopathy.  I have integrated my knowledge of pharmaceuticals and natural medicine to provide individual pharmacy based wellness consultations for all types of health issues.

The future of this blog is to educate you in what I have learned.

Be well!

Fred Lowry, Jr.