Reform Magazine - The Facts and Myths About: DHT!

[the_fake_webmaster]

DHT is one of those good guy/bad guy hormones that is sorely misunderstood. For many people, it is NOT something that you want to reduce or eliminate in the body. For some others though, keeping DHT levels under control is probably a prudent course of action. Knowing the facts about DHT will help you decide

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[Unregistered]

Kudos to the intrepid folks who dare to fly in the face of traditional medical "logic" regarding DHT and BPH! I have friends who are using Proscar, with rather tragic results as to their manhood.
I would like to "amend" the article, if I might, however. It would seem to me that low-dose Arimidex might achieve a "two-fer" result in the case of a BPH sufferer - or, for that matter, any aging male who suffers the effects of andropause, especially the "evil" of aromatase excess.
Arimidex - if you can get it - has been shown to greatly reduce (but not eliminate) estrogen while increasing both testosterone and DHT rather significantly.
I refer to "Effects of aromatase inhibition in elderly men with low or borderline-low serum testosterone levels." from J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2004 Mar;89(3): 1174-80. (ISSN: 0021-972X)
In the study, men at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston were given 1- 1 mg of Arimidex daily: 2- 1 mg of Arimidex twice weekly or
3- daily placebo.
The study lasted 12 weeks, and concluded: "these data demonstrate that aromatase inhibition increases serum bioavailable and total testosterone levels to the youthful normal range in older men with mild hypogonadism. Serum estradiol levels decrease modestly, but remain within the normal male range."
It would seem to me that a cycle of Arimidex would be perhaps even more effective than exogenous DHT administration - but others who have more direct medical knowledge may disagree.
Either way, it is always refreshing to read articles that pooh-pooh the "standard" physician line: "if your prostate is enlarged eliminate testosterone!" Enlightenment is a slow process. . .

[tutorialbs]

DHT is one of those good guy/bad guy hormones that is sorely misunderstood. For many people, it is NOT something that you want to reduce or eliminate in the body. For some others though, keeping DHT levels under control is probably a prudent course of action. Knowing the facts about DHT will help you decide

I think you are wrong about DHT (dihydrotestosterone). The goal of all men everywhere should be to keep testosterone as testosterone. Testosterone would be the biggest factor in muscle building, and most other 'beneficial things' related to being a man, not DHT.

I agree that all hormones are necessary in small amounts. But when you take something that inhibits DHT, it doesn't necessarily mean that your DHT levels would be at 0%. More likely, it would go from 100% to around 1%-3%, if you are taking a powerful inhibitor, and only right after you take the drug. Then, that 1%-3% number would slowly rise before your next dose as the drug's half-life expires (unless you know of some extended-release formula that I'm unaware of). So, I am not convinced at all by your article that it would be healthy or wise to ever want to increase that 1%-3% number, especially for older men who already create so much DHT that that amount would be as much as 2 or more younger men create.

DHT has lasting, damaging effects in any other amount than "small". It literally causes aging, in men and women. It really is a nasty hormone. And I mean that literally, too. Without going into too much detail, I had 10 times the normal amount of DHT in my body for a 6 month period. Not only did my hair fall out at about a 10x increased rate, and my prostate became so enlarged that the second I found out I had to pee I had to run to the bathroom to prevent peeing myself which on the worst days was about every 30 minutes or so, but it also negatively effected my mental clarity. Lowered DHT levels did decrease my libido for a time, but then I had the same libido with with high testosterone and low DHT.

Your only legitimate argument in support of DHT is that it blocks estrogen creation. That's a very good point indeed.

How I thought this worked was that DHT simply used up all the testosterone that could be converted to estradiol, so if it is not possible for testosterone to be converted to DHT, then it will convert to estrogen.

Therefore, the solution is not to let DHT wreak havoc in your body just to keep your estrogen levels low. That is ludacris. The solution is to take supplements that inhibit both DHT and Estradiol. You want your testosterone staying testosterone, it is the best possible form of the hormone.

If you are a man taking medication to inhibit DHT (dihydrotestosterone), you MUST also take medication to inhibit estradiol. This is why whenever I take 450mg Saw Palmnetto, I also take half of 375mg Beta Sitosterol.

HOW TO REVIEW: Post Your Review Of This Article - CLICK ON POST REPLY BELOW! You do NOT need to be a registered member to post a reply in this section!

I did have to register to post in this section. Not a big deal, though.

[DaveRa]

Kudos to the intrepid folks who dare to fly in the face of traditional medical "logic" regarding DHT and BPH! I have friends who are using Proscar, with rather tragic results as to their manhood.
I would like to "amend" the article, if I might, however. It would seem to me that low-dose Arimidex might achieve a "two-fer" result in the case of a BPH sufferer - or, for that matter, any aging male who suffers the effects of andropause, especially the "evil" of aromatase excess.
Arimidex - if you can get it - has been shown to greatly reduce (but not eliminate) estrogen while increasing both testosterone and DHT rather significantly.
I refer to "Effects of aromatase inhibition in elderly men with low or borderline-low serum testosterone levels." from J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2004 Mar;89(3): 1174-80. (ISSN: 0021-972X)
In the study, men at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston were given 1- 1 mg of Arimidex daily: 2- 1 mg of Arimidex twice weekly or
3- daily placebo.
The study lasted 12 weeks, and concluded: "these data demonstrate that aromatase inhibition increases serum bioavailable and total testosterone levels to the youthful normal range in older men with mild hypogonadism. Serum estradiol levels decrease modestly, but remain within the normal male range."
It would seem to me that a cycle of Arimidex would be perhaps even more effective than exogenous DHT administration - but others who have more direct medical knowledge may disagree.
Either way, it is always refreshing to read articles that pooh-pooh the "standard" physician line: "if your prostate is enlarged eliminate testosterone!" Enlightenment is a slow process. . .

Great article!
Two things I'd like to run by you:
1. Can soy products or estrogen possibly regulate or reduce the overproduction of DHT in males suffering from hair-loss?
2. I've heard some say that daily sex and/or masturbation can potentially increase the creation of DHT leading to hair loss.. Any thoughts..
Thanks.