Quote:
Originally Posted by Scruffydog777
If you have good insurance that allows you to have regular check ups, take full advantage of it.
|
Very sobering post, Scruffy. A good friend of mine, early 50's, had prostate cancer and had it removed. He is doing fine now. It was the slow kind, so his prognosis is good. I hope you can keep yours under control. Are they treating it with meds?
I do have very good insurance the last five years and have my annual physical, and the results have been very good. My PSA has been ranging in the 0.8 to 1.2 range. I hope it keeps up. I have been taking supplements to help with prostate, such as saw palmetto, horny goat weed, and Maca. I do see a difference.
Probably my biggest issues are degradation of the senses, specifically hearing and sight. Too many rock concerts and loud power tools and shooting ranges in my life apparently. I have worn contacts since I was 15, and while my sight hasn't gotten much worse, it's that age-related struggling to see in low lighting conditions and small print which can be annoying. I do have some hip arthritis caused by scoliosis and years and years of running and heavy lifting. I probably have a replacement in the near future coming.
But, I cannot complain too much. Six or seven years ago, I was about 60 pounds heavier. I went through a very depressive period caused by a bad marriage getting much worse, and finally the divorce and having to give up just about everything I worked for to get free from her. I had went to the doctor one day and my BP was 172/135. He was kind of freaking out and I realized I was committing suicide indirectly by not taking care of my body. He tried to put me on anti-depressants, but I refused. I joined a gym on the way home.
I spent a lot of time at the gym for the next year. I also watched a LOT of Alizee. I started being treated for my scoliosis by a chiropractor who became a friend. He saw the mess I was in and he helped me not only with my structural problems, but also guided me with my diet and supplementation. A year later he said I looked like my own younger brother.
I have kept up with my workouts religiously. I have tried different supplements, and have settled with a regimen of pharmaceutical grade vitamins, antioxidants, amino acids, and probiotics. I lost more than the weight I gained, about 75 pounds total, which brought me down to my high school weight. It was too much, and once I went off a very regimented diet to a more normal diet, I gained fifteen back and have stayed in this range for the last five years.
I mentioned to VitaminAlizee about getting testosterone readings while you are young to establish a baseline. Even before I went through my depression and weight gain, I started losing my physical and mental edge starting around age 45. I didn't know what was going on - just chalked it up to getting old. One of the things my chiropractor wanted me to check was my free and total testosterone levels. They came back in with low normal levels, but the range is so large because they lump together what is normal for ages ranging from 18 to 80. I never had any baseline of what my reading was when I felt my best, which is probably the 25-30 year old time frame. The doctors I went to kept trying to put me on SSID's, but I convinced them that I should try HRT (hormone replacement therapy) instead. They allowed me to do it and I worked with a specialist in the field to fine tune where my hormone levels should be to make me feel optimal for my age. I swear by it. It has made a huge difference.
The human body is a very complex mechanism and needs to be fine tuned to run optimally. It takes some time and research and a really good doctor that is into holistic health to help in this area. However, traditional medicine does have it's place in overall health management.