Men’s Health: puberty and prostate
With Father’s Day this month, it’s a great time to talk about men’s health. We’ll take a look at two conditions: teenage acne and Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). These are both caused (at varying degrees) by male hormone imbalance. Androgens are a group of hormones of which testosterone (the predominant male reproductive hormone) is the most common. Testosterone levels increase for young men in their late teens, and the excess androgens contribute to acne. The sebaceous glands which secrete oil onto the skin, produce androgens, along with other glands, and in excess are converted to a hormone called dihydrotestosterone which promotes acne. Research has found herbs such as Serenoa repens (Saw palmetto) effective in treating hormonal acne, especially when combined with other androgen regulating herbs is....